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Cuban Revolution Begins
The beginning of the revolution started when the Moncada Barracks were attacked. They were aiming to overthrow Batista who had been their "president" since 1952. People had not like the power grab that Batista had done during that year and Castro was leading a group that were trying to revolt against Batista. -
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Cuban Revolution
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Rebels Imprisoned
The public trial was held and the rebels were sentenced to time in jail. Castro was given 15 years because they are found guilty of the attack on the barracks. -
History Will Absolve Me
During Castro's trial, he gave his famous four-hour speech entitlted "History Will Absolve Me." This quote seems to be the most famous quote from his speech. "Condemn me, it does not matter; history will absolve me." - Fidel Castro -
Che's Arrival
During this year, Che Guevera arrived in Mexico city. This will help lead him to the rebels during the next year. In one source, they referred to him when they mentioned "Cuban Exiles." -
Batista is Elected
Batista makes a grab for the power and takes control of the island of Cuba. This then leads into his official election as the president of Cuba. -
Batista is President
Although Batista stole some power in 1952, he was never officially elected. On February 5, Batista is officially elected president. -
Rebels Released and Causes are Merged
In May, the rebels were given amnesty of their charages and were released from prison. These people (including Castro), headed for Mexico and in June were introduced to Che. Che joined their cause and they started to plan their next move. -
Rebels Head to Cuba
They put their plan into motion and set sail for Cuba. They launch attacks on people and have to head for the mountains where they perform guerilla warfare. While they are there, Batista has trouble seeking them out. -
Guerilla Attacks Take Effect
Castro's men are able to take out an army on the south coast for the first time through the use of Guerila Warfare. The 26 July Movement starts to grow and spreads to villages all through the land. -
Movement Grows
The movement starts to grow and one of the first unsuccessful attacks is on the presidential palace. Over the next few months, other groups of people are able to take down armies (in places like El Uvero) and campaign against Batista. In July they are able to kill Frank Pais. -
U.S. Takes Away Aid
The United States had been supplying the troops with shipment of arms that cost millions of dollars. On March 13th, they deicde to stop the shipments and encourage Batista to flee for Florida. -
Castro Calls for Revolt
Over the course of the next few months, the rebels plan strikes against the opposition. They are able to battle against Batista's moves to hurt them and manage to stop those attacks against them. These all lead up to the rebel attack on Santa Clara on December 28 where the rebels are able to capture the city. -
Victory for the 26 July Movement
When Castro leads his Guerilla army into the capital, Batista is forced to flee. The rebels seize control of the capital and they bring an end to the revolution. On January 7, the guerilla army finally reaches Havana (after stops were made in villages to give speeches). Over the next year, Castro was put into power and the U.S. recognises the new Cuban Government. This also becomes one of the first communist countries in the western hemisphere. -
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Connections Between Three Countries
These are the events that occur between the U.S., Cuba, and the Soviet Union -
U.S. Properties are Nationalized
The U.S. will not cut all ties until the next year, but all U.S. properties are taken as Cuba's own and the U.S. is given no compensation. -
U.S. Breaks Ties with Cuba
The United States decides to cut the ties with Cuba. This is due to the fact that Cuba takes over the U.S. owned properties as a form of nationalization for their country. They are taking control of their land, even the land owned by other people. This is also the time when Castro officially declares Cuba as a communist state. They start to ally with USSR after their declaration. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The U.S. discovered that Cuba was holding missiles for the Soviet Union and it caused a large dispute between the countries. They were on the brink of starting a nuclear war but eventually both sides agreed to remove the missiles positioned near the other country (meaning that the Soviet Union removed the missiles from Cuba and the U.S. removed the missiles from Turkey). -
Che Guevera Executed
Che was sent to spread the revolution across parts of Latin America but he was caught in jungle by the Bolivian government who ended up executing him. He had been trying to spread the ideals of this revolution for months with the government following behind in pursuit of him and his revolutionaries. Che was shot during a gunfight between his revolutionaries and the Bolivian government. -
Member of CMEA
During this time, Cuba became a member of the Council of Mutual Economic Aid. They were able to take more control over their economy and Moscow played a big part in getting them to their feet. -
Collapse of USSR
The Soviet Union collapsed during this year and they had been one of the big benefactors of the country. The military advisors left Cuba shortly after this crash which started a crisis for Cuba's economy. -
Raul Castro as President
After months of problems with Fidel (health problems), Fidel Castro steps down as president. Only a few days later, Raul Castro is sworn in as president. He is elected president by the National Assembly.
