Cuban Revolution: What it was and its characteristics

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

The Cuban Revolution became a symbol of the anti-imperialist struggle.

What was the Cuban Revolution?

The Cuban Revolution was the uprising of a group of guerrilla groups against the dictatorial regime of Fulgencio Batista in CubaThe guerrilla groups that carried out this process were the 26th of July Movement, led by Fidel Castro, and other allied groups.

The Cuban Revolution It began with the failed assault on the Moncada Barracks in 1953.continued the guerrilla war organized from the Sierra Maestra and ended with the successful overthrow of Batista’s pro-American 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 the establishment of a new government that sought to be based on democratic premises. However, in the context of the Cold War and under the influence of the Soviet Union, The Cuban government quickly turned towards communism and was 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, Cuba’s communist regime went through a “special period” marked by the economic crisis, which led to a policy of encouraging tourism and foreign investments.

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

Before the Revolution

In 1899, after the Spanish-American War, Cuba was occupied by the United States. This occupation ended in 1902, at which time the Republic of Cuba was born. However, 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 highly dependent on the United States, to which it exported sugar. From 1920 onwards, financial problems and cases of corruption arose, which sowed discontent among the population.

At that time, Cuba was a growing nation allied with the United States, but with a lot of poverty and a weak democracyIn 1940, a new Constitution was promulgated and Fulgencio Batista (1940-1944) of the Socialist-Democratic Coalition party was elected president, who was succeeded by Ramón Grau San Martín (1944-1948) and Carlos Prío Socarrás (1948-1952) of the Authentic Cuban Revolutionary Party.

In 1952, Batista ran for president. However, faced with the prospect of being defeated, he staged a coup against the constitutional government of Prío Socarrás, proclaimed himself president, closed Congress and called for new elections in 1954.

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

During these years, The Cuban government was characterized by favoring the interests of American capital and casino-related businesses. 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 Batista’s coup in 1952, radical opposition to the government emerged. In 1953, the young lawyer Fidel Castro led a group within the Cuban People’s Party (or Orthodox Party), which called itself the “Centennial Generation” (in reference to the centenary of the birth of Cuban independence fighter José Martí in 1853).

These young men armed themselves and, on July 26, 1953, attempted to take by force the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks in Bayamo. The assault failed and led to the imprisonment of many of the insurgents, including Castro, until 1955, when the Batista dictatorship granted them amnesty.

In the context of the Cold War, the world was forced to take a position between the United States (which led 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 the American power.

Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl They took a contrary positionThey went into exile in Mexico and organized the 26th of July Movement (M-26-7) in 1955. This group was guided by the anti-imperialist thinking of José Martí and had as its objective the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship.

Causes of the Cuban Revolution

US interventions in Cuba generated anti-American sentiment.

The main causes of the Cuban Revolution were the interruption of the institutional order by the coup d’état led by Fulgencio Batista in 1952, the discontent of a large part of the population with corruption and the privileges granted to a small elite during the Batista dictatorship, and popular rejection of direct and indirect US interventions in Cuba, which increased due to Batista’s pro-US policies.

• The interruption of the constitutional orderBatista came to power through a coup d’état (in 1952) and this generated unrest, especially among the militants of the Cuban People’s Party (including the young people of the “Centennial Generation”), whose presidential candidate was the favorite to win the elections that were suspended.
• Popular discontent with the Batista dictatorship. The regime’s corruption enriched an increasingly smaller elite, associated with casinos and liquor sales, as well as American interests.
• The American 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 anti-American sentiment that deepened under the Batista regime, which was favorable to US interests, and pushed some parties towards communism.

The beginning of the armed struggle

The armed struggle began when Fidel Castro and 81 other revolutionaries of the July 26 Movement landed in southern Cuba from his boat GranmaOn December 2, 1956, they were met by fire from Batista’s army, which resulted in the death and capture of most of the 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 MaestraThere they reorganized to carry out guerrilla raids on enemy positions and convince the population to join their fight.

The Batista government spread the false news of Fidel’s death in order to downplay the episode and disorganize the movement. However, the “bearded ones” (as the revolutionaries were called because of their appearance) established a clandestine radio station, “rebel radio.” From there, They called the people to the uprising and they added citizens to their ranks.

The conquest of power

The guerrillas dismantled the Cuban army and became the only national military force.

On January 1, 1959, Batista fled to Santo Domingo and the revolutionary troops descended from the Sierra Maestra and entered Havana, in the midst of a general strike. This event meant the end of the dictatorship and the beginning of the revolutionary government.

Once in power, the guerrillas quickly dismantled the Cuban army. and became the sole national military force. It formed a transitional government with Manuel Urrutia Lleó as president and José Miró Cardona as prime minister. It also formed “revolutionary tribunals” charged with trying and executing former officials and collaborators of the Batista dictatorship.

This government contained contradictory tendencies that caused confrontations between some of its protagonists. The disagreements had to do especially with some measures adopted by the revolutionaries, such as summary trials and shootings, 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 was forced to resign and go into 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 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. At that moment, Relations between the Cuban government and the United States were at a time of tension: The Cuban government had expropriated American companies in Cuba and had signed a trade agreement with the Soviet Union.

At the UN Castro gave a four-hour speech against the United States. Shortly after, The US government broke diplomatic relations with Cuba and established a trade embargo (restrictions on trade with Cuba for American companies) that caused the Castro government to become directly dependent on aid from the Soviet Union.

In April 1961, the President of the United States promoted a mission organized by a group of 1,500 Cuban exiles and the CIA (US intelligence agency) with the aim of invading Cuba and removing Castro from power. The Bay of Pigs invasion failed and reinforced the Cuban government’s alignment with the Soviet Union. In December 1961, Castro openly declared that he was a Marxist-Leninist.

The main leaders of the Cuban Revolution

“Che” Guevara was one of the protagonists of the Cuban Revolution.

The Cuban Revolution was led primarily by The Castro brothers: Fidel and RaúlOther protagonists were:

• Ernesto “Che” GuevaraHe was an Argentine doctor and communist guerrilla who, after…