The Cuban Revolution

When did Christopher Columbus arrive in Cuba

1492

When did the US intervene to help Cuba secure independence from Spain

1898

When was the modern nation of Cuba declared

1902

What did the Platt Amendment 1901 guarantee

The right of the US to intervene in Cuba whenever it desired

What percentage of Cuba’s sugar production was owned by Americans

60%

When was Batista elected president and how long did he hold the position

1940-1944

When did Batista seize power in a coup

1952

Batista struggled to bring stability to Cuba and many of the nation’s old problems

worsened under his rule

What are the three types of problems under Batsita

Politics

Economy

Society

Political issues under Batista

US involvement in Cuba under Batista:

• US influenced Cuban politics and supported Batista

• US investment in Cuba continued to grow

• Range of political parties emerged and wanted to enact change, but did not agree on many issues

Economic issues under Batsita

• 25% of the population was above the poverty line (supporters of Batista and in favour of American influence and investment in Cuba)

• The remainder of the population was poor, with a significant decrease in living standards in rural areas

Social conditions under Batista

• Sugar mad eup 80% of Cuban exports, thus fluctuations in price caused many issues

• Cuba’s economy was also unequal - 30% if Cuban farmland was owned by less than 1% of people

• Many farmers worked in plantations owned by wealthy families and foreign companies

What are the three reasons for the outbreak of revolution in Cuba

1. Anti-imperialism

2. Anti-corruption

3. Social division

What are the reasons for anti-imperialism

• Some people benefited from US investment in Cuban sugar and tourism

• Majority did not benefit, especially those outside Havana and in agricultural centres

• Cubans were frustrated at US support for Batista, who was corrupt

• The desire to limit US involvement underpinned the success of opposition groups

What are the reasons for anti-corruption

• Cubans were tired of corruption in Cuban politics (rigged elections, large payments for building contracts and appointing loyal individuals)

• American criminal groups (Mafia) were investing in Cuba’s tourism industry

What are the reasons for social division

• Division between those who benefited from corruption and those who did not

• Division between those who lived in Havana and those in rural areas

• Wanted greater access to education, medical services and protection from the government in regards to working conditions

One of the most vocal critics of Batista was

A young lawyer from Havana named Fidel Castro

Who inspired Castro and his brother Raul

Latin American nationalists

Works of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin

Castro saw Cuba’s political system as hopelessly corrupt and impossible to change through the process of peaceful reform

Thus the only viable option for reform was

Revolution

Castro (1926-2016) grew up in a wealthy Cuban family and studied law at

the University of Havana, where he became politically active

After graduating in 1950, Castro worked

as a lawyer, mainly for poorer people in Havana

Castro stood for elections in Cuba’s National Congress in

1952

Before Castro could be elected, what happened

Batista seized power in a coup in 1952, disrupting Castro’s run for government

After Batista’s coup, Castro began to attempt to overthrow him and would eventually lead Cuba from

1959 to 2008

After Batista took power in 1952, Castro and his activists attacked

an output of Batista’s army at Moncada Barracks in Santiago

When was Castro’s first attack against Batista at Moncada Barracks and what was the result

Sunday 26 July 1953

Resulted in multiple deaths with almost all the rest (125 people) being captured, with half executed

What happened to the Castro brothers after this first attack and what was the significance of it

Sent to prison on the infamous Isle of Pines

Established the brothers as a symbol for a new movement against Batista - July 26 Movement

When were the brothers released from prison and where did they go

1955

Mexico

Who did the Castro brothers meet in Mexico

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, an Argentinian doctor who travelled throughout Latin America and became a revolutionary

What was Guevara’s ideology/ideals

Commitment to Marxism and was critical of the US’ involvement in the overthrow of progressive governments in South America

When was the war against Batista

1956-1959

When was Castro and Guevara’s second attempt to overthrow Batista

25 November 1956

Describe what happened in their second attempt to overthrow Batista

• Castros, Guevara abd 90 other revolutionaries sailed from Mexico on the Granma

• Government was told about the landing and only 20 of the group survived the attack

Where was Batista’s guerilla movement located and how many men did he have

Sierra Maestra mountains

35,0000 soldiers

Describe Castro’s revolution

Well-organised and very effective

What are the barbudos

Men who joined the movement who vowed to never shave their beards until they succeeded taking power in Cuba
(bearded ones)

What was the motto of the revolution

Patria o Meutre (Fatherland or death)

What was Guevara’s background

Born in Argentina to a wealthy family and studied medicine before travelling through Latin America before meeting Castro in Mexico in 1950s

Guevara was one of the most influential members of Castro’s revolutionary government in 1959 and was killed

in 1967 during a failed attempt to promote revolution in Bolivia

Revolutionaries established free territories under their control where

they collected taxes, provided education and opened medical clinics

How did the public react to Castro’s revolution

Popular among poorer Cubans and attracted many followers

Castro and Guevara developed a

well organised fighting force who planned their attacks carefully

Soldiers had to follow strict rules regarding how they should interact with Cuban civilians, and if they broke them

Beaten or executed for misconduct

Batista became more unpopular in Cuba and the lost the support of the US during

the Cuban revolution

As Batista’s power declined and his inability to destroy the Barbudos, the Cuban army’s morale

deteriorated

Despite being larger, Batista’s army became weaker which

allowed for the Barbudos victory

The war against Batista came to an end after the

Battle of Santa Clara in December 1958

After the last major battle, Batista fled Cuba

for the Dominican Republic

Castro marched into the city of Havana triumphantly on

8 January 1959

Castro’s new government aimed to create a society underpinned by two main ideas

Anti-imperialism

Socialism

Guevara is considered to have been

the ‘brains’ of the revolution

Wanted to ensure that Cuba would not be controlled by

an external power, such as the US

Castro drew much inspiration from

anti-imperialist leaders from Latin American history

Castro and Guevara became committed to the ideas of ….. and when

communism, as developed by Karl Marx

1961

What ideals of communism were did Castro want in his Cuba

• Didn’t allow wealthy wealthy individuals or groups to dominate society

• Industrialisation could be organised to benefit all society, not just factory owners and merchants

• Limit the influence of international businesses and ensure the poorest members of Cuban society were cared for

Guevara believed that Marxism offered

a clear explanation of many problems throughout Latin America and believed revolution offered the best solution to these problems

Castro promoted the idea of creating a ‘New Man’ in Cuba, which followed the idea that

Cuba would only become more equal if people could be convinced to genuinely change their beliefs and values first and then their behaviour

Castro wanted to transform Cuba into a ‘giant school’ to teach these values, which would result in

Cubans becoming selfless and dedicated like the Barbudos

Another issue of Castro’s new government was finding an alternative to

modernisation

Some members of the revolutionary movement wanted to use ….. to encourage economic activity in Cuba

Guevara openly challenged this position and instead favoured ….. and appeals to communist ideals as a way of improving the Cuban economy

free markets

central planning

Cuba tried to incorporate a range of different political parties into a new government but

there was too much disagreement

All key political positions were filled by

Castro’s closest associates

Castro implemented economic and social reform aimed to create a more independent and egalitarian Cuba including:

• Land reform

• Nationalisation of key industries

• Social reforms

Land reform

Limited land ownership to a maximum of 1000 acres and redistributed most of the remaining land among the poorer farmers of Cuba, which was very popular

Nationalisation of key industries

Cuba’s banks, the transport system, oil refineries and some agricultural land were brought under the control of the new government’s Central Planning Commission established in 1961

Social reforms

Efforts were made to improve basic living standards of CUba’s citizens. Limits were placed on the amount that could be charged for rent, the import of luxury goods was restricted, the price of electricity was reduced and medical supplies were made much cheaper. Organised 2000 volunteers to travel and teach basic literacy, raising literacy rates over 90%

One of the greatest challenges was the reaction of the

US to their new government

President Eisenhower was worried that Cuba’s new government would develop stronger ties with

communist nations

The US was following a policy of containment, so an alliance between Cuba and the Communist bloc was

unacceptable

Castro expressed a desire to see friendly relations develop, but Nixon

refused to offer economic aid in 1959

When land and industry began to nationalise in Cuba, many American business interests were damaged so the US government’s first reaction was to

reduce the amount of sugar it would buy from Cuban producers

The Soviet Union agreed to purchase large amounts of Cuban sugar and sell weapons to Castro’s regime which ultimately brought Cuba into

the Cold War

John F Kennedy approved Eisenhower’s plan to

invade Cuba by Cuban exiles equipped and trained by the CIA

The Bay of Pigs, or Playa Giron, was a disaster resulting in

the death or imprisonment of all 1400 members of the invasion force

Kennedy was forced to admit US involvement and secured the release of the captured team for

$53 million in economic aid to Cuba

In November 1961, Kennedy’s government agreed on a new initiative to encourage resistance in Cuba called

Operation Mongoose

Operation Mongoose led to repeated attempts to assassinate Castro and disrupt his government including

• Public shooting

• Poisoning his cigars

• Lacing his scuba-diving equipment with deadly bacteria

During 1962, the Soviet Union implemented Operation Anadyr, resulting in

a large influx of Soviet military hardware to defend the island

One element of this military hardware, nuclear missiles, set off a diplomatic emergency known as

Cuban Missile Crisis

The missile crisis lasted

13 days

Kennedy established the Alliance for Progress in 1961 aiming to

improve the living standards of people in Latin America to diminish the apeal of Cuba’s revolutionary rhetoric

In 1962, Cuba was suspended from the Organisation of American States, and US governments continued to enforce

harsh trade embargoes on Cuba, greatly increasing challenges of Cuba modernisation

During the 1960s, Cuba had followed the general plan favoured by Che Guevara, the Minister for Industry, who emphasised central planning

However, what did this fail to deliver

Economic growth or stability

Since Guevara had resigned and left Cuba in 1965, Castro began to implement economic policies that used both

central planning and free markets

When was the Communist Party of Cuba created

In 1965

In 1968 Castro organised a trial of a faction within the party that

were in favour of following alternative policies

How did the government expand control

through censorship and encouraging the activity of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution

What was the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution

Small organisations promoting the ideas fo the government and reporting any activity considered ‘subversive’

Government also established Military Units Assisting Production, which was and how many people served in these camps

a type of forced labour camp

Between 1965 and 1968 nearly 35,000 people served in these camps

When did Cuba introduce its first constitution

1976

Castro’s policies gave most Cubans access to essential services such as

healthcare and education

Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates ….. and highest doctor-to-patient ratio

1 doctor per 170 Cubans

While Castro was very popular, he also had many critics because of

• Slow economic growth and housing shortages in 1970s

• Limited success in improving women’s status in Cuba

• Heavy censorship and imprisonment of critics in Cuba

Cuba was instrumental in the development of the Tricontinental Conference held in Havana in 1966 to

organise cooperation between African, Asian and Latin American countries

From the Tricontinental Conference, the Organisation of Solidarity among Afro-Asiatic and Latin American Peoples (OPSAAAL) was created which aimed to

promote anti-imperialist and socialist ideals among poorer nations, reflecting Castro’s belief that US dominance should be challenged

Cuba has been involved in 17 African nations in the second half of the 20th century by sending

military supplies and soliders to support Marxist rebels

While the Cuban revolution remains most influential in Latin America, many Latin states are critical of

Cuba’s commitment to a violent revolution

After Guevara was killed in Bolivia in 1967 and a number of rebellions failed to bring about change

In 1970 Castro recognised

that armed struggle was not the only option (improved Cuba’s reputation and began a new period of cooperation

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba was in need of new trading partners

One example is

Hugo Chavez, a Castro admirer, came to power in Venezuela in 1998 and supplied Cuba with cheap oil in return for medical support

The alliance between Cuba and Bolivia created the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) which aimed to

increase and support political, economic and social cooperation between nations in Latin America and the Caribbean