The Cold War: Cuba and Fidel Castro

The University of Havana

"Castro enrolled in the law faculty of Havana University in October 1945. ... He was soon embroiled student politics; it was difficult to avoid them. Since the twenties, Havana University had been one of the centers of political life."

Playa Giron/Bay of Pigs - April 1961

An attack upon Cuba by CIA trained exiles in 1961 that was a major failure that further strained the US-Cuba relationship. The plan was put in place by the Eisenhower administration in an attempt to get rid of Castro. However, it was President Kennedy that green lit the operation. The failure was a major embarrassment for the Kennedy Administration. It convinced Castro he needed to seek Soviet protection from American intervention and convinced the Soviets that Castro could stand up to the United States. This event led to the Soviet Missiles being placed in Cuba.

Command economy

A centrally planned economy where the government controls the distribution of resources. It is the economic system found in Communist countries.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

A contemporary (peer) of Fidel Castro. They would meet when Castro was exiled in Mexico. Che would return with Fidel and help him win the Cuban Revolution. Che would then attempt to export revolutions throughout Latin American countries.

Fin de Fidel Campaign

Batista's last ditch effort to get rid of Castro. Batista sent a force of 10,000 against Castro's 321. However, Castro's men had an advantage in the mountains and Batista's forces were unable to gain an advantage. The ineptitude (incapacity; unable) of the leadership, the lack of training for the soldiers, and high incidents of desertion made the campaign a failure. In addition, the US government made the decision to cut all military and economic aid to Batista.

Operation Mongoose

Authorized by President Kennedy, US efforts to destroy Castro from within Cuba, through military invasion and assassination.

Non-aligned Nations

Countries that were independent of the USA and the USSR in the Cold War.

Jose Marti

Cuban revolutionary hero. Castro styled himself their "Heir to Marti" to gain support among the Cuban people.

Fidel Castro (January 1959)

Cuban revolutionary that led a successful overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Once he came to power he set about breaking Cuban dependence on the United States. Eventually declared himself a Communist and aligned himself to the USSR.

Frank Pais

Cuban teacher and revolutionary. He was not technically a part of Castro's movement but did fight against Batista's forces in Cuban cities. These revolts in the cities combined with Castro's guerilla (freedom fighters) warfare in the countryside contributed to the downfall of Batista.

Left-Wing Radicalism

Enthusiastic leftists believed in a more equal distribution of wealth and political power. Many of these movements became popular throughout Latin American countries and were a concern to the US government, who feared they would spark an outbreak of Communism. Therefore, the US government was willing to align themselves to dictators that would suppress these movements.

The Attack on the Moncada Barracks - July 13th, 1953

Fidel Castro and his brother Raul attempt to take over two army barracks. They hoped to distribute the weapons and lead a popular uprising to overthrow the Batista government. The Castro's were unsuccessful. Fidel would be arrested and put on trial. His trial presented himself an opportunity to promote his message to the Cuban people. That combined with Batista's brutal treatment of the other revolutionaries made Castro a newly popular and sympathetic figure.

Direccion General de Inteligencia

Fidel Castro's secret police force that had been trained by the KGB. They were used to silence his detractors and political opponents.

Agrarian Reform Law - May 1959

One of Fidel Castro's first pieces of legislation after assuming power. It restricted all real estate to 1,000 acres at most, raising that allowance to 3,333 acres on land used for sugar, rice, and livestock. The Cubans would compensate expropriated landowners.

Guerilla Warfare

Style of fighting that uses techniques such as the ambush and other "hit and run" maneuvers to avoid major confrontations. Most armies are made up of smaller, light infantry groups of soldiers.

The Cuban Missile Crises

Tense period of time that followed the threat of Soviet nuclear weapons being placed within Cuba and the resulting actions of John F. Kennedy and his cabinet. President Kennedy declared a quarantine around Cuba to prevent any more Soviet ships delivering any more weapons. The two week period was arguably the closest the two nations came to all out nuclear destruction. Eventually, the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles and the Kennedy Administration agreed to let Castro remain in power. Kennedy regain some of the prestige he had lost due to the Bay of Pigs, and both nations felt a need to de-escalate Cold War tensions.

The Platt Amendment

This amendment gave the US the right to take over the Island of Cuba if that country entered into a treaty of debt that might place its freedom in danger. This amendment also gave the US the right to put a naval base in Cuba to protect it and the US holdings in the Caribbean. This amendment was resented very much by the Cubans and contributed to the profound anti-American sentiment that existed on the island.

Cuba and USSR Trade Agreement - 1960

This economic pact opened the door to a Soviet presence in the Americas. This was a major threat to the Eisenhower Administration. Shortly after this agreement President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to remove Castro (becomes the Bay of Pigs invasion) and eventually Eisenhower cuts off all diplomatic relations with Cuba.

26 July Movement (1953-1959)

This is the phrase given to Fidel Castro's successful Cuban Revolution. It began with his failed attack on the Moncada Barracks and ended with Fulgencio Batista's abdication on New Year's Day 1959.

Fulgencio Batista

US backed Cuban dictator. His corrupt reign, suppression of Civil Rights, and connections to the US government led to the Castro Revolution.

Sovietization

While Castro successfully broke Cuban dependence on the United States, he simply replaced that with dependence on the Soviet Union. The Cuban economy became Sovietized and did not industrialize as Castro had promised.

Herbert Matthews

Writer for the New York Times who interviewed Castro during the Cuban Revolution. He painted Castro as an impressive figure dedicated to his people and democratic freedoms. The article helped to gain Castro popularity in the United States and put pressure on the Eisenhower Administration to end their support of Batista.