The Cuban Revolution
Through out history, almost every nation in the world has experienced a revolution. A revolution can be simply defined as "a change." When a country undergoes a revolution, its ideals that it once believed in are being transformed. Sometimes revolutionaries act intellectually, yet others may respond physically through destruction. Some may be peaceful, some short lasting, and some pointless. Historians do argue on identifying whether a revolution has occurred. Revolutions usually follow a break in the nation's events, are directed by a hero, have an ideology and belief system, and use symbols or tools to get its points across to the people. Cuba and its leader today, Fidel Castro, have their own roots in a revolution that took place only some forty years ago. The causes of the Revolution itself lay behind the military dictatorship of General Batista. The overthrow of the June 1952 elections by Batista indirectly led to the Cuban Revolution. With this event the weakness behind Cuba's politics was revealed to the people. Their economy also fluctuated between high and low profits. Because Cuba, after the destruction of land in Europe in WWII, had the most sugar production in the world, small farm owners prospered. Yet because suga
This population provided Castro with supplies and supporters. They also protected them against the Batistan military, traveled to the cities to obtain information, and directed those who wanted to become rebels to the premier himself, Fidel Castro. After gaining more popularity, Castro began to use a technique that was to become a tool in winning the Cuban Revolution: Guerilla Warfare. Using hit and run tactics, the power of the Batistan Dictatorship declined, mostly due to the lack of preparation for guerillas on Batista's part. With seven rifles in total, the guerillas won their first victory at La Plata Barracks. In May 1957, the peasants delivered a shipment of ammunition and explosives to Castro. With these they began to destroy bridges, railroads, and telephone lines. Historians argue on who the "hero" of the revolution was. Some look upon the students as heroes, yet others see Castro as the person most affiliated militarily with the Cuban Revolution and Guevara the most affiliated philosophically. If looked closer, it can be seen how Castro is the one who made the revolution possible in the first place. Without his actions and ideas, the revolts in Cuba would be failures. Fidel Castro organized the guerrilla warfare in Cuba, which helped bring a decisive beginning to the end of the Revolution. His general presence, one of determination and results, also fueled the Cubans. The minds of all the so-called heroes did share a certain ideology. In the summer of 1958, Castro signed the Caracas Pact, which would formerly restore the Constitution of 1940. The ideals in the constitution focused on a democratic nation over a military dictatorship. Guevara believed that having a jefe maximo was necessary. This translates in English into "maximum boss.! r was the only major crop they produced, Cubans suffered when economies in other nations prospered. This in turn resulted in unemployment in the cities. With these circumstances, Cubans showed more oppression to their government and soon began to be rebellious. However, Batista jailed, exiled, executed, and used terror and threats of violence against all the challenges he faced. The peop
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Approximate Word count = 1448
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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