Cuban Missile Crisis

Just over 50 years ago the world was teetering on the edge of nuclear war as the Cuban Missile Crisis unfolded following the USSR's decision to deploy nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island. The BBC produced three Witness podcasts to commemorate the Cold War Crisis, follow the links to find them:

The Photos, the Missiles, the Showdown.

The John Kennedy Library has some interesting resources and a microsite on the crisis called World on the Brink. You can also try out the Schools' World TV site, BBC Bitesize and J.D. Clare for further resources and information.

Here is the video from the BBC History 20th Century series on Cuba (Mr Kennedy and Mr Khrushchev)


 Have a look at the previous post on Cuba for some other resources and videos.

The Russian Revolution

The October Revolution of October 1917 was one of the most momentous events in modern history, changing as it did not just the future direction of Russia but also that of the rest of the world. But was the the Revolution a coup by a group of dedicated and disciplined professional revolutionaries or was it a social revolution sparked by the suffering of the people under tsarism and the Provisional Government? Have a look at the following resources to help you make up your mind:
 A list of resources from the School History site.
BBC Bitesize on the causes of the October Revolution
JD Clare's pages on Russia.
An episode of Radio 4's In Our Time on Lenin
Video: The Russian Revolution in colour
A comprehensive bank of resources on the Russian Revolution from Fordham University.
A BBC Witness podcast on the Russian Revolution outlining the experience of one woman in Moscow.