Untitled Flashcard Set

Hatuey

Chief who warned Cuban indigenous people about the Spaniards.

José Martí

Cuban nationalist who liberated Cuba from Spain.

Gerardo Machado

General in Cuban War of Independence and president from 1925-1933 who became a dictator.

Fulgencio Batista

Military officer and Cuban dictator overthrown in 1959, with backing from the U.S. government.

Fidel Castro

Revolutionary leader who governed Cuba from 1959 to 2008, known for Marxist and nationalist ideologies.

Che Guevara

Argentine Marxist revolutionary and key figure in the Cuban Revolution.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

U.S. president from 1953 to 1961 who broke ties with Cuba after the revolution and approved CIA operations against Castro.

John F. Kennedy

Eisenhower's successor; authorized attempts to overthrow Castro, including the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Nikita Khrushchev

Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis, installed missiles in Cuba.

Alliance for Progress

A U.S. aid program initiated by Kennedy in 1961 to improve Latin American conditions and contain socialism.

Angolan Civil War

Major Cold War conflict where Cuba sent troops to support anti-colonial forces.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Failed CIA-sponsored military invasion of Cuba that solidified Castro’s power.

Monocrop Boom and Bust

Economies dependent on one export, resulting in vulnerability to price fluctuations.

CDR (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution)

Militias formed to monitor civilians and maintain revolutionary authority.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Confrontation between the U.S. and USSR over missile deployments in Cuba.

Expropriation

When the state takes private property for public use, often without compensation.

Federation of Cuban Women (FMC)

Organization aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s rights in Cuba.

Helms-Burton Act (1996)

U.S. law aimed at restricting trade with Cuba and penalizing companies using expropriated businesses.

M-26-7 (26th of July Movement)

Revolutionary organization that overthrew Batista, advocating for reform and nationalization.

Mariel Boatlift

1980 mass emigration of Cubans to the U.S. in response to economic decline.

Military Units to Aid Production (UMAP)

Camps disguised as alternative military service for those who opposed Castro's regime.

Non-Aligned Movement

Group of states not formally aligned with major power blocs, promoting independence from imperialism.

Operation Mongoose

CIA operation initiated to remove Castro from power, continuing into later administrations.

Operation Peter Pan

Exodus of unaccompanied minors from Cuba to the U.S. facilitated by the Catholic Church.

Platt Amendment

Legislation giving the U.S. control over significant aspects of Cuban governance.

Special Period

Period of severe economic crisis in Cuba following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Tricontinental Conference of 1966

Conference in Havana focusing on anti-colonial issues, attended by delegates from various nations.