The Cuban Revolution and Beyond... A Somewhat Modern History of Cuba

Before we get to the "modern" part, let's go back a bit.

Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Cuba and claimed the land for Spain on his first voyage to the New World in 1492.

Spain ruled the colony of Cuba until the late 1800's

In December 1898, Cuba gained independence from Spain.

For a while Cuba was under U.S. rule. The United States helped them establish a democracy and set up elections.

In May of 1902, Thomas Estrada Palma became the first President of Cuba

The Platt Agreement of 1901 allowed the U.S. to build a naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Now, let's fast- forward 50 years...

In 1952, Fulgencia Batista, one of Cuba's former presidents, decided he wanted to rule Cuba again.

Thinking his chances of winning the election were slim, he and his military friends staged what is called a coup d'état, or military takeover.

Batista called himself Prime Minister, but in reality, he was a... DICTATOR

While most of the country lived in poverty, Batista encouraged Americans to come in and build hotels and casinos.

Cuba became a playground for wealthy Americans.

There were even rumors of American organized crime activity in Cuba at this time.

Enter Fidel Castro.... In July of 1953, Castro tried to stage a coup d'état.

After leading un unsuccessful attack on the Monaco barracks in Santiago de Cuba, Castro was captured, tried, and thrown in jail. He defended himself by saying, "History will absolve me!"

In 1955, Fidel Castro was released from prison. He hid in the mountains of Cuba, waging guerrilla warfare on the government for the next four years.

On January, 1959, Batista fled the country. On January 8, Castro marched into Havana, and became prime minister.

Although Castro promised free elections and free press to Cubans, he soon took away sugarcane plantations from American owners, took over American-owned businesses, and shut down all the casinos. Americans thought of him as Anti-American.

Then, in 1960, Castro signed a trade deal with the Soviet Union, who had a strained relationship with the U.S. A year later, President Eisenhower broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. Tensions increased.

In April 1961, the United States trained some Cuban exiles, transported them to the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, and attempted to overthrow Castro. To the embarrassment of the U.S.... They failed.

In 1961, Castro declares himself a Communist. In 1962, he allows the Soviet Union to install ballistic missiles on Cuban soil, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Reconnaissance air photos show these missiles, close enough to reach the U.S.

In October of 1962, the United States held its breath for fifteen days, an event later known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The U.S. launched a naval blockade. No ships could get in or out of the waters around Cuba.

Negotiations resolved the issue: The Cuban missiles would be removed. U.S. missiles in Turkey would be removed. The U.S. would no longer try to overthrow Castro. The U.S. would end the blockade.

That year, the United States began an EMBARGO against Cuba. We refused to do trade with them. This embargo continues today.

Support from the Soviet Union was important to Cuba's economy. When the USSR collapsed in the 1990's, Cuba's economy suffered greatly.