Authoritarian States

Cuba and Fidel Castro. The beginning of Revolution

Overview
● 1902: Cuba got its independence from Spain with the help of USA
● However, the US Platt Amendment of 1901, which the 1902 Cuban
constitution had to include, gave the USA powers of supervision and
intervention.
● Cuban politics was corrupt (obbey the US will) and, in the 1920s, students
and others launched radical protest movements.
● From 1927, Cuba was ruled by the dictator Gerardo Machado, but protests
and a general strike in 1933 forced him to flee. The hopes of the 1933
radicals ended in 1934, when power increasingly passed to Fulgencio
Batista.From 1934 to 1959, Batista ruled directly or through a series of puppet
presidents.
Overview
● In 1953, Fidel Castro launched an unsuccessful attack on the army barracks
at Moncada. In Mexico, his 26 July Movement planned Batista’s overthrow.
● In 1956, Castro landed in Cuba with a small group of revolutionaries. The
group included Che Guevara. By 1959, their guerrilla war had forced Batista
to free Cuba
The Cuban Revolution Fulgencio
Batista

● The Cuban Revolution was a conflict

between supporters of the government of
Cuba & anti-government rebels – Gov.
leader = Fulgencio Batista – Rebel leader =
Fidel Castro
● The war would draw on Cold War ideas &
involve both superpowers Fidel
Castro
Who was Batista
● Batista was a former military officer who
rose to power with the help of the US.-
- A big anti-Communist supporter
- Allowed US companies in Cuba
● Batista used secret police & terror to
control the country – Ruled from 1933 till
Batista and
1959 the US
● He made himself dictator: Many people president
Eisenhower
were discontent (poor education, poverty,
healthcare was limited)
● Poverty was mostly because the the
Economy of Cuba was based only in
sugarcane exports to the US.
Who is Fidel Castro?
● Fidel Castro is a former lawyer turned
revolutionary – A believer that reform is
needed in Cuba without US help
● astro attempted to overthrow Batista’s
government for seven years.
● He lost many battles, and even he got
arrested by Batista in Mexico until 1955
when he wa released. Immediately put
together a new group of rebel fighters
● Leads a group of rebels known as the “26th
of July Movement” – Gifted speaker &
organizer
The issues of Castro and his follower against Batista
● Castro & the “26th of July Movement” wished to
see democratic reforms brought to Cuba – Open
elections – More civil rights – Economic /
education reforms
● Castro & his supporters also wanted to remove
the US’ dominance of Cuba's economy
How did Fidel wage his war against Batista?
● Fidel & his followers waged a guerilla war
against Batista’ s government – Attacked
from Sierra Maestra Mountains
● Used hit-and-run tactics against Batista’s
troops – Popular among the poor people
of Cuba
How did Castro eventually defeat Batista & gain
control of Cuba’s government?

● Two (2) things: – Batista looses the

support of the people – The US
withdraws its support
● Without American backing, Batista is
forced to flee – Castro takes control of
the government
CUBA VS USA
● Castro's government and the US
government did not get along.
● US didn’t like having a communist
country so close.
● Americans who owned land/businesses
in Cuba lost their property.
● Castro forced American civilian to leave
Cuba.
Washington Kennedy He sent to During his period The terrorist attacks
suspended the installed the total Congress the still in terrorist attacks against Cuban’s
purchase of blockade against force Cuban against Cuba embassies abroad
sugar from Cuba Cuba, during his Adjustment Law, increased, like increased. In 1976
and closed its term was the this legislation the fisherman's there was a terrorist
embassy in attack in the Bay grants special kidnappings. attack planned by
Havana after the of Pigs and the benefits to Cubans the CIA against a
approval of the Missile Crisis arriving in the Cuban airplane
Agrarian Reform. broke out. United States, even which left 76
if it is illegally. deaths.
Cuba: Bay of pigs (1961)
● The purpose was to overthrow Castro
● Us government (John F. Kennedy) planned
to arm Cuban exiles living in Florida: Once
the exiles arrived Cuba, unhappy Cubans
would join them at the Bay of Pigs and
overthrow Castro.
● The invasion was a disaster: Castro’s
forces intercepted the plan and captures
the invaders. the US government didn’t
into account that Castro had a lot of
followers in the rural area and those areas
were reinforced with guerrilla military
experts.
 Castro’s ideology
● Before 1959, Castro’s ideology was a radical mix,
influenced by Cuban radical nationalists such as José
Martí and the leaders of resistance in the 1920s and
1930s.
● The main aims of his ideology were for fairness, social
welfare, modernisation and independence from US
interference
● In 1960, Cuba made several trade agreements with
the Soviet Union, East European states, and China. As Ernesto “che”
Guevara. With Catro’s
a result of increasing US economic restrictions, Castro
brothers led the
nationalised US companies operating in Cuba. revolution. He also
● In April 1961, Castro made the first announcement of traveled many latin
American countries to
Cuba’s move to socialism. This was reinforced by the spread the revolution.
URSS connection
● Castro didn’t want another events like those
in the Pigs bay. So he consider to get in touch
with the URSS, which it was the world rival of
the USA.
● How he do it? Castro make public the
ideological attached with the communism and
the URSS. Of course at the beginning Castro
and Guevara doctrine had more in common Fidel and soviet leader Nikita Kruschev
May 1, 1963
with the communist China than the URSS, but
the last one was more powerful and could
protect Cuba from the neighbor invader.
● Also Castro admired the industrialization and
modernization of the URSS from Stalin and
he wanted to replicate that on Cuba
Missile Crisis (1962)
After the Bay of Pigs incident, Castro feared that
the USA would attempt another invasion and, in
November 1961, Kennedy did in fact authorise one.
For protection, Castro asked the Soviet Union for
more weapons; from May 1962, the Soviet Union
delivered tanks and military aircraft, and increased
its troops on Cuba to 42,000.

Given the USA’s big lead in nuclear weapons, Nikita

Khrushchev, the Soviet premier, thought that
placing nuclear missiles in Cuba would balance the
threat from the US missiles in Turkey – this move
 Missile Crisis (1962). WWIII?
For the next 13 days, the world seemed close to a
nuclear war. On 22 October, Kennedy imposed –
against international law – a naval blockade of Cuba.
Although the Soviet Union said it would not comply, on
24 October, Khrushchev ordered Soviet ships heading
for Cuba to turn back. The USA then said it would
invade Cuba if the missiles were not removed.

Khrushchev – without consulting Castro – sent letters to

Kennedy on 26 and 27 October, promising to remove
the missiles if the USA promised not to invade Cuba
and remove US missiles from Turkey. Kennedy agreed,
but insisted that the US side of the deal should be kept
secret: the threat of a nuclear Third World War ended.
End of the Missile Crisis
● In those agreements Castro wasn’t consulted.
In fact, Castro never wanted nuclear weapons -
just regular military weapons under a military
agreement between URSS and Cuba.
● He didn’t want Cuba to be considered a URSS
military base. Only military partners (equals).
● So Castro was upset with Kruschev and the
URSS. Khrushchev -in the other side- wanted
to arrange the problems with Cuba and invited
Castro to the URSS to sign some economic
agreements with Cuban sugarcane.