Definition of Cuban Revolution

In terminology politics a revolution It is all that process of radical change in which a given political order is replaced by another. In the history of the 20th century, one of the most profound episodes of political change has been the Cuban Revolution.

In 1959, specifically on January 1, the rebel army group led by Fidel Castro entered Havana triumphantly and at that moment the victory of the so-called Cuban Revolution took place.

Historical background

Since 1934, Colonel Fulgencio Batista held power in the shadows after the triumph of a military coup. During the 1940s he was president of the Republic and in 1952 he staged a new coup and became dictator of the Caribbean island with the support of the United States. During his stage of government there was a period of generalized corruption, of enrichment of the Cuban oligarchy and of a harsh repression of dissident sectors, especially intellectuals, students and unions. On the other hand, since the 1940s the island of Cuba had become a kind of recreation area for the United States. Pre-revolutionary Cuba became a paradise for the mafia, prostitution and gambling.

Key moments of the Revolution

Popular sectors of the population they created a rebel army, whose top leaders were Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. In 1953 there was a failed attempt to overthrow Batista, the well-known assault on the Moncada Barracks. That same year the Movement July 26, an organization that was inspired by the ideals of José Martí, the father of Cuban independence. In the following years the rebel guerrilla group became strong in Sierra Maestra and in 1958 they took the city of Santa Clara. Finally, the rebel forces entered the capital and the revolutionaries seized power.

Main consequences

After the revolutionary triumph, a series of consequences immediately occurred: the exile of Batista, the flight of part of the population to the United States and the nationalization of the main sectors of the economy. Starting in 1962, the revolutionary regime declared itself communist and consolidated a strategic alliance with the Soviet Union.

In the following years, the influence of the Cuban Revolution was noted in a whole series of leftist guerrilla movements in America. Latina, especially in the FARC in Colombia, the Shining Path in Peru, the Sandinista Front in Nicaragua, the Tupamaros in Uruguay or the EZLN in Mexico. Although each guerrilla group has its own history and evolutionThey all have something in common, the inspiration of the Cuban Revolution.

Map of cuba

The Cuban Revolution normally presents two opposing interpretations. For some it has meant progress in aspects such as education, health, social justice and sport. On the contrary, others consider that the consequences of the Revolution have been disastrous for Cubans (impoverishment of the population, lack of freedoms and tight control of society).

Photos: Fotolia - Craitza / mmmg