Cuba in the Cold War

Fidel Castro• Born in 1927• Attended Jesuit schools as he was

growing up• He attended law school in Havana

and established a law practice in 1950• Joined the Cuban People’s Party• In 1952, he planned to run for

parliament, but General Batista overthrew the government and nullified the election

Castro’s Rule• Castro actively protested the Batista

election and his practices through the court system, but failed.

• In 1953, he organized a rebel group and was jailed in 1955.

• In 1956, he organized a new group called the “26 of July Movement,” which was defeated.

• Promising to restore the 1940 Constitution and respect for civil liberties, Castro wrested power from the Batista regime on January 1, 1959, which he maintained until February, 2008.

• He stepped down as president due to illness, and his brother Raul became the president of Cuba.

Castro’s Policies• Although considered to be

a revolution, Castro’s policies of redistribution, education, and health policies are widely popular.

• Throughout his forty year reign, Castro never held a popular election and quickly arrested or executed anyone who held contradictory opinions.

Communism in Cuba• Castro adopted a command

economy or “communism” and allied himself with the Soviet Union during President Dwight Eisenhower’s time.

• Castro came to the United States to meet with Eisenhower, who refused to meet with him. In turn, Castro turned to the Soviet Union as a means of economic survival and in retaliation for the United States not recognizing his leadership.

Bay of Pigs• Another reason for siding

with the Soviets was that the United States government tried to remove Castro from power. One example of this was the Bay of Pigs incident.

• President John F. Kennedy’s failed invasion of Cuba led by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) pushed Castro to the Soviet side indefinitely.

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Castro allowed the Soviets to station nuclear weapons in Cuba in 1962. This was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation.

• The Soviets backed down, however, and the missiles were removed.

Modern Relations with Cuba

• Kennedy issued an embargo on Cuba which is still in force today. Cuba had to depend on the Soviets for trade and financial support.

• Since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba has managed to survive.