The By Nolan Drebing Cuban Relations with The U.S. before the Revolution • After the Cuban war of Independence, began to offer Real Estate to United State’s Investors • Guantanamo Bay would be opened • In 1926 60% of the island was owned by U.S. investors • The would get involved in Cuban international and domestic conflicts ’s Early Life

• He Born on August 13, 1926 to a farmer and his father’s former mistress • In college Castro was involved in exposing corruption of Grau’s Regime ▫ Grau’s regime was involved in gang activity which caused Castro to receive death threats • Began to believe in Eduardo Chibas’ work Fidel Castro’s Communistic Revolutions

• During the June of 1947 Castro led an expedition to liberate the capitalistic Dominican Republic ▫ Never was arrested • During this time he began to read literature by Marx Lenin and Egel • He would keep on leading revolutions up until his first son, Fidelito, in 1949 Batista's Regime

• Batista successfully led a military coup in Cuba in 1933 to overthrow Gerardo Machado • Batista would then become president after multiple puppet leaders ▫ Though a fascist Batista had capitalistic views so he became a puppet for the U.S. • His first term was very progressive and was for the people • Choose his replacement after the his first term was over ▫ His replacement would end up losing to Grau Batista’s return • After 8 years out of politics Batista would run for the 1952 elections • 3 months before the elections Batista was in 3rd place and decided to overthrew the government again with military back up • He then cancelled elections and would hold power up until 1959 Castro’s Career and The Failed revolution of 1953 • Castro would open up a law practice in 1950 • 2 years later he would try to run for House of Representatives, but the elections were cancelled • Castro decided to lead an attack on Batista’s largest Barrack, Moncada • This revolution was a failure and led to Castro’s arrest and exile to Cuban Activists effects on Guatemala • Ernesto , a Argentine medical student, was traveling through out when he stopped in Guatemala to seek an internship • Che would become very involved in the Guatemalan revolution and attempt to fight the CIA invaders • This was ultimately a failure and put a target on his back for the U.S. • This overthrow would solidify Che’s view of the U.S. being an imperial power • Che would end up fleeing into Mexico Exiled to Mexico

• Castro and his July 25th movement would be exiled to Mexico • Here they would meet important figures in the revolution ▫ Ernesto Che Guevara and Alberto Bayo ▫ Bayo would teach Castro guerilla warfare which he would then use in his revolution • During his Exile, there became greater amounts of anti- Batista supporters • On November 25, 1956 Castro would sail back on the Yacht to Cuba to lead the revolution The Beginning of the Revolution of 1959

• Castro and the Granma Yacht arrived in Cuba on December 2nd and would head to the Sierra Maestra mountains • Revolution headquarters would be set up there • 3 days later the majority of the members of the Granma Yacht would be murdered

The Revolution

• On March 13, 1957 a separate group of revolutionists tried to assassinate Batista but this was unsuccessful • Soon after the United States would implement an arms embargo The Revolution (cont.)

• Batista’s army consisted of 37,000 men • Castro’s supporters sometimes consisted of no more then 200 men • Castro was able to make up for this difference with ▫ Guerilla warfare ▫ U.S. funding ▫ U.S. arms embargo of Batista ▫ Escopeteros ▫ Other revolutionists The Revolution (cont.)

• Batista would try to attack Castro’s headquarter with Operation Verano • This would prove unsuccessful with Castro’s men taking out ½ a 500 man battalion • Batista almost wiped out Castro with the Battle of Mercedes on July 29, 1957 • Castro would call a cease fire allowing for his men to retreat

The End of the Revolution

• After the Battle of Mercedes the rebels began to launch there own offensive • Che Guevara, Fidel and Raul Castro began to launch attacks on different fronts • The rebels began to force the Batista regime out and finally did on January 1st Aftermath

• Castro would become the world recognized leader in 1960 • He would begin to make drastic domestic changes in policy ▫ Agriculture distribution ▫ Improved medical centers and education • He would also allow Che Guevara to administer trials and executions on Batista Loyalists Cuban Relations with the United States • After the revolution Castro went to Washington D.C. to establish his government with the U.S. • With the new agriculture reforms, came a very big loss to U.S. businesses • This caused Eisenhower to implement trade restrictions ▫ The U.S. stopped buying sugar and stopped supplying oil • With in the first year the CIA would try to assassinate Castro Cuban Relations with Russia

• After the Cuban Revolution Russia did not believe Cuba would become their ally • Cuba would become a Socialist Republic after the invasion of the Bay of pigs • This would cause Russia to support the Cubans economically and politically • It would be later revealed, that Krushchev and Russia believed that Cuba was irritating with there constant conflicts with the U.S. • After Russia’s collapse the Cuban Economy reduced by 1/3 Bay Of Pigs

• As relations of with Cuba and Russia became closer Eisenhower allocated 13.1 million dollars to the CIA for the assassination or overthrow of Castro • Kennedy had the CIA train 1,400 paramilitaries • On April 17, 1961 the Brigade 2506 would head out to Cuba and set target for Playa Giron • The Cubans knew about the Attack from the Russians and prepared for it • Cuba would become victorious Bay Of Pigs Affects on Cuba

• This attempt to overthrow the Socialist government would help Castro • This allowed him to increase propaganda • Cuba considered the United States as an equal • This would cause for Russian-Cuban relations to increase and U.S.-Cuban relations to be drastically affected • This would later have an indirect affect on the Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Relations with JFK

• The attempts to kill Castro continued • To improve the relations Che Guevara and Dillon Douglas would meet in Punto del Esto, Uruguay to discuss a resolution • Che’s terms ▫ Minimal involvement with ▫ No “exporting” revolutions to other Latin American Countries ▫ Compromise of the U.S. businesses affected by the change in government ▫ U.S. only needed to not intervene in Cuba Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Relations with LBJ

• After the Cuban Missile Crisis and Kennedy’s death Castro would send a message to LBJ • This message would ask for them to begin to put there differences aside • During the LBJ administration U.S. and Cuban Relations became less heated Cuba in the Nicaraguan Revolution

• In the Beginning of 1967 Cuba became involved with Nicaraguan Revolutionists • In 1969 Cuba funded the revolutionists on many revolts • The Sandistan revolutionaries would then take control nearly 10 years later and would began to receive aid from the Cubans • They did this hopping that the Nicaraguans would turn to socialism, but the U.S. would punish any Latin American countries that tried to turn to this ideology • Ultimately Nicaragua would turn into a socialist state by election not by revolution

Che’s affect on Bolivia

• After renouncing his honorary Cuban citizenship “Che” traveled through out the world and tried to spread communism • He would then focus back on Latin America and would head to Bolivia ▫ Bolivian Communist Party was divided and the country turned to a heavy capitalistic society • Che received little support from the local population, this led to an attack and capture of Che by Bolivian forces and the CIA • Che would be executed on October 9, 1967 The Mariel Boat Lift

• After 10,000 Cuban citizens crammed a Peruvian embassy seeking political asylum, Castro would let anyone who wanted to leave Cuba leave • This would include mental patients and prisoners • There would be approximately 125,000 people released to the U.S. • This would cause for a greater spike in crime and gang activity in cities such as Miami and New York City Cuba After the Cold War

• With the Fall of The Soviet Empire came the economic depression of the Cuban Economy • The USSR would buy most of Cuba’s imports ▫ 80% of all Cuban sugar ▫ 40% of all Cuban citrus • Cuba then would be forced to trade with other Latin American Countries • Cuba is the only Communist Country in the Western Hemisphere Primary Source

“…Of all the burning problems to be dealt with by this Assembly, one of special significance for us, and one whose solution we feel must be found first — so as to leave no doubt in the minds of anyone — is that of peaceful coexistence among states with different economic and social systems. Much progress has been made in the world in this field. But imperialism, particularly U.S. imperialism, has attempted to make the world believe that peaceful coexistence is the exclusive right of the earth's great powers. We say here what our president said in Cairo, and what later was expressed in the declaration of the Second Conference of Heads of State or Government of Nonaligned Countries: that peaceful coexistence cannot be limited to the powerful countries if we want to ensure world peace. Peaceful coexistence must be exercised among all states, regardless of size, regardless of the previous historical relations that linked them, and regardless of the problems that may arise among some of them at a given moment…” Ernesto Che Guevara's Speech to the U.N. OPVL

• Origin: December 11, 1964, 19th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York Che Guevara's speech to the U.N. • Purpose: to persuade the U.N. that peaceful co-existence is possible but the U.S. is interfering because of their imperialism • Value: Gives Historians an idea on why Cuba’s hatred of America was so extreme and Cuba’s true belief on the proxy wars that were occurring through out the world • Limitations: Was in front of the U.N. so he could not be as vocal about his true feeling about America Bibliography

• Minster, Christopher. "The Cuban Revolution." Web. 26 Apr. 2015. • Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.