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Fulgencio Batista - (1933-1944), (1952-1959)

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Fidel Castro - (1959-2008)

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A- Explain what conditions/events (before dictator) led to abuse of power and how power was abused in 2 ways.

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Many people were angered by the Batista Regime because there was a lot of corruption, greed, brutality, and inefficiency with the way he ruled. Batista killed thousands to stay in power. Many Cubans didn’t like him because he supported many liberal pro-labor reforms and was supported by the US government. On the other hand, Castro was more leftist and nationalistic, which many people liked.

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The Sugar Act of 1956 - This is when the US restricted sugar imports in Cuba so that there was more for the US. The agricultural industry collapsed, causing the support for Batista to decrease.

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The restoration of the 1940 Constitution - The 1940 constitution contained more liberal and pro-labor reforms. Restoring it in 1955 was Barista’s attempt at creating normalcy, but many were opposed to this idea and an already strong opposition was formed against him by then.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy - This policy abolished the Platt Agreement, which ended US military occupation in Cuba. This policy emphasized cooperation, trade, and non-intervention. Yet many Cubans didn’t like this and it caused more disorder and strikes.

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Batista and Roosevelt

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A - I can analyze three pivotal causes in a given revolution or reform movement and explain why they are pivotal.

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Economic:

Batista signed The Sugar Act of 1956, which restricted sugar imports in Cuba for the benefit of US domestic producers. This act concerned landowners because it caused the future of Cuban sugar exports to be on the line. The agricultural industry began to collapse. I believe that the Sugar Act shouldn’t have been signed. At this time, sugar was being restricted from Cuba, therefore causing landowners to be concerned for their own exports. This wouldn’t have happened if Batista had decided that it wasn’t safe to restrict sugar. Landowners would have felt that it was safer to export their sugar and make money instead of saving it. This could have helped the agricultural

industry grow.

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Political:
Batista suspended the 1940 constitution, which included the right to health care and labor. He also removed most political liberties. This widened the gap between the rich and the poor. This made many Cubans mad. This gap is what convinced Castro and his supporters to rebel in 1956. I believe that Batista shouldn’t have suspended the 1940 constitution. Removing the right to health care and labor causes the lower class to struggle, causing higher poverty rates. Only the wealthy could afford it, and this caused problems for the rest of Cuba. People will begin to revolt because they don’t have these basic necessities, like how Castro and his group revolted in 1956.

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Political:
Batista signed a treaty named the Good Neighbor Policy in 1934. This policy abolished the Platt Agreement, which ended US military occupation in Cuba. This policy emphasized cooperation, trade, and non-intervention. It officially declared the US neutral with Cuba. Yet, this did cause some problems. Some rebel groups were against the Cuban government and what Batista was doing. These rebels wanted the US to intervene so that the US could help fix Cuba. I believe that Batista did the right thing by signing the policy. Even though much of Cuba was in need of intervention so that Batista’s regime would end, the US wasn’t interested in helping Cuba when there was nothing in it for itself. This policy also gave Cuba more independence. This lead to Fidel Castro taking over and the country of Cuba being improved.

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Cubans protesting Batista's dictatorship

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A - I can explain the connections that create a chain of 5 important events within a historical period and the connections between events of different historical periods.

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Fidel Castro, a young lawyer, was frustrated at the Barista Regime. Castro didn’t like his oppressive military dictatorship and closeness with the US, who bought up most of Cuba’s natural resources. On July 26th, 1953, Fidel Castro and his group of 138 men were caught while trying to attack the Moncada Barracks to secure weapons. Some others were killed, but he and his brother Raul were sentenced to jail.

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History Will Absolve Me, October 16, 1953

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History Will Absolve Me, October 16, 1953

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Because of the events of July 26th, There was a public trial on October 16th for the captured rebels. There, Fidel gave a speech titled “History Will Absolve Me”. In the speech, he argued against the dictatorship. The speech is known for the famous lines, “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.” Public opinion started to turn in Castro’s favor after this famous speech.

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*The speech “History Will Absolve Me” is similar to Martin Luther King Jr’s “The Other America” speech. Castro’s speech gave hope to Cubans who were affected by and disliked Barista’s regime, but it also introduced Cubans to Fidel Castro and his beliefs. He gained massive support from this speech. King’s speech did something similar. In his speech, he calls for action in the fight for racial justice. This speech gives hope to many minorities and also brings to light many of America's issues. Many people took notice and started fighting for racial justice, leading to the end of segregation.

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On November 25, 1956, 82 Cuban rebels, including Fidel and his brother, boarded a small yacht named Granma and set sail for Cuba. It had a maximum capacity of 25 and was originally designed for only 12 passengers. The yacht carried fuel, food, and weapons for the soldiers. During the 1,200 mile voyage, food had to be rationed and there was no room to rest. On December 2nd, the rebels miraculously made it to Cuba and started the revolution.

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More Cubans began to rebel against Batista. Angry, Batista sent 10,000 troops to the mountains to remove the 300 guerrilla fighters, including Fidel and Raul, who were hiding there at the time. The rebels were able to fight back, and much of Batista’s army switched sides. By August, the rebels had won.

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On New Years’ of 1959, Batista and his supporters escape to the Dominican Republic. Many Cubans and Cuban Americans celebrate his leave, and on January 7th, Cuba welcomes Fidel Castro as the new president.

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*Just like how the Batista stepped down from office due to public pressure and unsupported behavior, João Figueiredo, a brazilian general ruling via junta, also stepped down from his position. The junta overthrew the Brazillian government. They hated leftist ideals and ruled with a nationalist economic platform. This led to a poor economy. Many people protested against his rule, and he was kicked out of office via elections. On the other hand, Batista was also a cruel leader. He was corrupted and greedy, and used brutality to get his away. Many Cubans were mad, and due to protests and rioting, he stepped down from office.

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Castro and his comrades

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The United States was very much against the government that Fidel Castro led. The US was against Castro because he supported communism, an ideology that clashed with the democratic values of the US. Cuba had become a communist country, which was seen as a threat to the US. In April of 1961, 2 years after the Cuban Revolution, the US government funded Cuban exiles for an attempt to assault Cuba and overthrow Castro. These exiles were trained by the CIA in Central America. The attack ended up being a complete failure due to three factors. First was the failure to take down the Cuban Air Force’s planes. The US also overestimated the Cuban’s willingness to go against Castro. They also didn’t choose a nice landing spot; the Bay of Pigs was a very swampy area. In the end, the invaders were in a two-day standstill with Cuba. On April 19th, the intruders surrendered.

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*The Bay of Pigs Invasion is very similar to Operation Uphold Democracy. This operation consisted of the US designing an intervention to take down Haiti’s oppressive military regime led by Raoul Cedras and to restore the democratic president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In September of 1994, the operation started and ended successfully, with the operation ending with Haiti surrendering. This is similar because the US was trying to keep democracy by intervening in Haiti, just like they tried to do in Cuba during the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

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A - List 3 effects and connect 2 to other historical events of significance.

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The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day conflict between the Soviet Union and the US. It was caused by the US discovering that there were ballistic missiles being deployed to Cuba by the Soviets. This incident was the closest the Cold War came to becoming a nuclear war. After the Bay of Pigs failure, the US government began planning Operation Mongoose, another attempt at taking down Castro and his regime. The Soviets made an agreement with Fidel to place their missiles in Cuba to prevent any future US invasions. They were suspicious because of the Bay of Pigs attempt and other factors. US surveillance flights found nuclear weapons created by the Soviet Union in Cuba in August of 1962. Later on, in September, the US found a site storing high range missiles being built in Cuba; ones that could destroy the US. The 13-day Missile Crisis then began on October 16th. Because Cuba was a communist country since the end of the Cuban Revolution, the US was against them. Cuba decided to protect itself by teaming up with the Soviets to have its own missiles. This led to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Between April and October 1980, the Mariel boatlift brought about 125,000 Cuban exiles to America. This mass migration was because of Castro’s decision to reopen the boatlift due to the asylum seekers' protests in the Peruvian Embassy. These Cubans consisted mainly of the upper or middle class. Many of these people had lost many things because of the new regime, such as their social status and high salaries. Castro used this opportunity to send off the mentally ill and convicted criminals of Cuba to America, thanks to the Carter administration's “open arms” policy.  Because of the Cuban Revolution and Cuba being communist, these Cubans decided to leave because they felt oppressed by the new regime.

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*The Mariel Boatlift is similar to the Vietnamese refugees who came to America around the end of the Vietnamese War, known as the “boat people''. During the mid-1978 to 1980’s, political and economic instability was forming in Vietnam due to the new communist government. Many government employees were sent to concentration camps. Many South Vietnamese decided to escape on small  fisher boats. These people were from the lower class, like fishermen and farmers. They left because they knew they wouldn't have freedom and make enough money. These people sailed to the US, where they were easing restrictions for Vietnamese refugees. This is just like how Cuban exiles fled because of the communist Cuban government.

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U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

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A - I can state and support my opinion using relevant, accurate, and appropriate evidence of 2 ways Revolution can be avoided while countering an opposing opinion.

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The US shouldn’t have controlled Cuba under a quasi imperial American rule -

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The US shouldn’t have controlled Cuba under a quasi imperial American rule -

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In 1898, after slavery was abolished, the US didn’t know what to do with Cuba after the Spanish American War. Some wanted Cuba to become a slave state while others disagreed. The US came up with a policy that was in-between independence and liberation. They would dictate Cuba’s foreign policy and give itself the right to intervene in their public affairs. The US also owned Guantanamo Bay. In my opinion, the US should have never taken imperial rule over Cuba. Many Cubans felt hate for America because of this era of imperial rule. They felt that their freedom was repressed; that they were being treated like a colony. So when Batista was being backed by the US when Fidel came into the picture, people supported Batista less because of their feelings of hate towards America. If the US let Cuba have its independence after the Spanish American War, there could have been better relations between the two countries.

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Ways it could be avoided:

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Cuban officials shouldn’t have plagued its democracy with corruption -

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Cuban officials shouldn’t have plagued its democracy with corruption -

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There was a democracy in Cuba, but also a lot of political violence. Gangs would violently make their way through politics, from the University to the streets. The most disheartening example was when Batista regained power by executing a coup d’etat. Many people lost faith in Cuban democracy. In my opinion, Cuba shouldn’t have corrupted its democracy. If Cuba kept everything fair, the country wouldn’t have had to suffer because of the government’s incompetence. The government’s greed is what caused Cubans to become against it and want a change.

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Why it couldn't be avoided:

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The speech “History Will Absolve Me” convinced too many people -

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The speech “History Will Absolve Me” convinced too many people -

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When Fidel went on public trial, he made strong arguments against the dictatorship and described its flaws and how if Cubans came together, a change could happen for the better. In his speech, he reached out to all Cubans, who realized that they felt the same. He gave hope to many Cubans in Cuba.  He gained massive support after this speech; later called “History Will Absolve Me”. In my opinion, after this speech, there was no turning back. People were in need of change and now riled up. Fidel Castro now had much support on his side. There was no reason to hold back.

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After Batista’s coup d’etat, Cubans were disheartened by his sudden power grab. Through the years, they saw the way their economy was failing. They saw the corruption in their government. They also saw their government allow the US to take advantage of their resources. To them, there was no equality or democracy anymore. Since the Cubans lost trust in the government, I believe that for all these reasons Cubans would eventually want a great change, like the Cuban Revolution.

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Docs Link

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PDF Document

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Fidel Castro after his victory.