Fulgencio Batista And The Cuban Revolution

It’s meaning is simple. “The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events” (Dictionary). That is exactly what the Cuban Revolution was all about, the battle for power. Fulgencio Batista was the leader of Cuba before and during the revolution. He was the deep-rooted cause of the Cuban revolution. Batista became far more dictatorial when he took control of Cuba. He became indifferent to popular concerns or commands. The Cuban Revolution pitted Batista against Fidel Castro (and the Cuban people) in a fight for control of Cuba. This fight eventually also involved the USA and Russia, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. At this time, Cuba had become the first Communist state in the western hemisphere. This scared the U.S.; they didn’t want the “Red Menace” in their own backyard (Green 77). For the Cubans, the Cuban Revolution marked the end of half a century of unstable government, international and national corruption and foreign dominance by the United States (Stoner 1). Although a controversial figure for most Cubans, Fidel Castro successfully overthrew an unfair and cruel government system by overcoming several significant roadblocks, developing unusual allies to plot the overthrow of Batista and finally taking control promising democracy, land reform and other major political and economic

Castro intended to run in elections for the House of Representatives scheduled for 1952, but General Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government and the elections were cancelled. He claimed that his so-called “coup” was needed to rid the government of corruption (Green 81). When Castro heard about the coup, he declared himself in favor of an armed revolution. Castro stated, “The present moment, is revolutionary, not political….The Revolution opens the way for true merit, for those who bare their chest and take up the standard. A revolutionary Party needs young revolutionary leadership drawn from the people in whose hands Cuba can be saved” (Green 81). Castro’s quote shows his anger towards the unfair elections. He felt that since this was an unfair way of governing, he was going to start his own revolution. Castro’s initial plan was to run (legitimately) for a leadership role in Cuba. Instead, Batista overthrew the government, so he could do so under the new circumstances. He was furious towards the coup, and indignant