Beginning of the Cuban Revolution

After the Spanish-American War of 1898, Cuba proclaimed independence but effectively found itself in the position of a US protectorate. In 1903, the Americans established the Guantánamo naval base on the island. Sugar became the foundation of the Cuban economy. Favorable world market conditions in the early 1920s encouraged the influx of foreign capital, but the global crisis of the early 1930s significantly affected the island's monoculture economy. In August 1933, amid popular discontent, a military junta came to power in which no one held a rank above sergeant. The key figure was Fulgencio Batista.

Fulgencio Batista was born in January 1901 in Cuba. He joined the military in 1921. As a sergeant, he became the trade union leader of the Cuban military. Batista was actively self-educated, and his favorite hero was Napoleon. He subsequently often drew historical parallels between himself and his idol, comparing his return to power through a coup in 1952 to Napoleon's return from the island of Elba, while ignoring the fatal outcome of that event.

After seizing power in 1933, Batista assumed the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Army, effectively controlling the country. Successive presidents were merely nominal figures. All uprisings by opponents were brutally suppressed. Batista acted in the interests of the US and established contacts with the American mafia. In 1940, he decided to become president and won the election under the new Constitution. In 1942, Batista established diplomatic relations with the USSR. Cuba, being under US control, was part of the anti-Hitler coalition and was at war with the Axis powers. In 1944, Batista lost the election to his rival Ramón Grau and lost power for 8 years.

In March 1952, the next elections were scheduled. Realizing he had no chance of winning, Batista organized a coup and seized power. Nevertheless, US President Truman recognized the government as legitimate. Having returned to power, Batista turned Cuba into a giant casino and brothel, with business controlled by the mafia. In Havana alone, there were more than 8,500 brothels. American monopolies controlled nearly 70% of the economy, and in the mining sector, the share reached 90%. Most of the land belonged to latifundists, with a significant portion remaining abandoned. Unemployment was 30% of the population, and by 1958 it reached 40%.

The fight against the dictatorship began almost immediately. On July 26, 1953, a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Fidel's younger brother, Raúl Castro, led the attack on the Palace of Justice. Another group led by Abel Santamaría attacked the hospital.

Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926, in the settlement of Birán. His father owned a sugar plantation. In 1950, Fidel graduated from the law faculty of the University of Havana and received a doctorate in law. During his studies, he joined a radical student organization that advocated violent methods of struggle. He later joined the Cuban People's Party, which adhered to nationalist and communist ideas. In 1948, he led a student delegation to a conference in Colombia and participated in the uprising in Bogotá. After his studies, he practiced law. In 1952, he registered as a candidate for the legislature, but Batista's coup canceled the elections.

In 1953, together with Abel Santamaría, he created the opposition group "Centennial Generation" to overthrow the dictatorship. Abel Santamaría became one of the first martyrs of the revolution. On July 26, he led a group of 24 people to seize the hospital. Most of the group was captured. Santamaría was arrested, tortured, and killed within hours. This event marked the beginning of the revolutionary movement that eventually led to the victory of 1959 and fundamental changes in the history of Cuba.