Fidel Castro

The Cuban Revolution

On July 26, 1953, a revolt against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista broke out when about 130 young men attacked an army barracks. The leader of the revolt was a twenty-six-year-old lawyer named Fidel Castro. The uprising was a failure—some of the attackers were killed, and others were jailed. Castro escaped to the mountains but was captured and sentenced to fifteen years. Batista later pardoned Castro, a mistake that would end his dictatorship.

Batista’s Downfall

Castro attacked again in 1956, this time with the support of many Cuban people. He promised that he would replace Batista’s dictatorship with free elections and end government corruption. During Batista’s regime, many American criminals were involved in Cuba’s thriving tourist industry, and bribes were a standard way of doing business. Cuban business leaders, landowners, and Roman Catholic bishops persuaded the United States to withdraw its support from Batista and end arms sales to Cuba. On January 1, 1959, Batista and his family fled to Florida, taking a large portion of the Cuban treasury with them.

Castro’s Government

Castro’s government initially had the support of most Cubans, but some of his followers soon became disillusioned. Castro seized agricultural estates, factories, and utilities. It became clear that he was establishing a one-party Communist government. From 1945 to 1990, the United States and the Soviet Union were the world’s two most powerful nations. Each fought for influence in what became known as the Cold War. Shortly after taking power, Castro broke ties with the United States and formed a close relationship with the Soviet Union.

The Bay of Pigs and the Missile Crisis

Many Cubans left the island and resettled in the United States, primarily in South Florida. The Cuban exiles sought American support to overthrow Castro’s dictatorship. The United States helped organize and finance an invasion of Cuba by about 1,500 exiles. The exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba’s southeastern coast in 1961 but were quickly defeated.

The following year, American spy planes discovered that the Soviet Union was building launching pads for nuclear missiles in Cuba. If the Soviets completed their project, nuclear weapons would be aimed at the United States from fewer than one hundred miles away. President John F. Kennedy threatened to invade Cuba, and the world came close to nuclear war. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles when the United States promised not to invade Cuba.

The Mariel Boatlift

In 1980, after the Cuban economy declined, thousands of citizens demanded permission to leave. Castro opened the port of Mariel, declaring that anyone who wished to go could do so. President Jimmy Carter agreed to accept the migrants. Castro used the opportunity to empty his prisons and hospitals, sending criminals and the mentally ill along with ordinary citizens. More than 125,000 Cubans left during the six-month Mariel Boatlift. Many of those who followed in later years risked their lives on homemade rafts, and many perished at sea.

Cuba After Castro

Castro resigned from office in 2011 and died in 2016. In 2015, the United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations after more than fifty years, though the American trade embargo remained in place. In March 2016, President Barack Obama became the first American president to visit Cuba in eighty years.

Cuba in the Twenty-First Century

Today, Cuba remains under Communist rule, led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who replaced Raúl Castro in 2018 and became First Secretary in 2021. The island continues to face severe economic challenges, including inflation, energy shortages, and limited access to food and medicine. A large migration wave began in 2021, with hundreds of thousands leaving for North America and Europe, making it one of the largest emigration movements in the country’s history.