Cuban Revolution

We explain what the Cuban revolution was, its causes and its consequences. In addition, who were the main leaders and the role of the Soviet Union.

What was the Cuban Revolution?

The Cuban revolution was The uprising of a set of guerrilla groups against the dictatorial regime of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. The guerrilla groups that carried out this process were the July 26 Movement, headed by Fidel Castro, and other allied groups.

The Cuban Revolution It began with the assault failed to the Moncada barracks in 1953continued with the guerrilla war organized from the Sierra Maestra and ended with the successful overthrow of the Batista government government on January 1, 1959.

The Cuban revolution was one of the most important events in the political history of Latin America. The success of the revolution allowed to establish a new government that sought to sustain itself in democratic premises. However, in the context of the Cold War and under the influence of the Soviet Union, The Cuban government quickly turned to communism and consolidated as a dictatorial regime controlled by the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro.

The Cuban revolution became a symbol of the anti -imperialist struggle. In addition, the Cuban government supported revolutionary movements in various parts of the world. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the communist regime of Cuba crossed a “special period” marked by the economic crisis, which led to an incentive policy of tourism and foreign investments.

In 2008, Fidel Castro left the presidency of Cuba and the position was occupied by his brother Raúl. In 2018, two years after Fidel’s death, the presidency was in charge of Miguel Díaz-Canel.

See also: Cold War

Before the revolution

In 1899, after the Spanish-American war, Cuba was occupied by the United States. This occupation concluded in 1902, at which time the Republic of Cuba was born. However, the American influence continued in the following years and included a second military occupation between 1906 and 1909.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Cuban economy was booming, although it was very dependent on the United States, to whom it exported sugar. From 1920 some financial problems and corruption cases appeared, which sowed discontent in the population.

At that time, Cuba was an allied nation of the United States and in the process of growth but With much poverty and a weak democracy. In 1940 a new Constitution was promulgated and president Fulgencio Batista (1940-1944), of the Socialist-Democratic coalition party, to whom Ramón Grau San Martín (1944-1948) and Carlos Prío Socarrás (1948-1952) of the Authentic Cuban Revolutionary Party.

In 1952, Batista appeared as a candidate for presidential elections. However, given the perspective that he was going to be defeated, he gave a coup against the constitutional government of Prío Socarrás, he proclaimed himself president, closed the Congress and summoned new elections for 1954.

Batista was elected president in elections in which there was no oppositionand began its constitutional mandate in 1955. Although it restored the Constitution of 1940, which had been suspended after the coup d’etat, broad social and political sectors maintained their rejection of the Batista government.

During these years, The Government of Cuba was characterized by favoring the interests of US capitals and businesses linked to casinos. Corruption also increased and the government’s relationship with American organized crime intensified, while poverty in the countryside increased.

Background of the Cuban Revolution

Following the coup d’etat in 1952, a radical opposition to the government emerged. In 1953, The young lawyer Fidel Castro led a group within the Cuban people party (or orthodox party), which defined the “centenary generation” (in reference to the centenary of the birth of Cuban independence José Martí in 1853).

These young people armed themselves and, on July 26, 1953, they tried to force the Moncada barracks, in Santiago de Cuba, and the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks, in Bayamo. The assault failed and implied the imprisonment of many of the insurgents, including Castro, until 1955, when the Batista dictatorship granted them the amnesty.

In the context of the Cold War, the world was forced to assume a position between the United States (headed by the capitalist bloc) and the Soviet Union (which led the communist bloc). In Latin America, anti -communism inspired by the United States and Batista had the support of American power.

Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl assumed a opposite position. They were exiled in Mexico and organized in 1955 the July 26 Movement (M-26-7). This group was guided by José Martí’s anti -imperialist thinking and aimed at the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship.

See also: Latin America in the twentieth century

Causes of the Cuban Revolution

The main causes of the Cuban revolution were the interruption of the institutional order by the coup d’etat that headed Fulgencio Batist Batista

• The interruption of the constitutional order. Batista came to power through a coup d’etat (in 1952) and that generated discomfort, especially among the militants of the Cuban people party (including young people of the “centenary generation”), whose candidate for president was the favorite to win the elections that were suspended.
• The popular discontent with the dictatorship of Batista. The corruption of the regime enriched an increasingly small elite, associated with casinos and the sale of liquor, as well as to US interests.
• US intervention in Cuba. The United States applied interventionist policies in Cuba and directly or indirectly influenced the decisions of the Cuban government for decades, since the North American country had contributed to Cuban independence from Spain. This engendered an anti -state feeling that deepened with the Batista regime, favorable to the interests of the United States, and pushed some parties towards communism.

The beginning of the armed struggle

The armed struggle began when Fidel Castro and another 81 revolutionaries of the July 26 Movement landed in southern Cuba From his ship Granmaon December 2, 1956. They were received by the fire of the Batista Army, which caused the death and capture of most insurgents.

Those who managed to escape, including Fidel and Raúl Castro and the Argentine doctor Ernesto “Che” Guevara, They took refuge in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra. There they reorganized to make guerrilla incursions in the enemy positions and convince the population to join their struggle.

The Batista government spread the false news of Fidel’s death with the aim of removing importance from the episode and disorganizing movement. However, the “bearded” (as the revolutionaries were called for their appearance) established a clandestine radio, “Rebel Radio.” Thence They summoned the people to uprising and they add citizens to their ranks.

The conquest of power

On January 1, 1959, Batista fled to Santo Domingo and the revolutionary troops came down from the Sierra Maestra and entered Havana, in the middle of a general strike. This fact implied the end of the dictatorship and the beginning of the revolutionary government.

Once the guerrillas quickly dismantled the Cuban army and became the only national military force. He formed a transition government with Manuel Urrutia Lleó as president and José Miró Cardona as Prime Minister. He also formed “revolutionary courts” in charge of judging and executing former officials and collaborators of the Batista dictatorship.

This government contained contradictory tendencies that caused clashes among some of its protagonists. The disagreements had to do especially with some measures adopted by the revolutionaries, such as summary judgments and executions, agrarian reform and the inclination towards a communist economic model.

In February, Fidel Castro replaced Miró Cardona as Prime Minister, and in July, President Urrutia had to resign and exile in the United States.

Alignment with communism

In 1960, Fidel Castro traveled to the United States to participate in the UN General Assembly and met with the Soviet leader Nikita Jrushchov. Then, Relations between the Cuban government and the United States were in a time of tension: The Cuban government had expropriated US companies in Cuba and had signed a commercial agreement with the Soviet Union.

In the UN Castro he spoke a four -hour speech against the United States. Shortly after, The US government broke diplomatic relations with Cuba and established a commercial embargo (restrictions on trade with Cuba for US companies) that caused Castro’s government to depend directly on the help of the Soviet Union.

In April 1961, the president of the United States promoted a mission organized by a group of one thousand five hundred Cuban exiles and the CIA (American Intelligence Agency) with the aim of invading Cuba and displacing Castro of Power. The invasion of Bay of pigs or Playa Girón failed and reinforced the alignment of the Cuban government with the Soviet Union. In December 1961 Castro openly declared that he was Marxist-Leninist.

The main leaders of the Cuban Revolution

The Cuban revolution was mainly directed by The Castro brothers: Fidel and Raúl. Other protagonists were:

• Ernesto “Che” Guevara. He was an Argentine communist doctor and guerrilla who, after participating in the Cuban revolution, served as president of the National Bank of Cuba and Minister of Industry. He tried to extend the revolution to other countries and died murdered in Bolivia in 1967.
• Camilo Cienfuegos. He was a Cuban revolutionary who stood out as a military leader during the revolution and reorganized the armed forces after the victory. He died a few months later in a plane crash.
• Huber Matos. He was a revolutionary leader who opposed the communist measures of the Government of Fidel Castro, such as agrarian reform, and was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Why was the Cuban revolution important?

The Cuban revolution founded the only communist regime in America and served as inspiration for other revolutionary movements on different continents. In addition, once consolidated, the Cuban communist state collaborated with some revolutionary causes in Africa and America. For example, in the seventies the Cuban government sent troops to Angola, Congo and Ethiopia, and contributed military advisors to the government of the Sandinista National Liberation Front that came to the power of Nicaragua in 1979.

The Cuban Revolution He established a communist dictatorship that currently lasts in Cuba. However, over the years this experienced some changes: the economy was partially opened after the fall of the Soviet block at the end of the 20th century and diplomatic relations with the United States were restored in the 21st century.

In the international political and cultural sphere, the Revolution divided the intellectuals and other personalities of the world at the time: some adhered to the Cuban regime and others criticized it either for its communist economic model or for their authoritarian political characteristics.

Consequences of the Cuban revolution

The main consequences of the Cuban revolution were The fall of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship, the establishment of a communist regime led by Fidel Castro, the rupture of relations with the United States and the beginning of the commercial blockade to Cuba, the alignment of the Cuban government with the Soviet Union, the emergence of guerrilla groups influenced by the Cuban revolution in various parts of Latin America, and the American implementation of measures Communism in Latin America (as the economic program known as Alliance for Progress).

• The end of the Batista dictatorship in January 1959 and the proclamation of a new government.
• Cuba’s transition to a communist regime Headed by Fidel Castro, who ruled the country for almost fifty years.
• The enmity of the Cuban government with the United Statesthe rupture of diplomatic relations and the beginning of the American blockade to Cuba.
• The alliance between the Cuban government and the Soviet Unionand the alignment of Cuba with the communist bloc in the context of the cold war.
• The formation of guerrilla groups in various countries in Latin Americainspired by the success of the Cuban revolution.
• The increase in the intervention of the United States in Latin America to avoid the spread of communismboth with financial aid programs (as the Alliance for Progress) and with military advice to governments that faced armed organizations.

The “special period” Cuban

In 1991 there was the fall of the Soviet Union and the Cold War came to an end. This significantly affected Cuba, who lost his main source of resources and financing while still suffered the American embargo that did not allow him to trade freely.

This caused a period of crisis in Cuba known as “special period.” The population suffered famine, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) reduced 36 %, collapsed transport due to lack of hydrocarbons and there was a massive emigration from Cubans who risked their life when trying to escape the island through rafts.

In 1994 there were a series of mass demonstrations against the Government, known as “El Maleconazo”, which were repressed by police and security forces. The economic crisis of the “special period” forced the Castro government to favor foreign investments and tourism in Cubawhile repression against dissidents continued.

Cuba’s economy began to recover in the late nineties. As of 1999, the Cuban government found an important commercial partner in Venezuelaafter the arrival of Hugo Chávez to the Venezuelan presidency. Castro left the presidency of Cuba in 2008 and was happened by his brother Raúl.

References

• Aguirre, F. & Dunga, G. (2016). Historical history of the Cuban Revolution of 1959. Daily left. https://www.izquitadia.es/
• Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Cuban Revolution. Britannica Encyclopedia. https://www.britannica.com/
• VV.AA. (2019). The Cuban Revolution. Contemporary Ferro Awakening Magazine, No. 31. https://www.destaferro-editions.com/

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