Nature, extent, and treatment of opposition Communist Cuba

List opposition

• moderates, liberals, and ex-Batista supporters

• Armed counter-revolutionary groups in the Escambray Mountains

• Bay of Pigs invasion

• the Catholic Church

• Dissidents in 1970s-80s

Describe the nature, extent and treatment of moderates, liberals, and ex-Batista supporters as opposition to Communist Cuba

Nature

• Early opposition included moderates, liberals, and ex-Batista supporters who expected elections

Extent

• many fled into exile.

Treatment

• By 1961, almost all organised domestic opposition was suppressed.

Describe the nature, extent and treatment of armed counter-revolutionary groups in the Escambray Mountains as opposition to Communist Cuba

Armed counter-revolutionary groups in the Escambray Mountains (1960–65)

Extent /Nature

received limited US support

Treatment

defeated by the FAR, with heavy losses (thousands killed or imprisoned).

Describe the nature, extent and treatment of the Bay of Pigs invasion as opposition to Communist Cuba

Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961)

• involved 1,400 Cuban exiles backed by the CIA

  • 118 killed

• failed disastrously (defeated in 2 days)

• defeat allowed Castro to claim legitimacy as defender of Cuban sovereignty

• label opponents as “imperialist puppets.”

Describe the nature, extent and treatment of the Church as opposition to Communist Cuba

Nature/extent

Religious opposition existed but was restricted

Treatment

• the Catholic Church was marginalised after 1961

  • over 100 priests were expelled.

• By the late 1960s, the Church was allowed limited space but was kept under surveillance.

Describe dissidents in the 1970s-80s

• Dissidents in the 1970s–80s were monitored, imprisoned, or forced into exile

• Mariel boatlift (1980) saw 125,000 Cubans leave for the US

  • shows the scale of opposition willing to escape rather than fight.

What was the general nature of opposition

Overall, opposition was fragmented, weakened by exile, and effectively controlled by surveillance and repression.