Thursday, June 24, 2010

Fidel Castro and The Cuban Revolution by Britney Conyer


Did the United States government favor the Cuban Revolution, and if so in what ways did they support Fidel Castro? If not how did they take action to hinder Fidel Castro’s rise to power?

The United States engaged in a foreign policy which supported American interests in Cuba, but however contradicted the political future economic independence seen by Fidel Castro. By 1960, the United States had gone as far as placing an embargo against Cuba, this being said it is quite obvious that the United States did not support Fidel Castro or favor the Cuban Revolution.



In March of 1952, the former president of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista seizes power. Although Batista was also a military leader, he also became a vicious dictator, and was closely supported by the United States. This was the beginning of the United States being pitted against Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution. Purely for financial and economic reasons, the Cuban revolution undermined the interests of the United States government and the American Mafia. The powers behind the throne made much more profit from the people being suppressed and mistreated. The Cuban revolution was not only physical but economic and mental in nature, ridding the country of the ticks draining its life blood, namely: the United States and the American Mafia.

160 revolutionaries under the command of Fidel Castro launch an attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba. A rag tag battalion consisting of mostly young men from the Ortodoxo Party Youth rank besieged the barracks on the 26th day of July, 1953. The members represented Cuba’s lower middle class, and more importantly consisting of young men products of broken homes and poverty. The siege did not end well for the rebels and Castro. Some were killed, some were imprisoned, and some wrote speeches that would create monumental change.

1953 October 16 Fidel Castro makes "History Will Absolve Me" speech in his own defense against the charges brought on him after the attack on the Moncada Barracks. The speech became the diagram for a new Cuba. Forming a foundation for the 26th of July Movement and rallying cry used in later speeches.

1954 September Che Guevara arrives in Mexico City. In Mexico City Che would find his destiny meeting Fidel Castro and his brother Raul.

1954 November Batista dissolves parliament and is elected constitutional president without opposition. Batista won the election through fear and terror, terrorizing anyone who supported the opposition. Although there was little opposition, the action did not go unnoticed Cuba’s student population. Cuba’s oppositional parties would picket and boycott the leader who elected himself ruler of Cuba.

1955 May Fidel and surviving members of his movement are released from prison under amnesty from Batista. Ironic that Batista granted amnesty the very people who would oust him from power. The ruler who showed little compassion was destroyed for it.

1955 June Brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro are introduced to Che Guevara in Mexico City. In Mexico City Che would find his destiny in the meeting of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul. Here they would share ideologies and find a common ground, here is where the foundation was formed for the 26th of July movement.


1956 November 25 Fidel Castro, with some 80 insurgents including Raúl Castro, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos set sail from Mexico for Cuba on the yacht Granma.

1957 January 17, Castro's guerrillas score their first success by sacking an army outpost on the south coast, and started gaining followers in both Cuba and abroad. Along with support from students at the University of Havana, the 26th of July movement acquired support from the former president of Cuba before Batista.

1957 March 13, University students mount an unsuccessful attack on the Presidential Palace in Havana. Many students lost their lives in the pursuit of independence during the reign of Fulgencio Batista.

1957 May 28, Castro's 26 July movement, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero. Batista is steadily losing arms to the rebels and also losing the support of wealthy Cubans, who feared the instability would threaten their wealth.

1957 July 30, Cuban revolutionary Frank País is killed in the streets of Santiago de Cuba by police while campaigning for the overthrow of Batista government.

1958 March 13 U.S. suspends shipments of arms to Batista's forces. With the loss of his capital city and Geuvara’s forces surrounding Batista, it was clear to the United States government that Batista had loss control of the country and thus the interests of the United States. The United States abandoned their business partner in his most dire hour.


1958 May Batista sends an army of 10,000 into the Sierra Maestra to destroy Castro's 300 armed guerrillas. By August, the rebels had defeated the army's advance and captured a huge amount of arms.

1958 November 1 A Cubana aircraft en route from Miami to Havana is hijacked by militants but crashes. The hijackers were trying to land at Sierra Cristal in Eastern Cuba to deliver weapons to Raúl Castro's rebels. It is the first of what was to become many Cuba-U.S. hijackings

1958 December 28 Guevara's guerrilla troops seize Santa Clara. This was the last significant military action performed by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. With the loss of the provincial capital of Cuba, Batista was surrounded on all sides, facing the eventual betrayal by the army, and desertion of the troops in his military. Along with his vice president elect, Batista bored a plain and very wisely fled the country for the Dominican Republic.


Same page without sources
http://cubanrevolutionbybritney.blogspot.com/






Sources

Videos (primary)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbUgUJuI6Ak
This is an amazing interview between Barbra Walters and Fidel Castro. This also shown them both in their early years discussing issues over 20 years ago. Barbra Walters has a way of getting everyone’s questions out and answered. This interview also allows the viewers to see just how much Fidel Castro has done for his country (free college, healthcare). I also learned about socialism.
http://www.slashcontrol.com/free-movies/fidel-castro-a-life-of-revolution/3233670769
Fidel Castro: Life of a Revolutionary is a documentary that speaks more on the achievements of Fidel Castro on his journey to become a leader including his educational background as a lawyer along with other milestones. This is likeable because the audience can see how to identify with Fidel Castro. Although this has some of the same info as his biography, there is also other valuable information available throughout the film.
http://mywarvideo.com/play.php?vid=99
The Cuban Revolution part one and two was a longer more detailed documentary about Fidel Castro with a lot of information. This two 2 part film goes into detail of the guerillas and the Bay of Pigs. I learned that there was talk about the CIA planning on embarrassing Castro by unusual ways and Eisenhower’s opinions about everything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMhIwkAK%20f2g
Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution by Advocam is a documentary about the revolution of Cuba; This movie gets many historians opinions about the revolution of Cuba, socialism, and Fidel Castro. This documentary is almost ten minutes long, and the viewers learn about how Castro's revolution put cuba on the map while endangering the people it is also obvious how he has instilled pride in the people for thier nation.
http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=712
This documentary is named: Che Guevera Supports the Cuban Revolution. This short documentary has actual rare footage of the leader from Argentina explaining that when he was in battle he was the happiest in his life
http://www.videojug.com/film/havana-rally-peasants-march-to-support-castro-22nd-january-1959
This video is named: Havana Rally, Presents March To Support Castro, 22nd January 1959. This short film shows Fidel Castro playing baseball having fun and gave information about how important it is to the people celebrate that time of year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IqFxcwWv2Q
This film is named: Castro Cuban Revolution 1959 is a documentary that briefly describes a general timeline of the events during the Cuban Revolution. This film shows the brutal executions and speaks about Fidel Castro great popularity amongst the people of Cuba.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW1Yh8D-xCg&feature=related
Fidel the Untold Story is a documentary that is on an even more intimate perspective than all of the other sources. I enjoyed hearing people’s perception of Fidel Castro and pieces of information you cannot find by just browsing the internet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ24jmIHIUk&NR=1&feature=fvwp
The Biography of Fidel Castro is a documentary about the humble beginning and upbringing of Fidel Castro. This documentary speaks in detail about Fidel Castro’s mother and father’s professions, and also discusses how Castro was born out of wedlock. I think this is a great source of information to fully understand and get to know Fidel Castro outside of our text book.
Political cartoons
http://commonsense2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/political_cartoon_1934_chicago_tribune.gif
This political cartoon was interesting. The political cartoon showed a horse and carriage with money spilling out everywhere. This cartoon stated that the plan of action for the United States was to spend and to deplete all of the natural resources of the World.
Website
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/valtman/presentation.html
This website was recommended by you, the Professor. Edmund Valtman portrayed Fidel Castro in a Political Cartoon that was published in the Hartford Times August 31, 1961. The picture had Fidel Castro standing tall while pulling a small man as if he was his slave owner while smoking a cigar. This figure represents Cuba and Brazil.

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