THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

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THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

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Title: THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

1
THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

Political Science 4396
Dr. Arthur K. Smith
Fall Semester 2006

2
Cuba
3
Central America and the Caribbean
4
Prevailing Myths About the Cuban Revolution

? The Ernesto Che Guevara version That a
handful of bearded rebels with a rural peasant
base singlehandedly took on and defeated a
standing army, thereby overthrowing the dictator
and bringing the revolutionaries to power.
? That 1959 represented a watershed year for
the Cuban Revolution, a break with the past
rather than the culmination of more than six
decades of virtually continuous struggle.
? That Fidel Castro had his hands in all of the
major and minor decisions of the 26th of July
Movement during the insurrection and was
responsible for all of its failures and
successes.

5
Questions to be considered

? What are the historical antecedents of the
Cuban Revolution?
? Did M-26-7 prevail in 1958 primarily through
guerrilla warfare, or were other tactics
equally
crucial to victory?
? What has been the role of the United States in
shaping
Cuban political and economic history?
? What role will the U.S. play in the
post-Fidel era?
? How best to understand the role of Fidel Castro
as
Cubas revolutionary leader?
? How best to understand the recent temporary
transfer
of power to Raul Castro?
? What role has been and will be played by the
Cuban
exile community?
? What is likely to happen after Fidels death?

6
Cuba in the Early Spanish Colonial Era, 1492-1800

? Structure of Spanish Colonial Administration
? Spains conquest of the New World
? Contrast with Englands colonization of
North America
? Role of Cuba in Spains colonial economy
? Mercantilism
Dominant economic system from about
the 16th through the 18th centuries
Rise of the nation-state in Europe
Fueled rise of imperialism
? From about 1531 to 1660, Spain extracted from
its LA colonies
some 181 tons of gold and 16,000 tons of
silver (official figures)
? Effects on Spains politics and
economy
? Inflation, undermined aristocracy,
strengthened powers of
monarchy, retarded growth of
independent commercial class
Havanas role in Spains mineral
exploitation of Latin America

7
Cuba in the Early Spanish Colonial Era, 1492-1800
(2)

? Peninsulares vs. Criollos in Spanish colonial
America
? Decline of mining, rise of plantation
economy
? Importation of African slaves
? Spains restrictive policies for Cuba
from 16th through 19th
centuries
? Occupation of Havana by the English in
1862
The world context England, France, Spain, and
the United States
at the end of the 18th century and beginning
of the 19th century
? Industrial revolution in England, expansion
of world trade
? American and French Revolutions, the
Enlightenment
? Slave uprising in Sainte Domingue,
Hispaniola (Haiti)
? Legitimacy crisis in Spain and Portugal
Napoleonic wars
? Three kinds of legitimacy
? Traditional
? Charismatic
? Rational-Legal

8
Cuba in the Early Spanish Colonial Era, 1492-1800
(3)

? Insularity of Cuba from LA wars of
independence (Simon Bolivar
and Jose de San Martin)
Effects of these events on Cuba
Cuba became a refuge for displaced
peninsulares and immigrants
from Spain
Before proceeding with examination of Cuba in
the 19th century,
review Introductory Chapter in Julia Sweigs
Book
? Prevailing myths to be examined and
evaluated
? The Ernesto Che Guevara version
That a handful of bearded
rebels with a rural peasant base
singlehandedly took on and
defeated a standing army, thereby
overthrowing the dictator
and bringing the revolutionaries to
power.
? That 1959 represented a watershed
year for the Cuban
Revolution, a break with the past
rather than the culmination
of more than six decades of virtually
continuous struggle.
? That Fidel Castro had his hands in all
of the major and minor
decisions of the 26th of July Movement
during the insurrection
and was responsible for all of its
failures and successes.

9
Cuba in the Late Spanish Colonial Era, 1800-1898

? Cuba in the 19th Century Rise of the Sugar
Culture
? Great Power Politics
? Pax Britannica
? U.S. Manifest Destiny
? The Monroe Doctrine
? Cubas attractiveness to the U.S. (refer
to map)
? Offer to buy Cuba from Spain, the
Ostend Manifesto
? Decline of Spain as an Imperial Power
? Emergence of the United States as a Great
Power
? Influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan
? Social Darwinism
? The First Rebellion in Spains Cuba,
1868-1878
? Grito de Yara (1868)
? Cuba Libre
? Jose Marti

10
Cuba in the Late Spanish Colonial Era, 1800-1898
(2)
11
Cuba in the Late Spanish Colonial Era, 1800-1903
(3)

? 1878 Settlement by Spain led to shaky peace
? Promised reforms, amnesty,
emancipation of slaves
(finally fulfilled in 1886)
? Growth of trade in sugar tobacco
with U.S.
? Trade agreement cancelled by
Spain in 1894
? Hurt sugar growers in Cuba,
caused resentment in
the U.S.
? Final war of independence,
1895-1898
? Roles of Jose Marti, Antonio
Maceo, Calixto Garcia
? General Valeriano Butcher
Weyler
? Reconcentrados, free fire
zones
? Forces provoking American
intervention
? Economic, strategic,
humanitarian
? The Yellow Press
? Sinking of the USS Maine
(February 15, 1898)

12
Cuba in the Late Spanish Colonial Era, 1800-1908
(4)

? Spanish-American War
? Remember the Maine
? War declared on April 11, 1898
? The Teller Amendment
? Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough
Riders
? The Treaty of Paris (December 10,
1898)
? Contrast between U.S. Cuban
historical perspectives
on the war
? American Military Rule, 1898-1902
? Conditions in Cuba were deplorable
? Benevolent reconstruction, Dr.
Leonard Wood
? Debates in both Cuba U.S. about
future relationship
? Annexation vs. Independence
? Elections of 1900 in the U.S.
? TR as war hero, Republican
candidate for VP
? Assassination of McKinley,
rise of TR
? Constitutional Assembly in Cuba
(1900)

13
Cuba in the Late Spanish Colonial Era, 1800-1903
(5)

? The Platt Amendment (Secretary of State Elihu
Root)
? Limits on Cuban sovereignty, naval
stations, U.S. right
to intervene for the preservation of
Cuban
independence, the maintenance of a
government
adequate for the protection of life,
property, and
individual liberty.
? Adopted by U.S. Congress as rider
to army appropriations
act of 1901
? Added to new Cuban constitution in
June 1901
? Election of 1st President of Cuba, Tomas
Estrada Palma
? End of U.S. military rule (May 1902)
? Beginning of U.S. Protectorate
(1902-1934)
? Estrada Palmas first term, 1902-1906
? Good start, trade treaty of 1903 with
U.S.
? 20 reduction in tariff duties for
Cuban sugar
? U.S. settles on only Guantanamo
Bay as naval base
? Traditional Cuban corruption
moderated

14
Growth of the Sugar Culture and the U.S.
Protectorate, 1902-1925

? Framework for political analysis
? Power contenders
? Power capabilities
? Political currencies
? Three types of legitimacy
? Role of the military in Latin
American countries
? Golpes de estado
? Rise of U.S. policy of Gunboat Diplomacy
? Diplomatic recognition of new
governments
? De jure vs. de facto recognition
? Recognition used as a power tactic
by U.S. governments
? Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine
? Panama Canal
? 1st Test of Platt Amendment in 1906
? Estrada Palmas Moderates vs.
Liberals (Jose
Miguel Gomez, Alfredo Zayas)
? TR sent William Howard Taft, then
appointed Charles Magoon as
governor to supplant the elected
president
? New elections in 1909 brought Gomez to
power

15
Growth of the Sugar Culture and the U.S.
Protectorate, 1902-1925 (2)

? Rise of venality after 1909, repeated U.S.
interventions to maintain order
? Pattern of U.S. protectorate established
? President Mario Garcia Menocal (1913-1921)
continued
corruption
? Fraudulent reelection in 1917 (U.S.
troops put down
revolt by opposition)
? Cuba followed U.S. in declaring
war on Germany in
1917
? U.S. bought Cuban sugar during
WWI, but prices
collapsed after war ended
? The Dance of the
Millions
? Economic collapse, all
Cuban-owned banks failed
? Alfredo Zayas elected president in
1921 in midst of
continuing economic turmoil
? Gen. Enoch Crowder sent by U.S.
in painless intervention
? Economic recovery until 1923,
when Crowder left
? Quick return to corruption
? Election of Gerardo Machado in 1925

16
The Machado Years, 1925-1933

? Promising beginning for Machado Government
? Diversified economy, public works, easy
loans from
New York banks
? Era of Dollar Diplomacy replaced
Gunboat Diplomacy
? But Machado built his own corrupt
political machine
? Reelected in 1928, but opposition
grew
? University of Havana played
major role in opposition
? ABC society of some 40,000
members
? Machado porrista thugs,
reign of terror
? Public order deteriorated, but
U.S. President
Hoover resisted calls for
intervention
? The Great Depression set in
and deepened throughout
most of the world
? New U.S. President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt (1933)
? The Good Neighbor policy of FDR
replaced Dollar Diplomacy

17
The Machado Years, 1925-1933 (2)

? Sumner Welles sent by FDR as ambassador to
Cuba to
apply pressure on Machado
? ABC called a general strike in August
1933, Cuban
army leaders demanded changes
? Machado took flight to Bahamas
? Provisional government brokered by
Welles, but
lasted only three weeks
? Overthrown by the revolt of the
sergeants
? Tradition of military golpes
de estado in LA
? Sergeant Fulgencio Batista
deposed officer corps
and seized power, promoted
himself to colonel
and army chief of staff
? Batista appointed Professor
Ramon Grau San Martin
as Provisional President
? Grau lasted only 4 months
(U.S. withheld recognition)
? de facto vs. de jure
recognition
? But Grau decreed end
of Platt Amendment as law in Cuba

18
The Revolt of the Sergeants and the Rise of
Fulgencio Batista, 1933-1944

? Platt Amendment then formally abrogated by
U.S. (1934)
? Batista ruled Cuba from behind the scenes from
1934-1940
? Succession of seven puppet presidents
? Notably Carlos Mendieta, Miguel
Mariano Gomez, and
Federico Laredo Bru
? Cuban economy shaky during 1930s
? Impact of worldwide depression
? General strike in 1935, but
Batistas army suppressed it
? Batistas behind-the-scenes dictatorship
characterized
as mild, suave, and sweet
? Social reforms under Laredo Bru
? Womens suffrage, sugar
cooperatives, trade
unionization (Confederation of
Cuban Workers)
? U.S. presence lessened, but rising
anti-
Americanism among intellectuals
? Rise of Fascism in Europe, the New
Deal in
the U.S. Spanish civil war

19
The Constitution of 1940, WWII, and the Post-War
Years, 1945-1952

? Constituent Assembly elected in November 1939
? Constitution of 1940 was a very
progressive document
? Cross between presidential and
parliamentary systems
? Prime minister responsible to
president congress
? No immediate reelection of
president (4 year term)
? Civil liberties, workers rights,
unions, agrarian reform,
industrialization, Cubanization of
the national economy
? Batista elected President in 1940,
supported by his
Democratic Socialist coalition and
the PSP
? Opposed by Grau San Martin
(Autenticos)
? Batista a strong, democratic, popular
president from 1940-44
? Cuba declared war on Axis Powers on
Dec. 9, 1941
? Recognized USSR in 1943
? U.S. provided aid, plus U.S.
purchased entire sugar crop
at favorable prices
? Zafra averaging about 5 million
tons annually

20
The Constitution of 1940, WWII, and the Post-War
Years, 1945-1952 (2)

? Batista was a masterful politician at this
time
? Actually gave Cuba the best government it
had ever had
? Public works projects, support of
army, upper and middle classes,
organized labor, Communists
? Role of COMINTERN in 1930s and
1940s
? PSP was strongly tied to
Moscow and the USSR
? Cuban intellectuals still
disaffected, but isolated
? But Batista took care to enrich himself
(commissions, kick-backs)
? In 1944, he allowed free elections and
turned over power to Grau
San Martin and the Autenticos
? Batista went to live in Florida
? Graus government from 1944-48 was a big
disappointment
? Set new records for graft and
corruption
? Havana became a mecca for U.S.
tourists, gambling, prostitution,
narcotics, mafia

21
The Constitution of 1940, WWII, and the Post-War
Years, 1945-1952 (3)

? By 1947-48, Cuba seemed to be coming apart
? Students at University of Havana rioted,
armed themselves
? Political assassinations were common
? Emergence of Fidel Castro
? Father Angel Castro, from Galicia
(Gallego) b. Dec. 4, 1892,
emigrated to Cuba in 1912
? Worked for United Fruit Company,
started own hacienda10,000
acres in Oriente
? Married, but fell for housemaid
Lina Ruz
? Six children with Lina Ruz,
Fidel b. Aug. 13, 1926
? Rustic upbringing, athletic,
sometimes violent, brawling Catholic
schools in Santiago and
Havana
? To University of Havana in
fall 1945 to study law

22
The Constitution of 1940, WWII, and the Post-War
Years, 1945-1952 (4)

? Elections of 1948 (Carlos Prio Socarras
vs. Senator Eduardo Chibas two
other candidates)
? Autenticos vs. Ortodoxos
? Prio won a plurality of the votes
? Corruption became even worse,
especially Prio himself
? But Cuban economy growing (sugar,
Korean War, tourism)
? Buildup to national elections of 1952
? Growing sentiment for Batista to
return to power (elected to Senate)
? Chibas growing in popularity, but
dramatic suicide on radio show
? Roberto Agramonte became Ortodoxo
candidate, Batista likely
to lose the election
? Cuartelazo of March 1952, Camp
Columbia
? Prio Socarras deposed
? Elections cancelled

23
Fulgencio Batistas Second Coup, 1952

? Batistas return to power initially greeted
with widespread relief
? U.S. recognized new government some two
weeks later
? But old progressiveness quickly devolved
into dictatorship
? Press muzzled, university closed, congress
dissolved, military law
declared
? Link with Meyer Lansky and the U.S.
mafia, which invested in
hotels, gambling, prostitution
? Role of frustrated intellectuals such as
Fidel Castro
? Student factions, growing violence and
government repression
? Broader context of dictatorships in
Latin America
? The Bogatazo in Colombia (April
1948) and Fidel Castro
? Jorge Eliecer Gaitan
assassinated, period of La Violencia, Gustavo
Rojas Pinilla (1953-57)
? Rafael Leonidas Trujillo
(Dominican Republic, 1930-61)
? Cayo Confites expedition

24
Fulgencio Batistas Second Coup, 1952 (2)

? Marcos Perez Jimenez (Venezuela,
1948-58)
? Juan Domingo Peron in Argentina
(1943-55)
? Manuel Odria in Peru (1948-56) and
APRA
? Alfredo Stroessner in Paraguay
(1954-89)
? Anastasio Somoza Garcia in
Nicaragua (1933-56)
? Getulio Vargas in Brazil (elected
1950-54, but former military
dictator from 1930-45)
? But there were a few bright spots in
L.A. for democratic reform
? Chile and Mexico changed
governments regularly
through elections
? The Bolivian Revolution of 1952
(Victor Paz Estenssoro and
the MNR)
? Jose Pepe Figueres and the
National Liberation Party (PLN)
in Costa Rica
? Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala
(1950-54)
? The Caribbean Legion
? Role of the Organization of
American States (OAS)
? U.S. policy of containment of
communism

25
The Moncada Raid,July 26, 1953

? Fidel Castros political ambitions as an
Ortodoxo
? Frustrated by Batistas coup
? Turned to violent overthrow of
government as only remaining
route to power
? Planning and Organization of the Moncada Raid
? Fidels budding movement of disaffected
and marginalized Cubans
? Fidelistas grew to a movement of
about 1,200 by June 1953
? Raising money, gathering armaments
? Ideology? Communist?
? Charismatic legitimation, mantle of
Marti
? Stance of PSP as Fidelista movement
grew
? Focus on Moncada army barracks in Santiago de
Cuba
? Planned as early as February 1952 with
Abel Arcos
? Hope was that dramatic and heroic feat
would spark nationwide uprising
? Romantic, Morir por la Patria es
Vivir
? 165 men and two women, Batistiano uniforms
? But everything went wrong from the
start, army troops rallied

26
The Moncada Raid,July 26, 1953 (2)

? Fidel gave order to retreat, escaped
with about 18 others to
Sierra Maestra
? Those captured were tortured and most
were executed
? Moncada raid was a military failure but a
political success
? Brutality of Batista regime was crystalized
for nation to see
? Fidel catapulted into leadership role
on grander scale
? As dust settled, Fidel and Raul gave
themselves up
? Brought to trial in September 1953
(some 24 conspirators in all)
? Fidel defended himself,
cross-examined accusers
? Lengthy summation included his
justification for the Moncada attack and
his political agenda
? Manifesto called for restoration of the
Constitution of 1940
? Ownership of land by tenants,
sharecroppers, and squatters
? Right of workers to share of profits
of business enterprises,
including sugar mills and
plantations

27
The Moncada Raid,July 26, 1953 (3)

? Confiscation of property that had
been secured through
graft and fraud
? Castigated foreign ownership of land
(esp. United Fruit
Company)
? Rejected absolute freedom of
enterprise, guarantees for investment
capital, law of supply and demand
? Castros speech held out a bright and
shining vision of the future
? History will absolve me

28
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956

? Fidel sentenced to 15 years, Raul to 13,
20 others given 10 years
? Boniato Prison on the Isle of Pines
? While in prison, Fidel continued to
work on his Manifesto
? More radical than Ortodoxos, but
far short of Communist
? Fairly well treated as a political
prisoner, allowed to communicate with
wife Mirta and lover Naty Revuelta and
to maintain unity among his
imprisoned followers
? Meanwhile, Batista increasingly confident,
held elections in 1954
? Batista himself the only legal candidate
? Even allowed release of Fidel and his
Moncada raid comrades from
prison in May 1955 as part of deal with
Ortodoxo Party
? Fidel dallied briefly in Havana, then left
for voluntary exile in Mexico City
? Mexico in the 1950s under President
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and the PRI

29
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956 (2)

? Immediately focused on organizing M-26-7
? Forged linkages with important Cuban
exiles, including Carlos
Prio Socarras
? But already jockeying for leadership of
anti-Batista forces
? Already focused on landing in Oriente
in tradition of Marti
? M-26-7 in Mexico City quickly grew to
about 70 followers
? Rigorous paramilitary training,
organization into cells
? Met Che Guevara in July 1955
? Fidel and Che complemented each
other as revolutionaries
? Raul Castro, Alberto Bayo (veteran of
Spanish civil war), and
Frank Pais completed core group of
leaders
? Pais least well known, but perhaps
most important after Fidel
? His ANR (Accion Nacional
Revolucionaria) became the
in-Cuba wing of M-26-7
? Role was to mount
diversionary uprising in Santiago during
planned landing in Oriente

30
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956 (3)

? By fall 1955, Fidel was actively raising money
for M-26-7
? Visits to Cuban exiles in New York, Tampa,
New Jersey
? There was in April 1956 an abortive military
coup against Batista
? Easily put down, but effect was to
eliminate from Batistas army
its most professionalized officers
(mostly trained in U.S.)
? Followers of Prio Socarras assaulted army
barracks in Matanzas
? Fidel watched from afar, pleased at these
failures
? In July 1956 Fidel met with Jose
Antonio Echeverria, leader of
anti-Batista group Student
Revolutionary Directorate (DRE)
? Formed in 1955, middle- and
upper-middle-class youths
? Idealistic, pro-democracy, but
supported violent overthrow
of Batista
? Fidel met with Prio Socarras in
McAllen, Texas, and won
financial support

31
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956 (4)

? Events in Fidels personal life
? Ex-wife Mirta Diaz-Balart remarried
? Fidel concerned about his son
Fidelito, then six years old
? Naty Revuelta bore him a daughter in
March 1956
? Affairs with various other women
? Death of Fidels father, Angel, in
October 1956
? Purchase of the Granma, aged 38-foot yacht in
Tuxpan, Mexico,
in early November
? M-26-7 group filtered in to Tuxpan, about
88 in all
? Granma set out for Cuba on November 25,
dangerously overloaded
? Stormy passage to Oriente, rampant
seasickness, voyage delayed
? Batista was aware of M-26-7
plans
? On November 30, Fidel learned of
failure of Frank Paiss
diversionary attack in Santiago
? Landing on December 2

32
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956 (5)

? On December 5, after having moved inland some
22 miles, the M-26-7 landing party was ambushed
by Cuban army
? Most were killed, about 12 survivors
scattered, including
Fidels top leadership (Che was
slightly wounded)
? Survivors reunited after about 11
grueling days in the rugged
Sierra Maestra
? Now the real guerrilla struggle began
? Early raid on army outpost at La Plata was
successful
? Word quietly and slowly got out to
Fidelistas, and the band of
guerrillas started to grow
? Strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare
? Unconventional, asymmetrical
? Numerous successful examples known at
that time, among
them
? China (Mao Tse-tung, mid-1940s)

33
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956 (6)

? Yugoslavia (Josip Broz Tito in early
1940s)
? Viet Nam (General Vo Nguyen Giap,
early 1950s)
? Mexico (Emiliano Zapata, mid
1910s))
? Nicaragua (Augusto Cesar Sandino,
late 1920s))
? Cubas own war of independence
against Spain (1895-98)
? Political vs. military victory
? Measures of success are different
? Hit and run tactics
? Avoidance of set-piece battles
against conventional forces
? Common setting Rural vs. urban
? Support of peasants (or campesinos) is
crucial
? Roles of propaganda and terrorism
? Purpose To de-legitimize regime and
create conditions
for its fall

34
Castros Imprisonment, Exile in Mexico, and
Return to Cuba, 1953-1956 (7)

? Question Was Cuba a modern, transitional, or
underdeveloped country in 1957-58?
? Metaphor of growth
? Heuristic
? But possibly teleological or
deterministic
? Example Karl Marxs economic
determinism

35
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958

? What was Cuba like in early 1957?
? Dimensions of political (as contrasted
with economic) modernization
? Secularization
? More than simply independence of
the political from religious
how people conceive their role in
the process of change
? Integration
? Individuals owe primary allegiance
to nation, rather than religion,
tribe, or region
? Social Mobilization
? Individuals and groups actively
seek ways to resolve problems
? Participation
? People conceive of political
action
? Institutionalization
? Activity channeled through
political institutions and accepted
rules

36
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (2)

? Dimensions of economic modernization
? Industrialization, urbanization, education
? Concept of economic and political dependency
(Dependency Theory)
? Means of production (land, labor, capital,
technology)
? Primary vs. secondary products
? Doctrine of comparative advantage in
international trade
? Efficiency lies in specialization
? But specialization in primary products
means specialization in
land and labor rather than in capital
and technology
? Rostows Revolution of Rising Expectations
? Cuba in the 1950s not as backward or as
underdeveloped as has been often portrayed,
especially in comparison to the rest of Latin
America
? By 1953 census, about 60 percent of
labor force in
nonagricultural occupations

37
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (3)

? Third in LA in average daily consumption of
food (after Argentina and Uruguay)
? Ranked near top in LA in number of
radios and television sets
? Foreign ownership of sugar mills was in steady
decline, from 66 in 1939
to only 36 in 1958
? By contrast, Cuban-owned sugar mills
increased from 56 to 121 in the
same period
? Cuban-owned percentage of total sugar
production had increased from
22 to 62
? By 1958, Cubas per capita income was among
the highest in LA
? Comparable worldwide to Italy, Hungary,
Poland, Bulgaria, Rumania
? Cuban workers in cities enjoyed relatively
good pay and benefits
? But agricultural workers were worse
off, underemployed and seasonally
unemployed because of sugar culture
? Cuba was fairly highly urbanized, with nearly
60 living in cities
? Status of education was inadequate but
improving
? Literacy rate of about 78 in 1953,
ranking Cuba 4th in Latin America

38
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (4)

? In social structure, Cuba marked by steady
growth of middle class
(professional, semi-professional, managerial,
and proprietary
groups)
? In relation to total population, Cubas
middle class among
strongest in L.A.
? On average, then, Cuba generally ranked quite
high among L.A.
countries
? But average rankings concealed wide
disparities and inequalities
? In summary, the picture of Cuba in late 1950s
as a backward,
poverty-ridden land was not completely
accurate, especially in
relation to L.A.
? But relative to U.S. and Western Europe,
Cuba was clearly
underdeveloped
? In per capita income, Cuba ranked far
below Mississippi, the
poorest state
? And below all Western European nations
except Portugal
? Wealth and land ownership concentrated
in the hands of the few
? And Cuba had its share of major problems
? Economy sluggish, growth in GNP was slow

39
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (5)

? Overreliance on sugar (75-80 of Cubas
exports)
? U.S. citizens owned or controlled many
public utilities, much of
the banking system, and about 36 percent
of sugar industry
(albeit U.S. share was in steady decline)
? Cubas trade overwhelmingly was with
U.S. (about 60)
? But while the perception was much
higher, U.S. financial
interests controlled only six percent
of the gross Cuban GNP
? Cubans had a love-hate relationship with the
U.S.
? Despised U.S. materialism, its pragmatism,
and its historic
influence in Cuban affairs
? Many Cubans ashamed of what Havana had
become by 1950s
? But Cubans also desirous of sharing in the
profits that U.S.
investments and tourists brought
? And copying American ways and customs
(e.g., slang words,
baseball, even racial prejudice)
? Cubans so prosperous that Cuban
tourists spent more in
the U.S. than U.S. tourists spent in
Cuba
? U.S. support of Batista dictatorship was not
set in concrete

40
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (6)

? My point The Cuban Revolution was born not
so much out of grinding
poverty, racial inequalities, economic
underdevelopment, or
U.S. imperialism
? As out of the fact that development of a
more modern Cuba
was not proceeding fast enough to satisfy
peoples rising
expectations, especially among middle
class
? Cuba was a transitional nation that had
taken off toward
modernization
? Dimensions of political modernization
Uneven progress
? Secularization
? Integration
? Social Mobilization
? Participation
? Institutionalization
? Tensions in society exacerbated by a
tradition of aggressive
nationalism with a strong anti-Yanqui
twist
? A particularly violent revolutionary
tradition
? Influence of Cold War conflicts
elsewhere in the world

41
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (7)

? Why is it important to understand this?
? The Myth of the Cuban Revolution
promulgated by
Castro, Guevara, and others (e.g., C.
Wright Mills,
Jean Paul Sartre, Leo Huberman, Regis
Debray, Paul
Sweezy, to mention a few)
? Cuba was widely portrayed as an island
inhabited by a largely
rural population living in misery and
filth, illiteracy, and
exploitation
? Whose conditions of life were so
abysmal that the country
simply exploded under the leadership
of Fidel Castro
to create a new social order through
revolution
? The facts belie much of the myth, and the
truth is much
more complicated
? But while the period from 1953-1958 was
prosperous,
Batistas dictatorship was becoming
progressively more
tyrannical and brutal

42
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (8)

? Never had Cubans been richerat least, those
who held office, who
were granted concessions, who owned land
and good businesses
? And among the richest was ex-sergeant
Fulgencio Batista
? Under Batista, Cuba had virtually
everythingexcept liberty
? The opportunity to participate in
politics was closed to all but the
few batistianos
? Meanwhile, back in the Sierra Maestra, the
fidelistas were working at
guerrilla warfare
? Basic strategy (January 1957-February
1958) was to attack army
posts, withdraw immediately, then prepare
ambush for the pursuing
army troops
? The M-26-7 rebel band grew slowly,
with most new recruits coming
not from guajiros but rather from
among young urban students and
intellectuals
? Mostly from Santiago and recruited
by Frank Pais
? Pais had been arrested and jailed
after the abortive uprising scheduled
to coincide with the Granma
landing, then was acquitted (May 1957)
? Very few guajiros recruited to
fight, but support of the guajiros was
cultivated
with land reform and as source of
food and supplies

43
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (9)

? Turning point came when Frank Pais
sent Herbert Matthews to Castro
in the mountains in February 1957
? Veteran New York Times war
correspondent
? Fortuitous, Matthews the right
man at exactly the right time
? Matthews three stories in New York Times
revealed that Fidel was not
only alive but was actively engaging
Batistas army
? Fidel adept at guerrilla theatre
during Matthews visit
? Romantic portrayal by Matthews caused a
sensation in U.S.,
but also in Cuba
? Batista scoffed at fidelista threat, and
PSP publicly denounced Castro
? M-26-7 leaders agreed to complement Sierra
activities with urban underground
? Frank Pais played the role of
coordinator
? More than Fidel, Pais was the actual
architect of organization and
national strategy for M-26-7
? Sierra and Llano tactics worked in
concert
? Activities in the Sierra were
dependent on Llano for virtually everything

44
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (10)

? M-26-7 resisted alliances with other
leading anti-Batista groups
? M-26-7 portrayed as something new
and independent
? Again, the goal of strategy
during this period Nationwide general strike,
supported by armed struggle in
both the Sierra and the Llano
? Cells were organized in all six
provinces, but Pais was headquartered
in Santiago
? Llano employed a strategy of
sabotage through urban guerrilla warfare
to prepare the way for the
planned general strike
? M-26-7s relationship with the PSP (i.e., the
Communists) was delicate
? Many M-26-7 members were anti-Communist,
democratic left
? PSP had been closely linked to
Batista since 1930s
? But if the objective was to be a general
strike, PSP cooperation was
vitally needed
? PSP exercised much control over
labor unions in CTC
? M-26-7s relationships with the Autenticos
(OA, still led by Prio Socarras) and the
Student Revolutionary Directorate (DRE) were
even more difficult
? But on March 13, 1957, both of these rival
groups staged an assault
on Batistas palace in Havana

45
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (11)

? More than 40 killed, including Jose
Antonio Echeverria, the leader of the DRE
? Thus a major potential rival to
Fidel was removed
? M-26-7 profited from this in
various ways, including weapons
? Government crackdown after
the assault on Batistas palace
Repression of dissidents
damaged both OA and DRE
? At the same time, another
organization, called the Joint Civic Institutions
(CIC),
was rallying many professional
groups in opposition to Batista and
to the elections he planned for
1958
? Appearance of the Manifesto of the Sierra
Maestra
? Published in Bohemia magazine on July
28, 1957
? Fidel was the primary author, but
Frank Pais was influential in
striking a moderate rather then
radical tone
? Building tactical coalition with
Raul Chibas, Felipe Pazos,
Roberto Agramonte, Justo Carrillo
(Ortodoxos-Historicos)
? Key element of the Manifesto at this
time M-26-7 granted power to the CIC to
name a provisional government

46
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (12)

? Rejected elections as a solution
until Batista overthrown
? But the Manifesto set free
elections and constitutional goverment
as central post-Batista
goals
? Elections were to be
held within one year after Batistas defeat
? Called for formation of the
Civic Revolutionary Front to bring about
Batistas downfall
? Manifesto set forth a
post-overthrow program of reforms that closely
reflected
longstanding platform of
Ortodoxo party
? Manifesto was effective in
discrediting the elections planned for 1958 as a
competing strategy for ending
Batistas rule
? Roles of women such as Celia Sanchez, Vilma
Espin, Haydee Santamaria
? Celia was Fidels lover and a key
organizer/strategist
? Vilma (later to become Rauls wife)
was a staunch communist and key
plotter against Pais as Fidels
rival for power within M-26-7
? Pais (only 23 years old) was betrayed
from within M-26-7 and assassinated by
Batistas police in Santiago (late July
1957)
? Spontaneous and widespread mourning,
work stoppages in Oriente
? Government overreacted with
repression

47
The 26th of July Movement in the Sierra Maestra
and in the Llano, 1956-1958 (13)

? Paiss death cleared way for Fidel to
assert not only his undisputed leadership of
M-26-7
? But also the supremacy of the Sierra
strategy over that of the Llano
? The August 5 general strike was
organized by ND leaders
? Abortive, not supported by PSP
? September 5 naval mutiny in Cienfuegos,
easily suppressed by Batistas army
? Effect was elimination of most
M-26-7 allies within military
? During fall 1957, M-26-7 sowed terror
across Cuba by burning cane fields
? Meanwhile, the remains of the DRE
opened up a guerrilla front of its own
in Escambray mountains in central
Cuba, with some 800 members
? Poorly coordinated, eventually
not very effective
? And Raul Castro opened up a second
front in Oriente in March 1958
? Very effective militarily, carried
out some 247 actions against Cuban army through
the end of December
? Raul also resorted to political
kidnappings as terror tactic
? Including busload of 47 U.S.
sailors returning to base at Guantanamo