What if an event that you’ve never heard of was nearly responsible for causing World War 3, and might have also led to the end of the Cold War?

Operation Able Archer might have started as a NATO training exercise in 1983, but recently, declassified information has shown that the USSR misinterpreted the military drills and were ready to launch nuclear missiles against the USA and other NATO powers. In all likelihood, the world was closer to nuclear war in 1983 than during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

The resources related to this topic will introduce your students (Key Stage 4/5) to a previously unknown event, which they can use to develop their comprehension of ‘significance’, recap the other ‘causes of the end of the Cold War’ and develop their analytical skills.

This resource was written by Jim Attridge, ‎Head of Humanities at Glenmoor & Winton Academies in Dorset.