The Cuban Revolution By Preet Singh Cuban Relations w/ the U.S. • After the Cuban war of Independence, Cuba 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 United States would get involved in Cuban international and domestic conflicts. 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 overthrow the government again with military back up • He then cancelled elections and would hold power up until 1959 Fidel Castro - Early Life ● Born on August 13, 1926 in Biran, a small town in eastern Cuba. ● Father was a wealthy Spanish farmer. ● Castro enrolled as a law student at the University of Havana. ○ Interested in politics and joined the anti-corruption Orthodox Party. ● Ran for the Cuban House of Representatives. ○ Never got elected. Castro and Communism • 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. Castro’s Revolution Begins ● In July 1953, Castro led 120 men to attack the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cubas. ○ His men were captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Many were killed. ● He was released from prison and in 1955 he went to Mexico to restart his campaign against Batista. Castro’s Exile • 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 Granma to Cuba to lead the revolution. 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 • Batista’s army consisted of 37,000 men • Castro’s supporters sometimes consisted of no more than 200 men • Castro was able to make up for this difference with ▫ Guerilla warfare ▫ U.S. funding ▫ U.S. arms embargo of Batista ▫ Escopetas ▫Other revolutionists The Revolution • 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 their 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 After of the Revolution • 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 Life under Castro • Abolished legal discrimination • Brought electricity to the countryside • Provided full employment, advanced education and healthcare – Mostly by building new schools and medical centers • He closed down many oppositional newspapers and jailed thousands of political opponents – Made no move towards elections • Limited the amount of land one could own, abolished private business, controlled housing and consumer goods shortages Cuban Relations w/ the U.S. • 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 w/ JFK • The attempts to kill Castro continued • To improve the relations Che Guevara and Dillon Douglas would meet in Punto del Este, Uruguay to discuss a resolution • Che’s terms ▫ Minimal involvement with Soviet Union ▫ 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 Relations w/ 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 their differences aside • During the LBJ administration U.S. and Cuban Relations became less heated Cuban Relations w/ 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 Khrushchev 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 Cuban Relations w/ Latin America ● Cuba Relations with Latin America ● Castro hoped to spread communism throughout Latin America ● He supplied many leftist guerrilla movements with supplies and weapons ● Most of the Marxist revolutions that Castro supported failed ● Overall, relations with many countries and Cuba began to slowly normalize with the exception of the United States Cuban Relations w/ Latin America ● Cuba helped to broker the new peace between the government of Colombia and the main Marxist rebel movement. ● Sent 11,000 doctors to Brazil to work in the slums and remote rural areas the country’s own doctors spurned. ● The Cuban-Venezuelan nexus was established as a natural outcome of the installation of the Hugo Chávez government in 1999. ● Mr. Castro's influence is most visible in Venezuela, the oil-rich country whose tight relationship with Cuba has been critical to sustaining the regimes of both countries. 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 Effects 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 effect on the Cuban Missile Crisis Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962, the Soviet Union secretly stationed ballistic missiles in Cuba that could deliver nuclear warheads to cities in the US • October 1962: US discovers nuclear weapons have been stationed just 90 miles from Florida • In a TV address on October 22, 1962, Kennedy notified the American public of the missiles and explained his decision to enact a naval blockade to protect the US militarily by whatever means were necessary – After a 13 day standoff, Russian leader, Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the nukes against Castro’s wishes (Castro was not involved in negotiations) – In return, the US publicly agreed not to reinvade Cuba and privately consented to removing American nuclear weapons out of Turkey Cuba & 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 hoping 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 Effect on Bolivia • After renouncing his honorary Cuban citizenship “Che” traveled throughout 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 Boatlift • 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.