1. Will history absolve them?
The Cuban Revolution
Will history absolve them?

2. Thesis
The new economic imperialism post-WWII by the US, coupled with the poverty of the lower classes in Latin America caused idealistic students, including Fidel Castro and Che to embrace their own personal brand of Marxism. When implemented, this upset the United States and seeing it as a threat to the ethos of the Truman Doctrine led to an extension of the Cold War across the Atlantic and in to Latin America.

3. Before Castro
Historically Cuba might have had the closest ties to the US of any Latin American nation
By 1940 Cuba is run by Fulgencio Bautista, who overthrew the previous dictator, ran for election and won
Finished his term, went into to retirement in the US, all seemed good, until he decides to run for election again in 1952
Realizing he’s going to lose said election, he stages a coup before the election, takes control, and suspends the Constitution
Cracks down on Civil Rights and “communism”, suspends freedoms/habeus corpus, etc.
But, he allows US companies to continue to operate and make money, so he stays popular with and receives aid from the United States

5. The Castros
Two brothers, Fidel and Raul-->older one, Fidel tended to be the leader
Born to an upper middle class, sugarcane growing family, Fidel studied law in the late 40s
There he became mildly socialist, but very radically anti-imperialist and nationalistic
Read: Anti-American
Traveled to Colombia to protest the formation of the OAS, etc.
Got upset when Batista took power—saw him as "imperialist bastard"

6. Castro’s first try
1953, shortly after Bautista takes power, the Castro brothers form an anti-Bautista group called “The Movement”
Castro then brothers lead a failed attack on the Cuban Army’s Moncada Barracks
Goal was to get the army to rebel with them against Bautista; but the army has the power, so they don’t
Instead of going after Castro brothers, Bautista tries to pin the revolt on his political enemies, many of whom he rounds up an tortures
Castro exposes this at the trial
Castro cites Marti (“Our America” speech) as the real father of the revolution
Argues that this can’t have been a coup since Bautista took power illegally anyway
Gets most defendants off; Castro brother sentences to 15 years in an insane asylum/prison

8. Castro’s second time
1955: in show of Dictatorial benevolence, Bautista releases the Castro brothers and send them into exile in Mexico City
Here they (Raul first) met Che, who was in exile himself for rebelling against a US-backed dictator in Guatemala
They raise enough money to purchase a decrepit yacht (irony) and set sail with 82 idealist invaders
Land in Cuba in 1956; all but 12 of them are captured or killed within first few hours
Remaining ones make it to the mountains and basically play a three year game of hide and seek
Movement gains steam and by 1959, seeing know hope Bautista flees the country and Castro takes power
The thought of joining the same side as the US is repulsive to Castro, so with Che's urging, he gets the backing of Moscow

9. Cuba under Castro
By June of 1960, Castro is breaking down the Cuban economic structure to rebuild it
Part of this is necessary, part anti-imperialist and part just because he likes annoying the US
Historically Cuba had been the closest Latin American country to the US
Nationalizes a number of American sugar firms, banks, and industrial enterprises
Puts Che in charge of economics  he creates a number of plans, none of which are very successful
Land reform is mostly successful
Che also tries to increase literacy, which was “remarkably successful, rising from 60%-96%”
Attacks US with anti-imperialist and pro-communist rhetoric; sees USSR/Khrushchev as a natural ally
Rips the US in a 4.5 hour anti-imperialist speech at the UN

10. US reaction
Eisenhower administration responds by reducing imports on Cuban sugar by 95%
USSR responds by agreeing to buy 20% of all Cuban sugar production
Then on Oct 19, 1960, he places an embargo on all exports to the island aside from food stuffs and medical supplies
Imports later added to embargo under Kennedy administration
USSR responds by granting $200 million dollar in low-interest loans to Havana; Soviets send military and educational aid
US response is Bay of Pigs fiasco:
CIA trains a motley crew of various Latin American dissidents to land on the island and overthrow the new regime
The idea being that when they land, they will be joined by throngs of Cubans looking to overthrow Castro
Those throngs never come, within three days everyone is captured or killed

12. Cuban Missile Crisis
Tensions come to boiling point—generally considered the closest US & USSR came to real war during the Cold War
October 1962, US reconnaissance plane take pictures of military installations of Soviet missile sites in Cuba
JFK goes on the air and warns the American public, then gets unanimous support from NATO and OAS to blockade the island
(Never mind the fact we had installations just as close in Turkey)
USSR gets there to see that the blockade is in force
Khrushchev gives the order to turn around if they can take the installments out of Cuba and back to the USSR AND the US agrees not to invade the island; Kennedy agrees, crisis averted
We went “eyeball to eyeball, they blinked first”