Cuba Revolution

History will Absolve me

A clandestine pamphlet that circulated and disseminated Castro's name throughout Cuba. It contained historical analysis used by Fidel to persuade the court about Cuba's ills and argued the duty of patriotic Cubans to take up arms against Batista.The historical significance of Castro's famous speech is that its content crystallized the goals of the July 26 Movement in Cuba. Pg 8

Gerardo Machado

After fighting in the Wars of Independence, he turned to farming and business but remained active in politics, heading the Liberal Party in 1920. His election to the presidency in 1924 was welcomed by middle class, who thought a sensible businessman would restore order. Accused of enriching himself at public expense. In 1927 he seized control of the Cuban political parties. He was reelected in 1928, despite heated opposition from students and professional men, and began to rule even more dictatorially.

Che Guevara

Argentine born, Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara played an important part for the Cuban revolution as guerrilla, as minister of industry, and as a figure that influenced the Cuba's revolution with his philosophy of a "new man," a new society that could be motivated by the morals rather than by personal gain. His historical significance the the influence that he has in Latin America even after his death.

Fulgencio Batista

Batista initially rose to power as part of the 1933 "Revolt of the Sergeants" that overthrew the authoritarian rule of Gerardo Machado. Batista maintained control of the government through a string of puppet presidents until 1940, when he was himself elected President of Cuba on a populist platform. In 1952 Facing certain electoral defeat, he led a military coup that preempted the election. Back in power, Batista suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked most political liberties, including the right to strike. He then aligned with the wealthiest landowners who owned the largest sugar plantations, and presided over a stagnating economy that widened the gap between rich and poor Cubans. Batista's increasingly corrupt and repressive regime then began to systematically profit from the exploitation of Cuba's commercial interests, by negotiating lucrative relationships with the American mafia, who controlled the drug, gambling, and prostitution businesses in Havana, and with large multinational American corporations that had invested considerable amounts of money in Cuba. Batista established tighter censorship of the media, while also utilizing his anti-Communist secret police to carry out wide-scale violence, torture and public executions. The Batista regime received financial, military, and logistical support from the US. HIs atrocities as dictators motivated the Cuban Revolution.

Fidel Castro

Born to a middle class family, Fidel Castro study law, established the first, and still standing, communist state in the Western Hemisphere after leading an overthrow of the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Castro's regime was successful in reducing illiteracy, stamping out racism and improving public health care. Though, his ruling has been highly criticized for not letting Cuba's express against his government.

Sugar Economy

Cuba was dependant on its sugar economy

Mocada Barracks

On July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. Though, the attack was a failure it came to symbolize the opening of the Revolution, which took that name Movimiento de Julio 27, against Fulgencio Batista.

26 of July (M-26)

The 26th of July Movement's name originated from the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks. The movement reorganized in Mexico, after Castro was sent in exile. The movement also organized nationwide, but concentrated in urban areas, where it absorbed other movements like the Ortodoxo Party.Members in the Island mobilized attacks against Batista. Their consistent attacks against Batista allowed the weakening of the regime. Efforts that Fidel was not always able to appreciate, hence, his efforts were concentrated in Sierra Maestra.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs invasion begins when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The attack failed. Its historical importance is that this event allowed Castro to consolidate his power in the island as he claimed that his regime would protect Cuba from US intervention.

Cuban Revolution

The Cuban Revolution (1953-1959) was an armed revolt conducted by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement and its allies against the government of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. The revolution had domestic --such as agrarian reform, democratization of public services, and international repercussions --like missile crisis and US embargo in Cuba. Cuba's successful independence served as a model to other Latin American revolutionary movements seeking to also to gain economic and political Independence from the US.

The Granma

The Granma was the yacht that was used to transport Castro, his brother, Che, and 82 of his men from Mexico to Cuba in November 1956 for the purpose of overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista. Though the yatch did not arrived at the time and place planned, this allowed Fidel to create alliances with marginalized peasants at the Sierra Mestra. Pg 10

Platt Amendment

The Platt Amendment was introduced in 1902. It secured US interests in Cuba by restricting Cuba's conduct of foreign policy and commercial relations, it gave the right to the US to intervene in Cuba's affairs, allowed the US to install military bases in the island, which was one of the main motives for Cuba's revolution. These lead Cuba into an economic dependency with the US. All these combined ignited Cuba's Revolution.

Missile Crisis

The crisis is generally regarded as the moment in which the Cold War came closest to turning into a nuclear conflict. After the US had placed nuclear missiles in Turkey, aimed at Moscow, and the failed US attempt to overthrow the Cuban regime, in May 1962 Nikita Khrushchev proposed the idea of placing Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt. The US publicly agreed to relinquish its plans to invade Cuba in the future and secretly agreed to remove the missiles in Turkey. It's historical importance by reaching a consensus the Americans were protected from sufferer the effects of war in American soil. Otherwise history would have been a lot different not only for Americans but globally as well.

Agrarian Reform

The government gained 44 % of farm and ranch land, which did not distributed to peasants --because the gov't believed that doing so would lead a decline in production-- instead it converted these lands into state farms and cooperatives. Hence, the US owned 1/4 of the land in Cuba, the Agrarian reform soon directed into conflict to both governments. Historically, these first reforms ignited the problems between the both countries.

Literacy Campaigns

was a year-long program in 1961 initiated by Revolutionaries in an attempt to abolish illiteracy and create a new political culture. Its historical significance is that it worked. Literacy rates raised and it was proved a success.