1950s: Causes Of The Cuban Revolution

In the 1950’s, tourists visited the island of Cuba for its warm beaches, culture and Spanish colonial architecture. But underneath the surface, was a revolution ready to burst through the Cuban people they just needed the right person to lead them. Cuba at this time was run by a Political Dictator named Fulgencio Batista.

Cuba is an island located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 11.27 million people with 60% of them being Roman Catholics. It's the largest island in the Caribbean and the westernmost island in the Greater Antilles. The official language is Spanish and the currency is the Cuban Peso.

"They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America?" -- Fidel Castro

The Cuban Revolution was touchy topic for the United States and Cuba. America’s alienation of Cuba didn’t help when communism from the USSR was brewing over the revolution. When the revolution gained Castro as its leader, the worry and hatred from the United States was unbearable, especially when the Soviet Union landed in Cuba to interest Castro in its aid. The US’s fear of communism, Fidel Castro, and aid from the Soviet Union was significant because it changed the US’s political role in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution.

stated the necessity of the Soviet Union and Cuba to become allies, and this move would also influence many countries in Latin America to become allies with the Soviet Union rather than the U.S and the West.

The Cuban revolution was the spark that ignited the flame of communism in Cuba. The developing nation gained independence only as recently as 1898, and was already filled with an atmosphere of distrust and resentment towards the United States. In July of 1953, a revolution began in Cuba between the United States backed President Batista and Fidel Castro. Fidel and his brother Raul Castro lead a series of guerilla warfare battles against the forces of President Batista. “I am Fidel Castro and we have come to liberate Cuba,” stated Fidel Castro. In January of 1959, Fidel Castro became the President of Cuba. With the regime of Fidel Castro, Cuba would fall to communism.

The time of the Cuban Revolution was a great deal of turmoil, not just in Cuba but in almost every corner of the world. It was 1945, shortly after the end of World War Two, and the Cold War was taking off between the United States and the Soviet Union. Cuba, in the middle of its own war, was caught up in the international politics of the Cold War. The interaction between international and domestic politics played a major role in the outcome of the revolution. The result of the revolution left Fidel Castro in charge of Cuba.

The Cuban Revolution, which began in the early 1950’s, was an overthrow of a very corrupt government. It was an attempt to improve the conditions of the Cuban people, but the path was covered in blood and sweat and an informed historian has to ask, was it really worth it? How much actually changed?

Brittmarie Janson Perez, author of Political Facets of Salsa, writes, “Late at night, in a discotheque in a Latin American country whose political system is dominated by the military and is not particularly known for its respect for human rights, a crowd is dancing salsa, a generic term covering Caribbean dance music” (149). This has been and continues to be a very commonly accurate depiction of many Latin American countries. Since Cuba was founded in October 1492, its government and politics has been characterized by brutality, corruption and instability. Nonetheless, involvement from foreign nations and its deeply engrained Spanish roots has without a doubt had a significant impact on the transformation of what Cuba is today. In this paper, I will explore the pros and cons of the 1959 Cuban Revolution through the examination of the historical context of politics and how it impacted the social atmosphere.

The Cuban revolution had great domestic and international influences and reshaped Cuba’s relationship with the world, especially with United States, which continues an embargo against Cuba as of this very day. Immediately after the revolution, Cuban government started a program of nationalization and political consolidation, which ultimately transformed Cuba’s economy and society.

rse, giving the peasant a scapegoat and one more reason to dislike the Czar. Due to his mistakes, Nicholas became extremely unpopular among the Russian lower classes, bringing about an inevitable Revolution.

On January 8th, 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army marched triumphantly into Havana, Cuba, having overthrown corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista the week earlier. It was the fruition of the Cuban Revolution, and the dramatic shift in power was about to radically alter the country’s political, social and economic course forever. The positive and negative effects of the revolution on the Cuban people, however, as well as the condition of Cuba’s economy pre and post-revolution, is subject to heated debate. Castro’s iron-fisted regime was the introduction of communism into the western hemisphere, and now, over fifty years later, the Cuban Revolution continues to be one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century. Despite the criticism levelled at Fidel Castro and his communist regime, however, the Cuban Revolution was necessary in improving the quality of life for the majority of Cuban citizens. The four fundamental categories on which to assess this are healthcare, education, economy and governance. By comparing the country’s overall performance under Fulgencio Batista versus under Fidel Castro in these areas crucial to a fully-functioning nation, it can be shown that the Cuban Revolution was a necessary and positive change in Cuban society which benefitted the majority of citizens.

, and tobacco, for 60 years this has been Cuba’s calling cards, a land that hasn’t progressed much in six decades Cuba has stood as a vacation paradise for many of the worlds powerful nations, including Europe, Canada, and Australia. Most people who visit Cuba rarely see past the white sands, blue water, and endless alcohol of resorts, going off said resorts will give an entirely different view of the country. A people of farmers, musicians, and artisans, the Cuban people are a simple and hard working group all looking. For 60 years the Cuban government has kept the United States out of the country for the most part, that is until recently. During the cold war, Cuba joined the communist nations and went as far to allow Russian missiles to be placed on Cuban soil this was seen as a threat to American interests, causing John F. Kennedy to impose an embargo on the small nation just 80 miles away from Florida. With the Obama administration now lifting these embargos this can be viewed as both a positive and a negative thing to the county. While yes opening up Cuba to America will do wonders for it economically, I believe that culturally the country will suffer greatly. Often when American influence is permitted into a country there is often corruption that follows, Industrial corruption, cultural bullying, and the influx of drugs, are all issues that seem to follow whenever America enters a former enemy state. While yes from an economic stand point the country may do well,

A revolution occurs when the people of the nation doesn't agree when there is a change that not everyone will agree with so they choose to rebel. A revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in a favor of a new system. An An example of a revolution is the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and the Cuban Revolution in 1953. the question is a revolution occurs when there is a corrupt government, harsh lifestyle, and financial effects.

In 1959, Fidel Castro led a group of rebel forces to end and overthrow Fulgencio Batista’s regime in an effort to free the Cuban people from his tyrannous rule. For very many different political reasons this has been portrayed as an act of great injustice and hypocrisy in the modern world. A lot of this has of course been advocated primarily by the US due to the high level of political tension between the two nations that developed in the mid 1950s. Believing this conventional wisdom that Castro was simply an evil communist who oppressed his people and stripped them of their human rights is very dangerous because it