Committee: Historical Crisis Committee Issue: Turmoil in Havana (1959): Fidel Castro takes control over Cuba Student Officer: George Stouraitis Position: President Introduction The HCC is unique and different from other MUN committees. Delegates of the committee are required to assume the role of a specific personality related to the historical crisis that concerns the committee, (i.e. Fidel Castro overthrowing the Batista regime). You should research all events before the crisis and regard them as facts, however, what I find most exciting about this committee, is that the result of our discussions may differ entirely from history after the event in question. This conference’s HCC will revolve around the 1959 revolution in Cuba, whereby Fidel Castro, a Cuban lawyer, infuriated by the conduct of the dictator Fulgencio Batista, took over and formed a new, communist, government. Fulgencio Batista himself had been elected president from 1940 until 1944 and led a coup in 1952 because he was not elected, hence becoming a dictator until 1959. The revolution had a disheartening beginning with Fidel Castro and other revolutionaries being captured and imprisoned, after attempting to loot the Moncada Barracks in 1953. Castro and his comrades were released in 1955 due to external pressure on Batista to release political prisoners. After retreating to Mexico and finding new allies, Fidel Castro returned to Cuba in December of 1956. There, the 26th of July Movement (his group of revolutionaries) engaged in guerrilla warfare and succeeded in toppling Batista’s government. The revolution ended with him visiting the nation’s capital, Havana, and announcing that he was the Representative of the Rebel Armed Forces of the Presidency in January of 1960. Cuba itself, was a Spanish colony from the 15th century until 1898, when it became United States of America territory after the Spanish-American War. It essentially gained its independence from the USA in 1902. It was a democratic republic, with the first president being Tomas Estrada Palma. Cuba’s independence was debatable. The States had heavy influence in Cuban politics. Cuba, in haste to achieve independence had agreed to a constitution which allowed the United States to maintain most of their authority over the region. After the disputed elections that raised Palma to power, an armed uprising took place and was interrupted by the United States; they appointed Charles Edward Magoon as Governor. Jose Miguel Gomez was elected president after Cuba regained its self-government in 1908. The next important milestone in Cuba’s newer history is the government of Gerardo Machado, elected in 1924. He promoted Cuban economy, and, during his presidency, Cuba’s tourism bloomed, while, simultaneously, prostitution and gambling also developed. After the crash of Wall Street, sugar prices dropped, and the public was restless. A military revolt was what, ultimately, forced Machado into exile in 1933, and appointed the next president, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y Quesada. However, in the same year, a revolution led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista introduced the Pentarchy of 1933 which triggered a chain of events, ultimately leading up to his regime, which lasted until 1959. Definition of Key Terms ⸭ dictatorship: According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary “a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique” ⸭ communism: A political theory, whereby the property is communal, and the means of production are controlled by the society. In such societies people theoretically contribute and receive in accordance with their needs and their abilities. ⸭ July 26th Movement: A revolutionary group created by Fidel Castro after his imprisonment. It was named in memory of the date of the assault on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. In prison, Fidel Castro developed a study group, in which other inmates studied various literary pieces of Marx, Lenin, Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky, all within a Marxist framework. The movement grew and when Castro was released he went to Mexico to recruit and plan before his return to Cuba. ⸭ guerrilla warfare: Guerrilla warfare is the type of warfare conducted by small groups of militarized forces that use a variety of irregular tactics including raids and sabotages to go up against a larger, more immobile military. ⸭ Black Tuesday: (October 29 1929) It was the day of the greatest stock market crash in United States’ history. It led to the economic crisis known as the Great Depression, and impacted economics on a global scale. It greatly influenced Cuban tourism and sugar, important factors to the country’s economy. ⸭ Guantanamo Bay: A naval base in Cuba. Under the Platt Amendment of the Cuban constitution the United States leased this naval base. ⸭ The Pentarchy of 1933: The five-member council which operated the government’s executive branch was named “the Pentarchy of 1933” ruling for 5 days in September of that year. This political situation allowed for Fulgencio Batista to manipulate the government behind the scenes until he was, himself, elected president. ⸭ Treaty of Paris (1898): The 1898 Treaty of Paris was a governmental publication signed by Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898. This Treaty forced Spain to give up control of Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Cuba to the United States. ⸭ Provisional President: The president of a provisional government. A provisional government is a temporary government, established until a stable government is formed. A provisional government is sometimes corroborated into a legitimate government. General Information After Cuba’s independence it became a republic heavily dependent on the United States of America. It had some presidents democratically elected and others rose to power through small revolutions. However, until 1959, the most influential and impactful of all rulers of the country was, without a doubt, Fulgencio Batista. In 1933 he led an armed uprising which succeeded in overthrowing the president at the time. An oligarchy which consisted of five members took over. Naturally, after the event Batista was elevated in rank and had extreme influence on the individuals that constituted the executive branch. He effectively controlled the presidents that came to power from 1933 until 1940, himself holding the position of Head of Army. The situation during his reign did not change for the better. The United States of America still effectively controlled Cuba, interfering in the economy and dictating most political actions. They exploited the country in many ways, and made deals with Batista, who controlled a number of casinos and presumably drug cartels. In 1940 the Cuban constitution was revised and enhanced with articles pertaining to various rights and liberties of the citizens previously excluded and neglected. After this constitutional revision, elections took place and Batista finally became president himself. He proceeded to make a number of socioeconomic reforms during his term as president, which ended in 1944. As per the constitution, Batista was not re-elected in the elections that took place and retired to Florida until 1952. While in Florida, he proceeded to become a senator from 1948 until 1952, named a “senator in absence”. When he returned to run for president in the elections of 1952, confident in his chances to win, he could not accept the outcome of the elections, namely his clear political defeat. A military coup resulted in his rising to power again, this time as a dictator. Outlawing the communist party, he created connections with many rich Cubans and improved Cuban lifestyle, but this did not apply but to a select portion of the Cuban population, with the rest living in poverty. During his regime, the economy suffered greatly, and so did the society, with the social disparity between rich and poor increasing significantly. Fidel Castro was one of the candidates who would have likely won a seat in congress had the elections taken place properly. He attempted through legal means, since he was a lawyer, to call for a re-election, and advocated for Batista’s resignation. He succeeded in neither, and, seeing as such, he assaulted a military Barracks – the Moncada Barracks – on July 26th 1953, along with some other nonconformists. His success would have meant that his rebel comrades would have access to weaponry and could proceed with their revolution. Nonetheless, Castro’s plans were foiled. The assault led to the death of some of the dissidents and the imprisonment of Fidel and his brother, Raul Castro. He and his brother were put on public trial. Fidel Castro, who was a lawyer, decided to defend his position by turning the trial into a legal examination of Batista’s coup. Batista reacted by declaring that Castro was ill and could not attend his trial, thereby silencing him. Fidel and Raul Castro were each sentenced to 15 years in prison. Increasing international pressure led Fulgencio Batista to reform some of his measures, although hesitantly, but also led him to release many of the political prisoners. Among those were Fidel Castro and his brother, along with other prisoners with whom Fidel had socialized in prison and whom he had convinced about his cause. After their release, many of the prisoners, including Fidel, retreated to Mexico, where he planned his return. There, he found other Cuban exiles and formed the 26th of July movement. The 26th of July Movement (M-26-7) was the revolutionary force that ultimately led to Castro’s overthrowing of Fulgencio Batista. The head figures in the movement were Fidel and Raúl Castro, Che Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos and Juan Almeida Bosque, with Fidel being the leader of the group. They resided in Mexico until the 2nd of December 1956. On that day, 82 revolutionaries boarded the boat Granma with the intent to go to Cuba. However, Batista had been informed of their arrival and managed to organize an aerial assault which resulted in numerous casualties for the revolutionaries.