Cuba Timeline

By zpankratz

  • Jose Marti

    Jose Marti dies. He was the revolutionary hero of Cuba, and his ideology was used to spur on latter cuban revolutions.

  • Teller Amendment

    When this was enacted it specified that U.S. could not annex Cuba but had to leave control of the island to the people

  • Platt Amendment

    This amendment specified the terms for U.S. military withdrawl from Cuba, and allowed for legal U.S. intervention in Cuba, including claiming territory there such as Guantanamo Bay

  • Popular Socialist Party

    The Communist Party of Cuba (later known as PSP) was founded in this year, and eventually merged into the current communist party of Cuba. This party originally supported Fulgencio Batista., but later accepted Castro. It was used to carry out politcal decisions.

  • Partido Autentico

    Consituted in this month, they had significant influence in Cuba, especially in the Constiutional Assembly, form 1933 to 1952, dissolving in 1954, after they had become unpopular. They were the most socialist of all the parties, and had many socialist and corporatist ideology.

  • Conferdacion de Trabajadores de Cuba

    Founded on this date, this organization was the main workers union in Cuba. There were used to provide popular pariticipation with the revolution.

  • Ortodoxo Party

    Founded in this year by Eduardo Chibas to counter government corruption and lack of refrom, it's goals were to create a disctince cuban identity, establish econcomic independence and institute social refroms. THe party dissolved in 1952 as Batista regained power, but while it was active, Fidel Castro was a active member.

  • Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), Autachry

    Created on this day, it was an economic organization lead by the USSR, that was made up of Eastern bloc countires and various socialist states aroundt the world. It was a reply to the Organization for European Economic Co-operation in non communist Europe. It offered financial, governmental, and military support for Cuba. It's members often had autachratic policies, or those that allow a country to be self suffiecent. (Somewhat related to anarchy)

  • Moncada Barracks, July 26th Movement

    The barracks were attacked on this date by a band of rebels led by Fidel Castro. The date of this attack was the inspiration behind Castro's July 26th Movement that eventually took down Fulgencio Batista. The members of the movement were refered to as "Los barbudos" which means bearded ones.

  • "History will absolve me", Five Revolutionary Laws

    On this date, after being arrested at the Moncada attack. This speech later became the fundamentals of his manifesto which contained his 5 revolutionary laws. These laws were:
    The reinstatement of the 1940 Cuban constitution.
    A reformation of land rights.
    The right of industrial workers to a 30% share of company profits.
    The right of sugar workers to receive 55% of company profits.
    The confiscation of holdings of those found guilty of fraud under previous administrative powers.

  • Guatemala-Jocobo Arbenz

    A CIA covert operation for a Coup detat of President Jocobo Arbenz of Guatemala, whose communist policies were a threat to U.S. interests. This inspired the 1960 U.S. attempt to oust Castro's government. Also inspired Che Guevera to be part of a revolution that would get rid of U.S. imperealism in some place.

  • Granma Landing

    This was the yacht that was used to secretly transport 82 members of the July 26th movement including Castro, into Cuba.

  • Jose Echevarria

    The leader of the anti-communist Revolutionary Directorate, he died in a shoot out with Batistas forces after failing an assassination raid to kill Batista.

  • Frank Pais

    He was the urban coordinator of the July 26th Movement, and was killed in a raid by the Santiago police on this date.

  • January 1959-Havana: End of the Revolution

    It was on this day that Castro's forces took over the city and succeeded in their revolution against Batista.

  • Manuel Urrutia

    He served as the presdient othe new revolutionary governement on this date up until July 18th, 1959. Previously, he had been a lawyer that campaigned against Machado and Batista. He left the presidency because of disputes with Castro.

  • Agragarian Refrom Act, INRA

    Crafted by Che Guevera, on this day the act limited the size of garms to 3,333 acres, and real estate to 1000 acres. All land over this was taken by the government and financially compensated for. It also nationalized sugar land. It was carried out the National Institute of Agragarian Refrom (INRA) which eventually had its own militia.

  • Herbert Matthews

    A reporter for the New York Times, he became famous after he was smuggled into the Sierra Maestra where Cuba was hiding, and reported on the ongoing rebellion against Batista in early 1957, making Castro internationally recognized and supported. In July of 1959, he refuted claims that Castro was a communist saying that was decidedly anticommunist.

  • Cuban Literacy Campaign

    Ending on December 22, it was a year long even to get rid of illiteracy in Cuba the revolution had succeeded. Literacy rose from 60%-76% to 96%. Castro accomplished by sending students to teach rural folk.

  • Bay of Pigs

    A failed attempt by the U.S. military to invade Cuba, it was carried out by JFK and the Cuban defeated the American militial on this day, just two days after it started. It strengthened the position of Castro's administration on the World stage.

  • Non Aligned Movment (NAM)

    Castro said that the organizations purpose is to "ensure the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned coutnries in their sruggle agisnt imperails, colonialsim, neo-colonialism, racism etc." It was formed as an attempt to thwart the Cold War.

  • Operation Mongoose (Cuban Project)

    A covert CIA operation against Fidel Castro's communist governement, authorized on this date.

  • Organization of American States (OAS)

    On this date, Cuba was excluded from participation in the OAS, a sort of continental coallition for all the memebers safety, because of its Marxist government. Fidel has commented on this, basically saying that he didn't want to part of such a discraful organization that has dishonored latin american countries. Talks between Obama and Raul show progress towards Cuba's reinstatment in the OAS.

  • US Trade Embargo

    On this date, the embargo was strengthened to a near-total embargo agaisnt cuba. It was a commerical, ecnomic, and financial embargo as a statement against the Communist Government of Cuba.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis

    This 13 day confrontation between the USSR and Cuba vs. the U.S. ended on this date. It was one of the majore congrontation of the Cold War, and the closest we have ever come to nuclear war and mutual assured destruction. Kruscheev suggest nuclear missles in Cuba to prevent further U.S. invasions. Castro was ready to use the missiles at the sake of his country, but the USSR negotiated with the U.S. to end the fiasco. Castro never trusted the USSR fully again. JFK agreed to stay out of Cuba.

  • John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter

    Although assasinated on this date, prior, Kennedy, 35th, 61-63, had been very influential in Cuban U.S. relations. He executed the Bay of Pigs invasion, Operation Mongoose and had to deal with the Cuban missile Crisis. He strongly attmepted to counter communism in Latin America. Nixon, 69-74, took up his mantle, mainly performing the same thing, reaffirming the peace treaty with Russia over interaction with Cuba. Jimmy Carter, 77-81, made many overtures to Cuba.

  • Camarioca Exodus

    On this day, the port was opened so that Cubans could leave to America if they wanted to, and any exiles could come back. All they needed to do was fill out paperwork, and forfeit any property left behind. 2979 Cubans took advantage of this until it closed on 15 November 1965, and those left at the dock were chartered to Florida later.

  • Communist Party of Cuba (PCC)

    An evolution of the various communist parties and apparatuses that were in Cuba before the revoluation, it was officially founded on this date. Compared to other communist parties, it remains with a strict adherence to Marxism and the Soviet Model, and is also more socialist than other communist parties. It is the official government party of the Single Party State of Cuba.

  • Che Guevera

    He died on this date after being abonded by Casto, as his attempt to start a revolution in Bolivia. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary that became one of Castro's top compandders and later became the Ministry of Industry in his government. He played a key role in agricultural reform, and defense in the Bay of Pigs, and catalyzing the Cuban Missle Crisis.

  • Prague Spring

    This began on this date, when Alexander Dubcek rebelled against the Soviet overlords. The Soviet Bloc soon came in to crush the rebellion.

  • Ten Million Tons, Sugar Quota

    In order to boost profits from agriculture, Castro radically prompted his citizens to produce ten million tons of sugar in that year. This was the date that he admitted the failure of the harvest, although admittedly, they did set record numbers for sugar production.

  • Nikita Khrushchev

    Dying on this date, he was preceeded by Stalin, and suceeded by Breshnev, and convinced the reluctant Castro to take Soviet Missles. He was very influential in the Cuban Missle Crisis.

  • Fulgencio Batista

    Rising through the ranks of the Cuban military, he controlled Cuba though Puppet Presidents, taking the presidency in 1940, and coming back in 1952 to seize control in a military coup. He took away political liberties, and aligned himself with the oligarchy, creating a repressive and corrupt governement. In order to gain popular support after a fradulent election, he freed Castro and his rebels, who later returned to fight back and ultimately defeat him on January 1st 1959. Died on this date

  • Angola

    Angola Cuban relations began during the second revolution, where Castro tried spreading Marxism to other countries, including Africa. They aided in Angola's civil war to install this government, staring close to this date, though the current governement is a multi-party democratic system. The cubans were able to help much with medicine, but their agricultural aid was destructive, and often, cubans would exploit Angolans. The USSR eventually entered in to control a majority of the aid to Angola.

  • Raul Castro, Oriente Province.

    Born in the Oriente (East) province of Cuba (which was broken up on this date), Raul Castro has been his brother Fidel's second in command, running various areas of the governement, and now that his brother is dying, has taken over the presidency.

  • Anastoasio Somaza Debayle, Sandainistas

    The dictatorial "president" of Nicaragua, he was overthrown by the Sandistas in July. They were aided by Cuba before and after the revolution.

  • Mariel Boat Lift

    Continuing until October 31, 1980, this mass emigration to the united states was caused by an economic slump in Cuba, Castro sent away the criminals and those kept in mental health facilites to America along with the refugees.

  • Ronald Reagan

    Taking office on this day after Jimmy Carter's presidency, Reagan was hard against Cuba. He viewed Cubas efforts to gain more internatinonal power as just an evil scheme of the soviet union, and many of his policies were strongly anti-cuba.

  • Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev

    The General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviety Union, and by extension of the Soviet Union, up until his death on this date. He provided much aid, financially, militarily, and politically to Cuba. He was suceeded by Gorbachev, under whom Cuban-Soviet relations were drawn back, while Castro continually modeled the Soviets.

  • Rectification Campaign, Mini-brigades

    This campaign was meant to be a return to the revolutionary idealsim ofthe 1960's. There was an emphasis on community rather than personal progget. Mini brigades were volunteers that perfrom projects for the state. as such. Rectification was a mixture of revolutinary ideals, and secret pragamatic capatlist investments.