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Music during the Cuban Revolution
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26th of July Movement
Cuban Revolution begins. Fidel Castro leads an attack against the president at the time, Fulgencio Batista. The attack took place in Santiago de Cuba on the Moncada barracks. Only 26 rebels and Castro survive. -
History Will Absolve Me
Fidel Castro delivers his famous “HIstory Will Absolve Me” speech. This speech would go on to be the manifesto for the 26th of July Movement. He defended himself against the charges that were pressed against him after the attack that he led. He expressed his feelings of animosity towards Batista for taking Ramón Grau out of presidency and spoke out against him. -
Imprisonment
Fidel Castro and the 26 survivors are imprisoned. Castro is sentenced to 15 years in jail. -
Batista becomes president
Fulgencio Batista, representing the National Progressive Coalition, wins the general elections and becomes the president without opposition. -
Castro released from prison
Fidel Castro is given amnesty and leaves Cuba to go to Mexico. There is where he meets Che Guevara for the first time and gets him to join the rebel movement. -
Granma
Fidel Castro, Raul Castro and Che Guevara along with 80 rebels arrive in cuba on a yacht called Granma. They arrived in Playa Las Colorados and made their way up the Sierra Mestra Mountains. They hiked up the mountains for three days before getting attacked by Batista and his army. Most of the men were killed but the surviors including the Castro brothers and Che Guevara were able to find each other in the mountains. This group would become the leaders of the guerilla army. -
Student Revolutionary Directorate
The Student Revolutionary Directorate, an anti-communist group attempted to assassinate President Batista at the Presidential Palace. The assassination attempt was a failure and the effort to dismantle the government fell apart. -
Arms Embargo
The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cuba which made the army much weaker. The army needed to airplane parts form the United States in order to fix their planes. This weakening of the army was a key part of the Cuban Revolution as the rebels were soon to strike. -
Operation Verano
Batista and his troops launch an attack on the Sierra Maestra. This is where the rebels were located and their army had been growing since their arrival in the mountains. The two major battles were the Battle of La Plata and the Battle of Las Mercedes. The Battle of La Plata resulted with the cuban army getting ambushed by the rebels and the Battle of Las Mercedes ended with the rebels getting trapped but Castro freed them by negotiating with Batista. The rebels saw these battles as victories. -
Rebels Attack
With more troops and weapons the rebels attack four cuban fronts. They won many of the battles, captured numerous towns and took control of the Cauto plains. Batista also ambushed some of the rebel groups but this did not stop them from continuing to fight. -
Battle of Yaguajay
Led by Cinfuegos the rebels won a huge fight that shifted the momentum of the war. -
Battle of Santa Clara
Another key battle in the Cuban Revolution. The rebels won this one and the Cuban army and Batista were now helpless. -
Batista Ousted
Fidel Castro and his rebels win the war and oust Fulgencio Batista from Cuba. They go on to take control of the island and implement a socialist government. -
Batista Flees
Batista flees the country and flies to the Dominican Republic,
