A Brief Study of Modern Cuba essays

A Brief Study of Modern Cuba essays In this discussion of the Cuban government vs. American government, we must first understand what has shaped Cuba into what it is today. Assuming that the reader is knowledgeable on the subject of U.S. government, we can proceed to explore Cuba and its upbringings and uprisings. President Carlos Pro Socarras brought Cuba into the early 1950's. He was overthrown by General Fulgencio Batista who set up a dictatorship in 1952. The Bautista regime ruled for just over a year. Here now is the introduction of Fidel Castro Ruz, an important actor in shaping (and authoring) Cuban government into what we see today. Castro and Che Guevara were both implemental in revolutionizing Cuba. Castro's Revolution started on July 26, 1953, with 160 rebels attacking a military barracks. Castro had hopes of sparking a popular uprising. But to no avail, he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. Castro obtained political amnesty in 1955 and was released from prison. He was exiled to Mexico where he organized Cuban exiles into the "26th of July" movement. In 1956 Guevara and Castro returned to Cuba with 81 "26th of July" revolutionaries. They were met with stiff resistance from Batista's army and were driven into the Sierra Maestra Mountains where they regrouped and plotted for guerilla warfare against the Batista regime. The revolutionaries descended from the Sierra Maestra at the end of 1958. With troops deserting on a daily basis and U.S. support dwindling, Batista fled into exile on New Year's Day 1959. The next day Guevara and 600 revolutionaries took Havana. The breakdown of Cuba's authoritarian regime was prompted by a combination of factors, including its political illegitimacy, disrespect for the people's legitimate expectations, and indiscriminate use of repression against political dissidents. Batista's dictatorship had alienated the middle classes. Thus, by the end of the 1950s, the traditional favorite forces...