1. Cuba and Fidel Castro

2. Where is Cuba?

3. Cuban History

4. Spanish Rule
By 1898, the U.S. had liberated Cuba from Spain, who oppressed and mismanaged Cuba
Jose Martì was the main Cuban hero of the revolution
Although promised their independence, Cuba was quickly turned into a protectorate
The U.S. was afraid that another country would take control of the island

5. Platt Amendment
The Cuban government was forced to include in its constitution the right of the U.S. to intervene on the island to preserve independence and maintain law and order
Guantanamo Bay was taken as a U.S. naval base to establish a permanent military presence in the region

6. U.S. Control
By the 1950s, the U.S. controlled the Cuban economy. U.S. companies:
Owned half of the land
All the electricity and telephones
All Cuban industries
Controlled tourism
Most of the railways

7. Conditions in Cuba Unemployment was over 30%
There was no social security
Fewer than 50% of Cuban children received an education
Wealth was concentrated in the hands of a privileged few collaborators with the Americans
Sugar Cane

8. Background to the Revolution

9. General Fulgencio Batista
In 1952, General Fulgencio Batista seized control and swept aside the outward appearances of democracy
Government was corrupt and brutally suppressed opposition
Batista encouraged huge investments of American capital since the 1930s. However, he had connections to the American mafia

10. Fidel Castro’s Upbringing
Fidel Castro Ruz was born in the province of Oriente in the easternmost part of Cuba
His father, an immigrant from Spain, was a poor sugar cane farmer in a region dominated by the American-owned United Fruit Company
However, he was able to work his way up to a land-owner and was fairly well off

11. Attempt at Gaining Office
In 1945, he entered the School of Law of the University of Havana, where his chief interest was politics
In 1950, he began to practice law
He became a member of the reformist Cuban People’s Party
In 1952, he was a candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives
However, General Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government of President Carlos Prio Socarras and cancelled the election
Young Fidel Castro

12. Moncada Attack
When legal means failed to overturn Batista’s dictatorship, in 1953, Castro organized a rebel force
On July 26, 1953, he led some 160 men in a suicidal attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago, Cuba, which was intended to ignite a popular uprising
Most of the men were captured and brutally tortured and killed

13. Arrested after the Moncada Attack

14. Aftermath of Moncada
The nation was put under martial law and imposed strict censorship
His trial gave him an opportunity to voice his opinion (History will absolve me!), criticize the government, and gain sympathizers
Castro was eventually sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, but only served two.

15. The Cuban Revolution

16. Fidel Castro
Castro is a hero of the peasants and at this stage has not declared himself to be communist.

17. War of National Liberation
Castro and Raul were released in a political amnesty in 1955, and they went to Mexico to continue their campaign against the Batista regime.
There, Castro organized Cuban exiles into a revolutionary group called the 26th of July Movement (the day of the Moncada attack)
He also met Ernesto Che Guevara.

18. War of National Liberation
In Mexico, they obtained the help of an Argentine doctor, Ernesto Guevara, who would eventually be known as The Che
They would organize, train, and arm a military force that would travel on the boat Granma by sea to Oriente
On December 2, 1956, Castro and an armed expedition of 81 men landed on the coast of Cuba
All were killed or captured except for Castro, Raul, and 10 others, who retreated to the Sierra Maestra mountains to wage guerilla war against the army of Batista

19. War of National Liberation
Batista couldn’t censor the foreign newspapers
As a result, Castro invited journalists to meet with him and trumped up the number of rebels their were as well as gave manifestos to the Cuban people
After several attacks on small, lightly defended outposts, the government withdrew the army from small outposts in the Sierra Maestra region
By 1958, all of the mountainous areas of Oriente were outside the government’s control

21. War of National Liberation
The Rebel Army had its own:
Hospital
Schools
Printing press
Radio station
Land mine factory
Because of criticism, student agitation, and demands for the release of political prisoners Batista could not restore any freedoms
Support from the U.S. was wavering and they suspended a shipment of arms

22. War of National Liberation
Batista tried to put an end to the fighting by sending 10,000 troops to the mountains
In July 1958, a battalion was trapped in a narrow valley, surrounded, and forced to surrender

23. End of Batista
Volunteers flocked to them from all over the island, as the dictator’s forces suffered successive military defeats
On January 1, 1959, Batista fled the country
Castro’s 800 guerrillas had defeated the Cuban government’s 30,000 man army

24. Why did the Revolution Succeed?
Batista’s regime became increasingly umpopular due to their brutal tactics and repression during the war.
Batista’s army was poorly paid and not motivated to win.
America became uncomfortable with methods used by Batista and stopped supporting him militarily.
Castro, Che and Raul were charismatic and intelligent leaders who showed compassion to the people.
Local peasants and farmers, and later city workers began to support Castro due to his egalitarian beliefs and anti-American rhetoric.

25. Cuban Revolution(Summary)
Castro attempted to overthrow Batista’s government for seven years.
Castro and his “army” lost many battles to Batista – he was even arrested and sentenced to 15 years in jail!
Castro was released in 1955 after only two years and fled to Mexico to put together a new group of rebel fighters.
He defeated the Batista government and made himself dictator of Cuba in 1959.
The US originally backed Castro because he promised to make the country a democracy.
US sent him supplies to help defeat Batista.

26. Fidel Castro (right)

27. The Establishment of the Castro Regime
People who had supported MR-26-7 came out of hiding and took control of garrisons and local government
Cuba’s new provisional government was led by a Manuel Urrutia, who was president
However, Castro retained real power

28. Consolidating Power
Castro would make speeches in front of a crowd and like a direct democracy ask them questions
Show trials would be run to punish Batista supporters and anyone against Castro
Castro was hugely popular amongst the people of Cuba at this time.
He suspended all political parties, but promised elections in the future

29. Consolidating Power
The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs) were established to keep an eye on any disagreement with Castro.
Rough treatment, solitary confinement, hunger, threats, and other forms of psychological torture were used in the name of state security

30. The Bay of Pigs Disaster

31. Castro’s Government
Castro began organizing a communist government right away:
declared all property belonging to Americans now belonged to the government
all farms, factories, & businesses now belonged to the government
Cubans no longer had the right to protest against the government
government became only source for news

32. Castro angers the USA
Castro’s government & the US government did not get along so well.
US did not like having a communist country so close.
Americans who owned land/businesses in Cuba lost their property.
Castro forced American civilians to leave Cuba.
US did not like Cuba being “friends” with the Soviet Union (Cold War…).

33. The Ultimate Friendship
In May 1960, Castro established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.
The USSR and Cuba were now allies and began trading with each other.
They traded everything from sugar to weapons.

34. The United States Responds
In response, early in 1960 President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to recruit 1,400 Cuban exiles living in Miami and begin training them to overthrow Castro.
After the alliance between the Soviet Union and Castro began, the United States placed a trade embargo on Cuba and it’s sugar.
In 1961 the United States ends relations with Cuba and cuts all diplomatic ties to the nation.

35. Cuba: Bay of Pigs The purpose was to overthrow Castro.
The plan was to arm Cuban exiles living in Florida. Once the exiles arrived in Cuba, unhappy Cubans would join them at the Bay of Pigs and overthrow Castro.

36. Bay of Pigs: The Invasion
On April 15, 1961, a group of Cuban exiles took off from Nicaragua in a squadron of American B-26 bombers, painted to look like stolen Cuban planes, and conducted a strike against Cuban airfields.
However, it turned out that Castro and his advisers knew about the raid and had moved his planes out of harm's way.
Frustrated, Kennedy began to suspect that the plan might not be as successful as the CIA thought.

37. Bay of Pigs: The Invasion
On April 17, the Cuban exiles began their invasion at a spot on the island's southern shore known as the Bay of Pigs.
The invasion was a disaster. The CIA had wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible, but a radio station on the beach broadcast every detail of the operation to listeners across Cuba.
Castro’s troops had pinned the invaders on the beach, and the exiles surrendered after less than one day of fighting; 114 were killed and over 1,100 were taken prisoner.

38. Disaster for the CIA
The invasion was a disaster because Castro’s forces intercepted the plan and captured the invaders.
No rebellion against Castro occurred, but this sparked a deep hatred for US.

39. Captured During the Invasion…
Castro is now terrified that America will begin a full scale invasion of Cuba. Who could he turn to for help???

40. Cuban Missile Crisis

41. Why was the USSR interested in helping Cuba?
Cuba was a new Communist state
Cuba provided a launch base for USSR inter-continental missiles (ICMs)
Khrushchev wanted to test the strength of new US president, John F Kennedy
Khrushchev wanted to force JFK into bargaining over US missile in Europe
Why does this cartoonist think that Khrushchev was interested in Cuba?

42. Who had the Most Nuclear Bases?
What do you notice about where the Russian sites are compared to America’s? Does this help explain why USSR were happy to put weapons on Cuba?

43. Khruschev Embraces Castro, 1961

44. Operation Mongoose
In November 1961, Kennedy asked his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, to oversee Operation Mongoose
This was a program of economic warfare, sabotage, and terrorism designed to topple Castro

45. The Crisis Begins:
14 October 1962, US U2 spy plane takes photos of suspected USSR missile sites on Cuba
Sites nearing completion, experts believe they could be ready in 7 days
US spy planes identify 20 Soviet ships bound for Cuba carrying missiles

47. Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

48. JFK’s Choices:
To engage Castro and Khrushchev on the diplomatic stage in a gamble to resolve the crisis openly
Military action directed against Cuba, starting with an air attack against the missiles," and then followed by an invasion
A course of action that would involve declaration of open surveillance" combined with "a blockade against offensive weapons entering Cuba

49. What happened during the October Crisis?
20 October, Kennedy decides to blockade Cuba
22 October, Kennedy publicly calls on Khrushchev to remove weapons

50. What happened during the October crisis?
23 October Khrushchev refuses to acknowledge blockade or presence of Soviet missiles on Cuba
24 October, 1st Soviet ships (accompanied by submarine) approach 800 km exclusion zone

51. Ex Comm: JFK’s Advisors

52. What happened during the October Crisis?
24 October, 10:32 am, Soviet ships stop and turn round
25 October, aerial photos show continued construction of missile sites
26 October, Kennedy receives a letter offering to negotiate over missiles in Cuba with removal of blockade and US invasion threat
27 October, Kennedy receives second letter calling for withdrawal of US missiles in Turkey too

53. What happened during the October Crisis?
27 October, US U2 plane shot down over Cuba & pilot killed. Kennedy decides to ignore second letter, but accepts terms of 1st letter
28 October, Khrushchev agrees to dismantle Soviet missiles in Cuba
What is this cartoonist trying to say about the difficulties facing Kennedy during the Crisis?

54. The Deal Agreed America gets; All missiles are removed from Cuba.
A commitment from USSR not to interfere in the Americas
USSR gets;
America promises never to invade Cuba
Secretly all American missiles are removed from Turkey.

55. Cuban Missile Crisis Results
A hot line was set up between President Kennedy and the Soviet Premier so that they could contact each other more quickly.
The Limited Test Ban Treaty was agreed upon between US, USSR, and Great Britain to stop above ground testing of nuclear weapons.
A general understanding that the consequences of nuclear war would be catastrophic for all humanity.
Khruschev was seen as the loser and Castro never fully trusted the Russians again.

56. Life in Castro’s Cuba

57. Castro’s Impact on Cuba’s Economy
Due to the harsh events, US placed an embargo on goods from Cuba in 1962:
Cuba’s sugar cane crop could no longer be sold in the US, which hurt Cuba’s economy.
It’s still in place today.
As a result of the embargo, poor harvests, and bad government planning, Cuba’s economy has become very poor.

58. President Kennedy
signing the bill to
place a trade
embargo on
Cuba…10/23/62

59. US-Cuban Relations
Relations have not improved much over the past 50 years.
There is still an embargo on goods from Cuba.
In the early 1980s & 1990s, there were periods in which large numbers of Cubans escaped their island for America.
thousands left because Castro would not allow free elections, freedom of speech, freedom of press, etc
1994—now the US only accepts 20,000 immigrants per year

60. Cuban Refugees

61. Castro Update
After a decline in health, Fidel Castro gave up the Cuban presidency on February 19, His brother, Raul, is now the Cuban leader.
There is much speculation about whether or not Fidel Castro is actually alive today or how much influence he still has.

62. Fidel & Raul Castro

63. Castro Resigns…