The Cuban Communist Revolution Essay Research Paper

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The Cuban Communist Revolution Essay, Research Paper THE CUBAN COMMUNIST REVOLUTION Introduction: From the beginning Cuba was a shaky country with a very unstable government and a country that was deep in poverty. The government was jumping from being a dictatorship to a republic. The fate of Cuba was changing hands constantly. Fidel Castro challenged Fulgencio Batista and overtook Cuba and still rules it today. Fidel was a strong person who took Cuba at a weak time and the people would follow anyone who promised to help them. He helped the welfare of Cuba greatly, he felt that he could make a change in Cuba and help people lead better lives. He accomplished that and more; Castro set up many programs to help those in need and accomplished what all the other previous leaders

of Cuba attempted to do but never succeeded; he made Cuba a prosperous country that had improved greatly within the past fifty years (Stoner). People: Cuba, largest island of the West Indies, south of the United States and east of the Yucat n Peninsula of Mexico. It forms, with various adjacent islands, the republic of Cuba. The Cuban population is made up mainly of three groups, about 66%, is of Spanish descent or white, 12% are black, and the remaining 22% are a mixture of both. The language commonly spoken in Cuba is Spanish. The Cuban culture is seen as a blend of Spanish and African culture. The majority of Cubans claim to be non-religious. In 1957 more than 70% practiced Catholicism but have slowly opened their minds to new ideas, in 1997 only 33% were recorded to be a

Roman Catholic (Dominguez). The majority of Cuba is middle class. Before the revolution many of them were only educated to a third-grade level and one-quarter of all Cubans were illiterate. After the revolution however, that changed greatly. Castro gave many people a gift. Castro s government launched a number of programs aimed at improving social conditions among poor and uneducated Cubans. In 1961 the government temporarily closed schools to teach illiterate citizens how to read and write In the mid-1990 s the literacy rate approached 95% (Dominguez). The Old Regime: Cuba s government began to become shaky after Fulgencio Batista became dictator for the first time in the late thirty s. Batista took over the government as a dictator and had the support of the U.S. On July 26,

1953 he would meet his biggest challenge, Fidel Castro. Batista knew that if he gained support from the U.S. it would help him to make Cuba a better place. As president in during World War II (1940 s), Batista became a close collaborator of the United States and outspoken champion of the allied cause, stands from which both Cuba and Batista both profited (Haverstock 30). In 1944 Batista was not able to run for president again because of a new constitution. That year Grau San Martin became president again for the second time. Carlos Prio Socarras won the 1948 election. Yet in 1952 Batista overthrew Prio s government and became dictator again. The country grew prosperous under Bautista. Cuba also began to industrially develop. He also encouraged foreign companies to build

businesses in Cuba. He created Public Works programs to help the people of Cuba to lower the unemployment rate. Although Batista started Cuba to the road of success, many still lived in poverty (1178). The Revolution: Castro did not believe in the ways of Batista and wanted to gain power in Cuba. He and a small group of eighty-one followers known as the 26th of July Movement attacked army barracks. Their attempted revolt failed and many, including Castro, were imprisoned (Ruiz). His group moved to Mexico to plan the next attempt to overthrow Batista. When they returned to Cuba many of them were immediately killed. Student agitation grew so violent that universities and even high schools had to be closed down (Haverstock 32). Castro led the group from the beginning in between the