Conditions+that+led+to+the+formation+of+Castro's+Cuba


 * Why Did Castro Come to Power?

•** **There was a long-standing resentment among many Cubans at the amount of American influence in the country** o This dated back to 1898 when the USA rescued Cuba from Spanish control and although the island remained an independent republic, American troops were needed to maintain stability and American financial aid and investment kept the Cuban economy ticking over and thereby controlling the Cuban economy o American companies held controlling interests in all Cuban industries, owned half the land, about 3/5 the railways, all electricity of production and the entire telephone system. The USA was the main market for Cuba’s exports o Unemployment was a serious problem yet there was no unemployment benefit and the trade unions did nothing to help o The poverty of the unemployed was in stark contrast to the wealth in Havana and in the hands of corrupt government officials, social tensions were high o He introduced no reforms, and as well as being corrupt, his regime was also brutal o Castro was a young lawyer who specialized in defending the poor and he was more of a liberal nationalist than a communist before he came to power: he wanted to rid Cuba of Batista and corruption and to introduce limited land reforms so that all peasants would receive some land o After an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Batista in 1953, Castro began a campaign of guerilla warfare and sabotage in the cities and the rebels soon controlled the mountainous areas of the east and north and won popular support there by carrying through Castro’s land reform policy o Even many of the middle-class began to support Castro as the most likely way of getting rid of a brutal dictator o Morale in Batista’s poorly paid army began to crumble in the summer of 1958 after an unsuccessful attempt to destroy Castro’s forces o The USA began to feel embarrassment at Batista’s behavior and cut off arms supplies which dealt a serious blow to Batista’s prestige o In September a small rebel force under Che Guevara gained control of the main road across the island and prepared to move on Santa Clara and on 1 January 1959 Batista fled from Cuba and a liberal government was set up with Castro at its head
 * • Though Cuba was prosperous compared with other Latin American countries, she was too dependent on the export of sugar, and the wealth of the country was concentrated in the hands of a few**
 * • No effective political system had been developed. In 1952, Fulgencio Batista seized power in a military coup and began to rule as a dictator**
 * • Since there was no prospect of a peaceful social revolution, the feeling grew that violent revolution was necessary**
 * • Batista’s reaction played into Castro’s hands. He took savage reprisals against the guerrillas, torturing and murdering suspects**

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