ia_2009_b_rod

__ Before the Revolution __ Fidel Castro was, since the beginning, always concerned about the great inequalities in wealth that existed in Cuba. This was probably due to his career as a lawyer. Castro usually tended to take the cases of poor people, who could not afford to pay him. Like a great deal of other Cubans, Fidel Castro resented the wealth and power of the American businessmen who appeared to have complete control over the country. [1] Because of this, in 1947, Castro joined the Cuban People's Party. He was attracted to this new party's campaign against corruption, injustice, poverty, unemployment and low wages. The Cuban People's Party accused government ministers of taking bribes and running the country for the benefit of the large United States corporations that had factories and offices in Cuba. [2] In 1952, Castro became a candidate for the Cuban People’s Party. He was seen to be a superb orator, and influenced many of the young members of the party. The Cuban People’s Party were supposed to win the election, however during the campaign, General Batista, with the support of armed forces, took control of the country. [3] Fidel Castro realized that the only way to gain power was by a revolution, and in 1953, Fidel Castro, and his brother Raúl, led an armed group of 123 (some say 160) men and women, attacked the ‘Moncada Army Barracks’ (a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba [4] ). However the revolt failed dramatically. The rebels had a huge lack of training and weaponry. Castro being a lawyer defended himself at his trial. In his 4 hour long speech he justified his actions and plans for Cuba. A Santiago bishop called upon the courts to spare Fidel Castro’s life. Fidel Castro was sentenced to 15 years of prison with his brother. [5] Two years later, in 1955, a group of prisoners' mothers launched a campaign to free Castro and the other rebels imprisoned with him. As popular support for the rebels, a group of political leaders, editors, and intellectuals signed a public appeal demanding "liberty for the political prisoners". That year, the Cuban Congress passed a bill granting general amnesty to political prisoners. After being signed by Batista, the imprisoned rebels were freed. [6] Following considerable pressure from the Cuban population, Batista promised elections, yet when it became clear that they would not take place, Castro left for Mexico where he began to plan another attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. [7] __ The Revolution __ Whilst Fidel Castro was in Mexico, he reunited himself with other Cubans and formed what was known as the “26th of July Movement”. The name comes from the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks. The movement was recognized in Mexico in 1955 by a group of 82 exiled revolutionaries (including Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl, and the Argentinean Che Guevara). Their objectives were to form a disciplined guerilla force and overthrow Batista once and for all. [8] On December 2, 1956, 82 Cuban guerillas landed in Cuba ready to organize and lead a revolution. The Cuban Revolution continued for the next two years, two years of fighting and surviving. It ended in January 1959, after Batista fled Cuba on New Year's Eve when the movement's forces marched into Havana. [9] Once in power he shut down all the gambling casinos and brothels, he nationalized American owned sugar mills and oil refineries and he seized $1000 million worth of American property. Because of this the USA cut of diplomatic relations with Cuba, and Castro began to work with the USSR, as he’d always been Communist influenced, the USSR even offered to buy Cuba’s sugar instead of the USA! [10] afterwards Khrushchev decided to do the same, and put missiles in Cuba. There was a sudden possibility of a nuclear war between the USA and the USSR. The USA declared that they would invade Cuba, unless the missiles were dismantled. In the end the crisis was finally solved as missiles in Cuba were removed, in addition to the ones in Turkey.

[1] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDcastroF.htm [2] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDcastroF.htm [3] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDcastroF.htm [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncada_Barracks [5] http://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1953/10/16.htm [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncada_Barracks [7] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDcastroF.htm [8] http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/7/27/110928.shtml [9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26th_of_July_Movement [10] __ History Pt. 1 2- Richard Parsons __