Analyze the methods used by Castro to obtain power and to what extent did Castro follow the aims of his declared ideology?
Kristine Dao
Interlake High School
12 August, 2017
(Word Count:)
After centuries of Spanish occupation in Cuba, Cuban resistance to Spanish rule grew resulting in the Spanish-American war which ended in Spain renouncing all rights to Cuba. After a few years of US military rule in Cuba, Cuba was finally granted formal independence in 1902. During this time period before the establishment of Fidel Castro’s rule, discontent began to develop with Cuban citizens being resentful of the system of governance in Cuba in which the US government held a great deal of power. This combined with the fact that Cuba had
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After leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks, a military garrison, during which many of the insurrectionists were capture and killed, Castro was put on trial where he delivered his defense (Daynes 2). Although this attack had been a failure, the trial gave Castro an opportunity to deliver what is arguably his most famous speech, a four hour long speech that was later reconstructed and published. This speech outlined the goals of the 26th of July Movement, the organization that eventually overthrew the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship in Cuba, and allowed him to become a focus of attention for the public. Furthermore, as Castro recounted the attack’s aftermath, he described how his comrades, who he claims were courageous and pure, were brutally tortured and killed by Batista’s forces (Daynes 3). In doing so, he portrays his fallen comrades as heroic martyrs who were mercilessly killed by Batista’s men. Castro was also able to portray himself as a victim of the Batista regime who was fighting for the interests of the public. His speech thrust him into the limelight and allowed for him to enhance his public image, gain support, and ultimately obtain power. Castro was also able to promote his revolution and ideas during an interview with The New York Times after which people started calling him a symbol of opposition to
The Cuban government was not ideal for its people at the time, so they decided to initiate a change. Before Castro’s revolution, Cuba’s economy was highly based on tropical fruits, sugar, and tobacco. During this time, the government of Cuba mainly consisted of wealthy land-owning conservatives. Fidel Castro, a strong liberal who thought the Cuban government was corrupt, decided to bring together a band of two-hundred revolutionaries (Carey, Jr. 15). These revolutionaries attacked the Moncada Military barracks on July 26th, 1953 resulting in a failure that earned both Castro and the revolutionaries a ten-year prison sentence. Two years into his sentence, Castro was exiled to Mexico and began to plot another attempt in Mexico City. After many battles with Cuba’s National Army, Castro’s rebels were able to keep Cuba in a state of turmoil while other rebel groups were able to gain control. Through his actions, he was able to gain the support of the Cuban people who thought he was the logical choice for the new leader (Carey, Jr. 15).
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.
Cuban history, like many other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean which have experienced colonial subjugation and imperial interference, is highlighted by tumultuous rebellions. Ever since the revolt of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes in 1868, who took up arms with his slaves to liberate Cuba from Spain’s colonial grasp, the existence of insurrectionists and adamant government opposition in Cuba has flourished. Social revolution and a strong will and practice of nationalism has indelibly characterized Cuban history. Nevertheless, the outcomes of particular movements and struggles for social justice have consistently frustrated revolutionary and radical leaders. Government regimes throughout
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
In the early 1930's during Hitler's uprising, he began to sweep throughout Europe seeking out nations to conquer and add to his already growing German empire. He used the Soviets distrust of the western nations to form a temporary alliance and take over Poland. France, and Britain would soon join the battle against one of the most powerful and destructive European powers.
Fidel Castro was the man who successfully removed Batista from his cruel dictatorship. In Castro’s early life, he went to three expensive Catholic schools. He was good at sports, and participated and led camping and climbing exhibitions. Castro fought with the other boys and teachers frequently.
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.
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, 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 paved the way for the era of Fidel Castro.
On February 16, 1959 Fidel Castro was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba. Cuba was the first communist state on the west side of the world. Castro has had more than 600 assassination attempts on him. His fight for prime minister of Cuba was not an easy task for him. He had to fight for it. Castro led 160 of his men in a attack on Moncada Barracks. His plan was to take weapons and tell of his revolution from the Barracks radio station, but most of his men died and Castro got arrested and put on trial for trying to overthrow the Cuban government. He argued that he was trying to make a democracy in Cuba but he still got 15 years in prison. Then two years later prime minister Batista let him got because he felt that Castro wouldn’t try attacking the Cuban government again. He later went to his brother Raul in Mexico and planned another attack on the Cuban government, but with only had 81 people to fight with him. On December 2, 1956 his 81 men landed on the Cuban coast. All but Castro, Raul, and ten other were killed or captured. Then they retreated and started guerrilla warfare on the Cuban government and caused
Cuba’s colorful history can be documented to before the days of the American Revolution in 1776, but today, American policy directly affects many Cubans’ lifestyles because of a nearly 45-year-old trade embargo that has been placed on the island nation. It is crucial to analyze the development of Cuba and its neighboring island nations in order to discern the reasons for Cuba’s current political situation with the United States. The following paper will discuss the events that shaped Cuba and larger Caribbean nations like Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica; next, a detailed description of Cuba’s turbulent history will help in explaining the Cuban transformation into a
In cuban history there was many dictatorships. But, Fulgencio Batista lead to rise of communism in Cuba and Fidel Castro. Foreign involvement from United States to control Cuba as economical ally, also Bastia treatment mistreatment towards foreigners from Haitian and Jamaican. The Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro use of guerrilla warfare and the peasant population of Cuba lead to successful revolution. The United States felt threatened about Cuban being 90 miles from florida spifly during Cuban Missile Crisis . So, many United states presidents tried to kicked Fidel Castro but failed multiple times.First, even though Fulgencio Batista starred in beginning as leader that benefited Cuban people, over time he became
The most popular of Fidel Castro’s documents is La Historia Me Absolvera also known as History Will Absolve Me. This was a speech given by Castro at his trial for leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks. Castro’s speech discussed many of his ideas and beliefs that justified his reasoning to form his revolutionary movement against Fulgencio Batista. History Will Absolve Me, shows the revolutionary ideologies of Castro and how he later revolts to power. Although, his speech was about his thought on the revolutionary movement, it also was to show the foundation of his Moncada attack and what he was trying to achieve. Castro mentions in
As a result, Castro and his movement, which then went under the title as the 26th of July
On July 26th, 1953, Fidel Castro led one hundred and twenty nine men and two women in a daring assault against the Moncada army Barracks in Santiago de Cuba to overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista. Fidel Castro’s plan to overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista resulted in eight deaths, twelve wounded and more than sixty Cubans were taken prisoner to be tortured and then executed.
Looking into Cuban democracy, 1959 where Cuba’s revolution began and the era where distortions of democracy, dictatorship and the autocratic influence of foreign powers on society and the