The Cuban Revolution

1
The Cuban Revolution
2
Early Years With Spain

• The Spanish began setting up permanent
  settlements on the island of Cuba just shortly
  after Christopher Columbus arrived in the
  Caribbean Islands in 1492. Within 20 years the
  Spanish, or the diseases they brought with them,
  had destroyed or run off nearly all the Native
  Cubans. The Spanish learned from the few
  remaining Cubans how to grow tobacco and make
  cigars as well as how to plant and harvest sugar
  cane. These crops quickly became the chief
  products of Cuba and were highly prized back in
  Europe.

3
Independence From Spain

• Cuba remained a colony of Spain until 1898
  when, with the help of America, they were finally
  able to gain their independence and begin to set
  up their own republican government. By the early
  1900s many wealthy Americans owned tobacco
  plantations and sugar mills in Cuba. They began
  buying hotels and casinos and established Cuba as
  a vacation getaway for tourists from all over the
  world. (Think Los Vegas) In May of 1902, Cuba
  elected its first president and established a
  Senate and House of Representatives. In gratitude
  for their support in winning independence from
  Spain, the new government allowed the American
  military to build a naval base in Guantanamo Bay
  to protect American interests on the island.

4
On the Verge of Revolution

• The 1952 Cuban elections were scheduled for
  June. Running as a candidate for the House of
  Representatives was a wealthy sugar cane farmer,
  Fidel Castro. Running for president was Fulgencia
  Batista y Zaldivar, known as Batista, and a
  former president who had ruled Cuba from 1933-
  1944 and who now wanted to come out of retirement.

Batista
Castro
5
Pick me! Pick me!

• Realizing that his chances of winning the
  presidency were slim, Batista gathered some of
  his army buddies and staged a military coup, or
  takeover. On March 11, 1952, Batista proclaimed
  himself prime minister of Cuba. Soon after he
  promoted himself to general and ruled Cuba as a
  dictator until 1958.
• Question What form of government would this
  most likely have been?

6
Castro to the rescue . . . or not!

• Fidel Castro, the wealthy sugar cane planter,
  decided to take matters into his own hands. In
  1953, leading 160 men, Castro attacked an army
  barracks in Santiago, Cuba. The attack failed and
  nearly half of Castros men were killed. Castro
  was captured, but before being sentenced to
  fifteen years in prison, he defended himself
  saying . . .
• History will absolve me.
• Question What do you think he meant by that?

7
Well, maybe . . .

• History may not have absolved him, but oddly
  enough Batista did and let him out of prison
  after only two years. BAD mistake for Batista!
  Castro immediately began plotting another
  military coup to overthrow Batistas government.
  Once again he failed, but he managed to escape
  into the mountains. From there Castro gathered
  followers and launched guerilla style warfare
  against the Cuban government.

8
Revolution!

• For the next three years Castro gained strength
  and followers until his military tactics finally
  caused Batista and his family to flee the
  country. On January 8, 1959, Castro marched into
  the capital city of Havana and soon after
  declared himself the new prime minister of Cuba.

9
At First . . .

• Most of the world cheered Castro for
  overthrowing the dictator Batista. Castro
  promised to bring back free elections and a free
  press. He also promised that private businesses
  would be respected and he would work to gain
  foreign investors in Cuba to improve the economy
  and bring more jobs.

10
The Beginning of the End

• However, less than three months after taking
  office, Castro signed a law taking away all sugar
  cane farms and cattle ranches that were owned by
  Americans and other foreigners. He banned all
  gambling on the island and closed down or
  destroyed all the casinos and restaurants owned
  by Americans. He took over the telephone and
  utility services, also once owned by American
  companies and put them under government control.
• Question How do you think the U.S. Government
  reacted to this news?

11
Adding Insult to Injury

• Castro even went so far as to sign a trade
  agreement with Americans arch enemy at that time
  - - the Soviet Union - - and to declare himself a
  Communist. He seemed intent on exporting
  Communism to other Latin American countries. So
  President Dwight Eisenhower broke off diplomatic
  relations with Cuba and imposed a trade embargo
  on Cuba.

Flag of Cuba
12
Cuban Missile Crisis

• In October of 1962, President John F. Kennedy
  learned that Castro had allowed the Soviet Union
  to install ballistic missiles in Cuba. These
  missiles carried nuclear warheads and could
  easily reach the U.S. So the U.S. Navy sent
  warships and submarines to form a blockade around
  the island of Cuba.

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War With Soviet Union?

• For awhile it appeared as though the U.S. and
  the Soviet Union might go to war. But through
  negotiations, it was decided that the U.S. would
  end the navel block of Cuba and the Soviet Union
  would remove the ballistic missiles from Cuba.
  The incident became known the Cuban Missile
  Crisis.

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What now for Cuba?

• Though the U.S. ended the blockade, it
  continued to impose trade embargos against Cuba
  which depended upon the Soviet Union for economic
  support. When the Soviet Union dissolved, Cuba
  was left as one of the very few remaining
  Communist countries. For awhile, Castro tried to
  support Communist revolutions in other Latin
  American countries, but was unsuccessful due in
  part U.S. interventions.

15
After All These Years. . .

• Free elections and free press are still not
  allowed in Cuba today. Castro continued as the
  dictator until poor health in 2006 forced him to
  give control of the government over to his
  brother Raul. The people of Cuba, had no say in
  the matter. Education, on the other hand, remains
  free for all Cubans, and so is health care, which
  is among the best in the world. But the citizens
  have no real freedom and their lives are
  characterized by despair and poverty.

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Cuban Revolution Questions Coach Book Lesson 9 -
pp. 66-68

• 1. Who did Cuba win their independence from and
  when?
• 2. What dictated Cuban politics after its
  independence
• and who played an important role in Cuba
  after it gained
• independence?
• 3. Why didnt the 1952 presidential elections in
  Cuba take
• place? Who came to power as a dictator?
• 4. Why was Fidel Castro thrown in jail in 1953
  and what
• did he do after his release?
• 5. Why did Batista and his family flee to the
  Dominican
• Republic on Jan. 1, 1959?
• 6. What did Castro promise when he proclaimed
  himself
• the new prime minister?
• 7. Who did Castro sign a trade deal with and what
  did President
• Eisenhower do as a result?
• 8. In exchange for the U.S. ending the blockade
  of Cuba and
• removing ballistic missiles from Turkey, what
  did the Soviet
• Union do?

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Answers

• 1. Spain on December 10, 1898
• 2. wealth generated by sugar production - the
  U.S.
• 3. Batista staged a coup Batista
• 4. he led an attack he went to Mexico began
  plotting
• 5. he was afraid of Castro
• 6. bring back free elections and a free press
• 7. Soviet Union set trade embargo
• 8. remove missiles