26th of July Revolution Unit 3: Revolution
Central Question What were the motivations behind the 26th of July Revolution? What is the historical context that set the stage for this to occur? What were the goals of the revolutionaries? Did they succeed in their goals?
Vocabulary Imperialism: the practice of a country extending its influence over another through military and/or diplomatic force
Historical Context Cuba became independent from the U.S. in 1902, but only after the U.S. forced the Platt Amendment on Cuba Platt Amendment: Stipulated conditions Cuba was required to write into their constitution U.S. gained a permanent lease on Guantanamo Bay U.S. allowed to unilaterally (something done by one side without the other s input) intervene in Cuban affairs The Platt Amendment defined the terms of Cuban-U.S. relations to be one of unequal dominance of the U.S. over Cuba
Historical Context In 1933, a military coup d etat led by Fulgencio Batista overthrew the Cuban president Coup d etat: Sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government In 1952, Batista leads another coup and seizes power for himself Batista invited corruption into his gov t; had strong ties to American Mafia U.S. supported Batista with cash and weapons because: Batista allowed U.S. companies to dominate Cuba s economy Batista was anti-communist Average Cuban citizen in poverty; begin to despise U.S. for their role in poor quality of life
Motivations
Motivations Belief that Batista s regime was illegitimate since he was not elected Dissatisfaction with quality of life under Batista Anger over U.S. involvement in Cuban affairs
Early Stages Fidel Castro, young lawyer, sued Batista s administration claiming his power is unconstitutional Dismissed by Cuban courts Castro realizes Batista cannot be replaced legally July 26, 1953: Start of the revolution Castro and his brother Raul led 135 men to attack the Moncada Barracks Hope to broadcast their revolutionary goals over the radio Complete failure; half are killed, Castro brothers and the rest captured Castros exiled to Mexico where they meet Che Guevara
Revolution Heats Up Castro brothers and Che Guevara sail from Mexico to Cuba with 80 men on the Granma Granma only built to carry a maximum of 25 passengers Batista predicted their landing, killed ~60 of the 80 men Castro brothers, Guevara, and other survivors flee into the Sierra Maestra mountain range Begin guerilla war against Batista s forces
Victory for Castro Batista led a brutal campaign to find and destroy guerillas leading to Loss of U.S. support Cuban army undersupplied, ineffective without aid Loss of public support An impatient Batista sent untrained soldiers in uncoordinated attacks Guerillas easily won most battles and captured critical supplies Guerillas used pirate radio to gain public support Batista fled Cuba in 1959 Castro marches into capital unopposed, takes power
Success: Did the Castro-led rebels succeed in their goals?
Successes of the 26th of July Revolution Goal: Overthrow Batista s dictatorship and give power back to the people Success The 26th of July-ers successfully overthrew Batista because of Geography: The Sierra Maestra mountain range is massive, covered in foliage, and spread out Perfect place for a guerilla army An undersupplied and uncoordinated enemy force The U.S. withdrawal of foreign aid crippled Batista s army Batista s impatience made for ineffective offensives Guerilla tactics
Successes of the 26th of July Revolution Goal: Overthrow Batista s dictatorship and give power back to the people Failure Cubans under Castro were generally much better off, but Castro became exactly what he fought to overthrow: a dictator
Successes of the 26th of July Revolution Goal: Rid Cuba of capitalist and imperialist influence Success Fidel Castro created a socialist form of government, expelled all U.S. businesses, and severed diplomatic ties with the U.S.
Successes of the 26th of July Revolution Goal: Unify all Cubans under a government they could trust and believe in Both a success... Many Cubans didn t always approve of Castro s policies, but Cuban nationalism (the good kind) flourished under his rule...and a failure Approval of Castro himself is mixed and complicated Many Cubans are in poverty and have little access to material goods Government owns and operates the media 1 million exiles live outside Cuba (out of 11m total pop.)
Successes of the 26th of July Revolution Goal: Improve education and healthcare in Cuba which floundered under Batista Success Cuba has one of the strongest healthcare systems in the entire hemisphere Doctor:Patient ratio Cuba - 1:155 U.S. - 1:396 Sends doctors all over the world to train others Literacy rate increased significantly 1953: 56% 1986: 99%