The 20th Century, with Mike Wallace, takes an in-depth look at the events in 1961 and 1962 that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Exploring the circumstances and world events that led to the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, The 20th Century examines how these events created an instance of international crisis. Mike Wallace takes you on a journey through the debacle at the Bay of Pigs, an invasion that caused President Kennedy and American policy to lose face, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, which restored, and enhanced, the reputation of both Kennedy and United States. Through the use of interviews and archival footage, The Bay Of Pigs And The Cuban Missile Crisis takes you back to 1961, and the dark days of October 1962, when the world teetered on the edge of disaster.

• alienate
• bellicose
• catastrophe
• charisma
• clandestine
• consensus
• debacle
• exile
• exuberance
• fiasco
• lambasting
• languish
• orchestrate
• ostensibly
• ostentatious
• palpable
• placid
• plausibly
• rhetoric
• strategist
• tenable
• topography
• valor
• vogue

1. President John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro became the leaders of their respective countries within two years of each other. What similarities did these two men share? How can they be compared? What were their differences?

2. As it became evident to the U. S. that Castro's new regime was turning toward communism, the U. S. contemplated the proposals of discrediting or helping overthrow Castro. Why did the U. S. feel it so necessary to eliminate Castor's power in Cuba? Why did the U. S. perceive Castro to be a major threat? Was he? Does the U. S. today still feel threatened by Fidel Castro and Cuba?

3. Guerrillas executed the invasion at the Bay of Pigs. What are guerrillas and what is guerrilla warfare? How does it differ from more traditional methods of warfare?

4. The Bay of Pigs invasion was Kennedy's first major challenge as President of the U. S. How did his decisions regarding the invasion reflect on Kennedy and his popularity?

5. The CIA trained and armed the guerrillas for the Bay of Pigs invasion, then the U. S. deserted them. Why did the U. S. fail to support the invasion after it started?

6. Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion fail?

7. Aerial photos taken by reconnaissance planes revealed missile launches in Cuba. Why were missiles in Cuba such a threat to the U. S.?

8. President Kennedy's course of action, much to the relief of the world, averted nuclear war. He erected a blockade or quarantine against Russian ships going into Cuba. What were Kennedy's other options? How might those options, if taken by Kennedy, changed the course of events?

9. How did the people of the U. S. react to the Cuban Missile Crisis?

1. Imagine that you are one of the guerrillas at the Bay of Pigs invasion. Record your experiences and thoughts in a journal or diary.

2. Interview your parents, grandparents, or any other persons who remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. How did they react to the crisis? What were their thoughts during those fateful two weeks? Did they think Kennedy and his advisors were choosing the correct course of action?

3. Create a timeline that illustrates the events from the Bay of Pigs invasion through the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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