Anticipation GuideAnticipation Guide• How would you feel if you lived in a country where the native people were

dirt poor, and foreigners controlled everything?

• If you had a chance to take your country back, would you?

• How would you do it? 

• Okay, let’s say you succeeded. You’re now the leader of a new country. What kind of leader will you be?

• Oops! In the process of making your own country, you made a lot of enemies. Another country (a very strong country) wants to be your ally. Do you accept?

• Oops! You care about the people of your country, but now they don’t like the way you are leading. What do you do now?

• Some smart aleck newspaper reporter keeps writing bad things about you in the press. People are starting to demand you stop being leader. What are you going to do?

• If you wanted to keep as much control as possible in your country, what kind of government would you have?

The Cuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution

Essential QuestionEssential Question

• What was the Cuban Revolution and how did it change Cuba?

Cuban HistoryCuban History• Cuba gained its independence from Spain in

1898.

• After Cuba gained it’s independence, America played a large role in Cuba’s development.

– Americans bought sugar cane plantations

– Americans owned hotels and casinos in Cuba

Cuban RevolutionCuban Revolution

• During the 1950s. A young revolutionary named Fidel Castro became the leader of a movement to seize control of the Cuban Government.

• This movement was called the Cuban Revolution

CausesCauses

• Castro and many other Cubans were upset because Cuba had many poor people.

• Although Cuba had luxury houses, gambling casino, and Cadillacs, most Cubans were starving and penniless.– Many businesses in Cuba

were owned by Americans

BatistaBatista

• One reason conditions were so bad in Cuba is that Cuba had a cruel dictator named Batista

• Batista made sure only a few people made money off of the tourism and casinos in Cuba.

• Castro and many others wanted to get rid of Batista.

• Not THAT Batista!!!!

Cuban RevolutionCuban Revolution

• The revolution to overthrow Fulgencio Batista was begun in 1956, and by 1959, Batista had been defeated.

• Castro was now in charge of Cuba

• At first, people were happy Castro overthrew Batista

CommunismCommunism

• After Batista is gone, Castro seizes absolute power.

• He makes Cuba a Communist country

• He then had 700 of his enemies executed and many more were thrown in prison.

CommunismCommunism

• Citizens of Cuba began losing rights.

• They were not allowed to disagree with the government.– If they did, they were

thrown in prison

• In a way, the citizens traded one dictator for another

Communist CubaCommunist Cuba

• Castro then seizes control of all the land and property in Cuba– Including many sugar

plantations owned by American companies.

– How do you think America responded to this?

EMBARGO

Communist CubaCommunist Cuba

• Seeking allies, Castro looks to another Communist country.– Can you guess which one?

• Cuba allies with the Soviet Union– Keep in mind, this is right in

the middle of the Cold War

– How do you think America responded?

• The Cuban Revolution established a communist government just 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

• This was the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis

• Where do you think Cuba got its Nuclear weapons?

• Even to this day, Cuba is a Communist country and America STILL has an embargo with them.

Writing to LearnWriting to Learn

• Cuban Crystal Ball

• 5-7 Sentences

• How do you think Cuba might be different today had Castro stuck to his promise never to become a dictator?