Cuban Revolution • Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista faced a challenge by socialist leader Fidel Castro in the 1950s. • Castro fled to the mountains of Mexico after a failed attack and a release from prison. • Castro returned to Cuba with a small group of revolutionaries and recruited soldiers for his army. • After a string of military defeats at the hands of Castro, the Batista regime collapsed. • U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations end after Cuba accepts aid from the Soviet Union.

Castro overthrows Batista: In the 1950s, a movement led by Fidel Castro aimed to overthrow the government of dictator Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. Castro's revolutionaries gradually gained support, and the Batista regime collapsed. The revolutionaries seized Havana in early 1959. Relations with the United States deteriorate: Under Castro, relations with the United States quickly worsened as Cuba began to receive aid from the Soviet Union. In October 1960, the United States declared a trade embargo with Cuba. Soon, all diplomatic relations between the two countries ended. Exporting revolution: After the Cuban missile crisis, Castro realized that the Soviet Union was unreliable. To spread socialist revolution, Castro launched guerilla wars in some Latin American countries, but the strategy failed.

Economic and Social Effects Chinese Communism Causes • Corrupt dictatorship led by Batista • Economic dependence on United States Economic and Social Effects • Led Cuba to become a Communist state • Led to declining economic conditions in Cuba • Attempted improvements in health care and education Political Effects • Led to Fidel Castro’s half-century rule in Cuba • Inspired Communist revolutions elsewhere in region • Led to ongoing conflict with the United States, including the Bay of Pigs invasion and a long-standing trade embargo

What were some strengths and weaknesses of Castro's rule in Cuba?  He improved health care and education. His reliance on the Soviet Union led to poor economic strategies. How were U.S. actions in Latin America a continuation of the policy of containment? The United States tried to keep communism from spreading by supporting anti-Communist regimes.