The Cuban Revolution and its Impact on Latin America By Michelle Merritt

Cuba’s LocationCuba is an Island, the largest in the Caribbean with an area of 109, 884 square kilometres. Situated at the junction of

the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, It is South of Florida, just off the coast of the United

States of America.

Cuba’s GeographyHavana is the largest city and the capital of Cuba, Santiago

de Cuba and Camaguey are also major cities.

Cuba’s Indigenous PeopleBefore the Europeans arrived, Cuba was inhabited by three different Mesoamerican cultures: the Guanahatabeyes, the

Ciboneyes and the Taínos.Whilst the Guanahatabeyes were in the island the longest,

the Taino societies settled on the island and became a dominant culture.

Cuba’s Indigenous PeopleTypical Taíno societies made houses called, bohio out of

cane or bamboo, formed villages and performed the traditional activities of fishermen and hunters, and

introduced agriculture to the island. Their staples included maize (corn), beans, squash, peanuts, yucca, and tobacco.

A Spanish ColonyCuba was first partially mapped by Christopher Columbus

and his Conquistadors in 1492; however, it wasn’t until 1511 that Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar set out from Hispaniola to form the first Spanish settlement in Cuba, with orders from

Spain to conquer the island.

Slavery Cuba's first record of slavery was in 1513, and the first large

group of slaves - kidnapped from Africa - to arrive in Cuba was in 1520. These slaves were bought in to work in the sugar and tobacco industry. As a result of the increase in

men, sugar production grew, becoming Cuba's number one slave-produced crop.

Havana is built 1514 San Cristobal de La Habana was

founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez, Spanish conquistador. On November 16th, 1519 the city is moved to the north, in the natural harbour of the bay of Havana and called Havana. Its strategic position at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico,

makes the place an important port of transit for Spanish ships.

Cuba’s First War of IndependenceThe Ten Year War 1868-1878. The war was brought on by an economic crisis (1866) as well as the desire to end slavery.

Cuba’s First War of Independence

After the Ten Years' War, the government had forbidden possession of weapons by private individuals. From the beginning of the uprising, the rebels were hampered by lack of suitable weapons. They compensated by using guerrilla-style fighting, based in quick raids and fades to the environment, the element of surprise, mounting their forces on fast horses, and using machetes against regular troops on the march. They acquired most of their weapons and ammunition in raids on the Spaniards.

Cuba’s First War of Independence -

PropagandaThe Cuban struggle for independence captured the American imagination for years. Some newspapers had agitated for US intervention, especially because of its large financial investment, and featured sensational stories of Spanish atrocities against the native Cuban population, which were exaggerated for propaganda.

US Annexation of Cuba

A new trend of aggressive US “influence” was expressed by Secretary of State James G. Blaine’s suggestion that all of Central and South America would some day fall to the U.S.:“That rich island”, Blaine wrote on 1 December 1881, “the key to the Gulf of Mexico, is, though in the hands of Spain, a part of the American commercial system… If ever ceasing to be Spanish, Cuba must necessarily become American and not fall under any other European domination”.Blaine’s vision did not allow the existence of an independent Cuba. “Martí noticed with alarm the movement to annex Hawaii, viewing it as establishing a pattern for Cuba…”

1886 Slavery is Abolished in Cuba

Josie MartiJosé Martí (1853-1895) became a prominent figure in the fight for Cuba’s freedom and a National Hero. An intellectual, Marti is well known for his writings about Cuban independence and beliefs that saw freedom lying in the hands of black and white equality.

Manifesto of Montecristi

On March 25, 1895 Josie Martí and Máximo Gómez presented the Manifesto of Montecristi, which outlined the policy for Cuba’s war of independence:

The war was to be waged by blacks and whites alike;Participation of all blacks was crucial for victory;Spaniards who did not object to the war effort should be spared,Private rural properties should not be damaged; andThe revolution should bring new economic life to Cuba.

The Third War of Independence

The insurrection began on February 24, 1895, with uprisings all across the island. The uprisings in the central part of the island suffered from poor coordination and failed; the leaders were captured, some of them deported and some executed. José Martí was killed in battle against Spanish troops at the Battle of Dos Ríos on May 19, 1895In the province of Havana, the insurrection was discovered before it was underway, and authorities detained its leaders. The insurgents further west in Pinar del Río were ordered by rebel leaders to wait.

The USS Maine The battleship USS Maine was sent

to Havana in the last week of January. On February 15, 1898, the Maine was rocked by an

explosion, killing 258 of the crew and sinking the ship in the harbour. At the time, a military Board

of Investigations decided that the Maine had exploded due to the detonation of a mine

underneath the hull.

USA supports Cuban Independence

On April 11, McKinley asked Congress for authority to send American troops to Cuba for the purpose of ending the civil war there. On April 19, Congress passed joint resolutions supporting Cuban independence and disclaiming any intention to annex Cuba, demanding Spanish withdrawal, and authorising the president to use as much military force as he thought necessary to help Cuban patriots gain independence from Spain

Cuba after the War"After more than three years of 'total war,'" wrote Foner in The Spanish-Cuban-American War, Vol. 2, "Cuba lay in ruins. The armies of Spain and Cuba had swept back and forth over the land, carrying ruin with the torch at every trip. What was missed by one army was destroyed by the other."An American military government was immediately proclaimed in Cuba, with General John R. Brooke as commander. Martí's revolutionary government was never allowed to take control.

On January 1 1899, General Brooke took formal control of Havana from the retiring

Spanish governor-general, but the occasion was completely American. After

the Spanish flag was lowered, the U.S. flag was raised.

“Cuba cannot have true moral peace,” wrote General Máximo Gómez in his diary on January 8 1899, “which is

what the people need for their happiness and good fortune. This transitional government was imposed by

force by a foreign power and, therefore, is illegitimate and incompatible with the principles that the entire country has been upholding for so long and in the defense of

which half of its sons have given their lives and all of its wealth has been consumed.”

The U.S. buy up Cuban Land

Many expansionists in the U.S, believed that Cuba would, and should, become a state of the Union.“It was clear at all stages of the Occupation,” wrote Philip Foner, “that the annexationists constituted a distinct minority in Cuba. The vast majority of the Cubans insisted on independence. This had been their aspiration for half a century, and for this they had made untold sacrifices.” At this time, American industrialists and financiers began taking over railroads, mines, and sugar properties, as a result, the sugar and tobacco industries, once controlled by the Spanish, now came to be controlled not by Cubans, but by Americans.

The Platt Amendment

In 1899 the U.S began to listen to the Cuban people, bowing to pressure to leave the island.Before leaving, they put in place the Platt Amendment which effectively made a pseudo-colony out of Cuba, imposing a number of conditions that turned Cuban independence into an unfulfilled dream

Cuban leaders were outraged, but the U.S. government would not budge, announcing that the new republic would have to accept the Platt Amendment in order for the military to leave the island. On March 2 1901, the Platt Amendment was incorporated into Cuba’s constitution.

Did Cuba need the USA?

Most Spanish historians argue that the insurgency could not have succeeded on its own.Cuban historians argue the Cubans were on the verge of winning in 1898 and needed no outside help.What do you think?

Cuban Independence 1902

Guantanamo Bay In 1902,

the United States handed over control to a Cuban government, although the Platt

Amendment gave the United States the right to intervene militarily in Cuba and

establish Guantanamo Bay. 

Independence and Pacification

Havana and Varadero became popular tourist resorts for North Americans and purchased real estate and Cuban resources. President Tomás Estrada Palma was elected in 1902, and he governed successfully for his four-year term; yet when he tried to extend his time in office, a revolt ensued.The Second Occupation of Cuba, also known as the Cuban Pacification, was a major US military operation that began in September 1906, lasting until 1909. After the collapse of President Palma's regime, US President Roosevelt ordered an invasion and established an occupation that would continue for nearly four years. The goal of the operation was to prevent fighting between the Cubans, to protect North American economic interests, and to hold free elections.

President Gerardo Machado was elected by popular vote in 1925, determined to modernise Cuba, he set in motion several massive civil works projects. At the end of his four year term, Machado used force to hold

onto the presidency and became a dictator; a number of Cuban action groups staged uprisings in the years that followed, but they either failed or did

not affect the capital until 1933.

The "Revolt of the Sergeants," was led by Fulgencio Batista on September 4, 1933.

The coup overthrew the liberal government of Gerardo Machado, and marked the

beginning of the army's influence as an organized force in the running of the

government.

Fulgencio BatistaCuba’s premier political leader from 1933 to 1958, exercising defacto or de jure presidential power except between 1944-1952 when he was living in the US.

Fulgencio Batista was born in 1901, a mulatto (mixed

race) , and son of poor rural folk in Eastern Cuba. Batista’s

father was a sugar worker and his mother died when he

was just 14.

Batista was a migrant worker, who then joined the army in

1921 before making sergeant in 1928.

1940 Batista was elected President of Cuba. He then instated the 1940 Constitution of Cuba, considered

progressive for its time, and served until 1944. After finishing his term he lived in the United States, returning to Cuba to run for president in 1952. Facing certain electoral

defeat, he led a military coup that pre-empted the election.

Cuba under Batista’s Rule

Back in power, Batista suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked most political liberties, including the right to strikeHe aligned with the wealthiest landowners who owned the largest sugar plantations, and with the economy beginning to suffer, the gap between rich and poor widened. Batista's increasingly corrupt and repressive government profited from the exploitation of Cuba's commercial interests, by negotiating lucrative relationships with the American Mafia, who controlled the drug, gambling, and prostitution businesses in Havana, and with large US-based multinationals who were awarded lucrative contracts

On July 26, 1953, just over a year after Batista's second coup, a small group of revolutionaries attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago.

Government forces easily defeated the assault and jailed its leaders, while many others fled the country. The primary leader of the attack, Fidel Castro, was a

young attorney who had run for parliament in the cancelled 1952 elections

History Will Absolve Me A four-hour speech made by Fidel Castro on 16 October 1953. Castro made the

speech in his own defence in court against the charges brought against him after he led an

attack on the Moncada Barracks.

Fidel Castro is Released

Fearing for their lives after being released from prison on May 15 1955, Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul went to Mexico City to organize the war against dictator Fulgencio Batista. "We will return when we can bring to our people the liberty and the right to live decently without despotism and without hunger," wrote Castro in the weekly Bohemia."Seventeen months were to pass from the time Castro left Havana until his disastrous and fateful return to Cuba," says New York Times journalist Herbert L. Matthews in his book Revolution in Cuba. "It was a frustrating, harassed, penurious time. The two great problems were to train his expeditionary force and raise the money for arms and a boat on which to get to Cuba. These had to be done in the face of constant interference by the Mexican police, treachery among the Cubans, and spying by Batista agents. At one time Castro and twenty-two of his comrades spent three weeks in a Mexico City jail for illegally possessing arms."

Shortly after arriving in Mexico, the Castros were introduced to a young Argentine physician named Ernesto

Guevara. Guevara joined the expedition as the revolutionary army's

official doctor.

The July 26 Movement The Movement got its name from the attempt on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. Organised by Fidel in

Mexico, in 1955, The group included 82 exiled revolutionaries with Fidel and Raul Castro, Camillo

Cienfuegos and Che Guevara as prominent members. Their aim, Cuban Independence.

The Granma 1956 Granma is the yacht that was used to transport 82 fighters of the Cuban Revolution from Mexico to Cuba in November 1956 for the purpose of

overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista.

"We reached solid ground, lost, stumbling along like so many shadows or ghosts marching in response to some obscure psychic impulse. We had been through seven days of constant hunger and

sickness during the sea crossing, topped by three still more terrible days on land. Exactly 10 days after our departure from

Mexico, during the early morning hours of December 5, following a night-long march interrupted by fainting and frequent rest periods, we reached a spot paradoxically known as Alegría de Pío (Rejoicing

of the Pious)". - Che Guevara

The Landing of the Granma

The landing of the Granma, in December 1956, was planned to re-enact the route that José Martí had followed to begin Cuba's War of Independence in 1895.

Leaking and running days behind schedule, the Granma was spotted by a helicopter, and the rebels were forced to beach the ship at a spot called Playa de los Colorados, near the village of "Las Coloradas," about fifteen miles south of the designated spot. The new landing area was more of a swamp than a beach, and the rebels were unable to unload most of their weaponsThe troops regrouped inland and began to move toward the Sierra Maestra, on December 5, betrayed by their guide, the rebels were ambushed at Alegría de Pío.

For eleven days the remaining rebels, wounded, hungry and

scattered, evaded Batista's army, regrouping on December 18 deep

inside the Sierra Maestra Mountains.

The Revolution Grows

Setting up an encampment in the jungle, the survivors, including the Castros, Che Guevara, and Camilo Cienfuegos, began launching raids on small army-posts to obtain weaponry.

In January 1957 they overran the outpost near to the beach at La Plata; Guevara treated the soldiers for any injuries, but the revolutionaries executed the local mayoral (land-company overseer) Chicho Osorio, whom the local peasants despised and who boasted of killing one of the MR-26-7 rebels several weeks previously. Osorio's execution aided the rebels in gaining the trust of locals.As trust grew, some locals joined the rebels, although most new recruits came from urban areas. With increasing numbers of volunteers, who now numbered over 200, in July 1957 Castro divided his army into three columns, keeping charge of one and giving control of the others to his brother and Guevara.

Across Cuba, militant groups rose up against Batista, carrying out bombings and acts of sabotage. Police responded

with mass arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings, with corpses hung

on trees to intimidate dissidents.

Batista's government censored the Cuban press, so Castro used local radio to get his

message to the Cuban people and contacted foreign media to spread his message. Herbert

Matthews a journalist from The New York Times, interviewed Castro, attracting international

interest to the rebel's cause.

Castro's guerrillas increased their attacks on military outposts, forcing the government to withdraw from the Sierra Maestra region.Batista’s military failures, coupled with his press censorship and the police and army's use of torture and extrajudicial executions, were increasingly criticized both domestically and abroad. Influenced by anti-Batista sentiment among their citizens, the U.S. government ceased supplying him with weaponry

Batista responded with an all-out-attack on Castro's guerrillas, called Operation Verano The army aerially bombarded forested areas and villages suspected of aiding the militants. Batista had 10,000 soldiers but despite their numerical and technological superiority, the army had no experience with guerrilla warfare or with the mountainous region. Castro and his now 300 men, avoided open confrontation, using land mines and ambushes to halt the enemy offensive. The army suffered heavy losses and a number of embarrassments.Many of Batista's soldiers, appalled at the human rights abuses that they were ordered to carry out, defected to Castro's rebels

Castro called for a cease-fire and planned to arrest Batista as a war criminal, things did not go to plan as he was double-crossed by General Cantillo who warned Batista of the revolutionary's intentions. Wishing to avoid a tribunal, Batista resigned on 31 December 1958, informing the armed forces that they were now under Cantillo's control. With his family and closest advisers, Batista fled into exile to the Dominican Republic with over US$ 300,000,000.Cantillo then entered Havana's Presidential Palace, proclaimed the Supreme Court judge Carlos Piedra as the new President, and began appointing new members of the government.Still in Oriente, Castro was furious. Recognizing the establishment of a military junta, he ended the ceasefire and continued on the offensive. The MR-26-7 put together a plan to oust the Cantillo-Piedra junta, freeing the high-ranking military officer Colonel Ramón Barquín from the Isle of Pines prison (where he had been held captive for plotting to overthrow Batista), and commanding him to fly to Havana to arrest Cantillo.Celebrations of Batista's downfall spread across Cuba on 1 January 1959, Castro ordered the MR-26-7 to take responsibility for policing the country, in order to prevent widespread looting and vandalism.

In suppressing the revolution, Batista's government had orchestrated mass human rights abuses, with

most estimates for the death toll typically placing it at around 20,000. Popular uproar across Cuba demanded

that those figures who had been complicit in the widespread torture and killing of civilians be brought

to justice

JFK on the Cuban Revolution

“I believe that there is no country in the world including any and all the countries under colonial domination, where economic colonization, humiliation and exploitation were worse than in Cuba, in part owing to my country's policies during the Batista regime. I approved the proclamation which Fidel Castro made in the Sierra Maestra, when he justifiably called for justice and especially yearned to rid Cuba of corruption. I will even go further: to some extent it is as though Batista was the incarnation of a number of sins on the part of the United States. Now we shall have to pay for those sins. In the matter of the Batista regime, I am in agreement with the first Cuban revolutionaries. That is perfectly clear.” U.S. President John F. Kennedy, to Jean Daniel, October 24, 1963

"Our revolution is endangering all American possessions in Latin America. We are telling these countries to make their own revolution.” — Che Guevara,

October 1962