The Cuban Revolution and the Cuban
Missile Crisis
I. The Cuban Revolution
Background to Castro
 Fidel Castro - Born August 13, 1926
 Son of a wealthy Spanish sugar cane farmer and a domestic
servant
 He attended the University of Havana to study law and
started a law office after graduation.
 Castro was a supporter of the democratic system in Cuba (he
wanted to run for parliament)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ24jmIHIUk
Cuba in the 1940’s-50’s
 Cuba was a close American Ally since the
Spanish American War
 There was large amounts of American
investment in Cuba
 Agriculture companies
 Many real-estate investments(Hotel Industry)
 Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
 Caribbean Playground for Americans
 Casino, clubs, beaches
White Boards
 What type of economic situations lead to Communsim?
Problems in Cuba
 Problem major source of the economy was from sugar
productions
 Wealth in Cuba was concentrated in a very small upper-class
 High level of unemployment
 Deep rooted social and racial divides
 Slavery had only ended in 1880
 Limited options for impoverished majority
The Dictator
 Fulgencio Batista- Cuban President 1934-
1944
 Then led a coup and became leader from
1952-1959
 Kept close ties with the US to protect and
support US industry in Cuba
US stops support of
Batista
 Pro democracy student groups
and protests erupted against Batista
 regime became more brutal and repressive
in the mid 1950’s
 US stopped supporting his regime
 Under his leadership status-quo was kept
 (rich got richer and poor poorer)
 Little hope for Democracy
White Boards
 Why would the US protect Batista?
Fidel Castro
 Un happy with the lack of
democracy and inequality in
Cuba
 Failed attack on Moncada
Barracks in 1953
 2 years in Prison and exiled to
Mexico after a very public trial
The revolution starts in Mexico
 In Mexico met with other
Marxist revolutionaries to
plan an attack on Cuba
 Met Ernesto “Che” GuevaraArgentinean Med Student
devoted to Marxist
revolutions world Wide
 https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=f3UwlmQn0ks
The Cuban Revolution
 1956 Castro and others land in Cuba boat named
“Granma”
 Seek shelter in the highlands (Sierra Maestra)
 There they gain huge support from rural peasant class
 They are promised a better future under a Marxist Gov
 (equality of land, wealth, social class)
Tactics in winning the War
 Began launching raids on small army posts
 Through out Cuba used sabotage and Guerrilla warfare against Batista
 Blow up roads, power, rail lines…
 Began educating the poor with their socialist viewpoints
 Gained huge support amongst urban and rural poor
Tide turns in Castro’s Favor
 Batista became more repressive pushing more
people to Castro's side
 Became so repressive that the US no longer
supported him
 By 1958 Revolutionaries controlled schools,
hospitals, farms, and many factories on the
Eastern part of the Island
Discuss
 Why did these educated men decide to embark on socialist
Revolutions?
Castro Takes Cuba
 With these heavy losses
Batista resigned on 31
December 1958
 Fled with his family and
closest advisors to the
Dominican Republic
 A temporary group of
generals took control
 Castro continued his
fight against the Military
 January 8th 1959 Castro
enters HAVANA and
begins to take control of
the nation
US Fears
 Castro slowly becomes more aligned with the USSR creating fear
in the US
 US business also lost millions when Castro took their properties
with out compensation
II. US Cuba Tensions and the Cuban
Missile Crisis
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj2K1c9N-B4
Bay of Pigs Invasion
 President Eisenhower
organized training of Cuban
exiles for an attack
 Exiles were trained in Central
America and given weapons by
the US
 Goal to start an uprising and
kick Castro out of Power
Discuss
 What was the socio-economic group of the first wave of
migrants from Cuba and WHY?
President Kennedy inherited this and
gave approval for the attack
 Bay of Pigs Invasion in April of 1961
 Was a complete failure
 US gave no support to invaders( fear getting into war with
Cuba)
 This pushed Castro to seek Soviet support against the
US
Operation Mongoose
 Plans to Get Rid of Castro
 From starting rebellion to
assassination attempts
 Increase espionage in Cuba
 CIA
confirmed 8 plots( Could
be more)
 This led to constant Flights of US
spy planes
 October 14 a flight found
Nuclear Missile Sights in
 https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=ytfCYBZXBHA
The Cuban Missile Crisis Oct 14th- Oct 28
 Initial Plan of actions
 Pressure the Soviet Union and the UN
 Oct 22 Kennedy Public address to the US
 Start a Naval Quarantine (Blockade) of Cuba
 Began troop mobilizations in Florida
Soviet Response
 Missiles in Cuba only defensive
 Khrushchev attack on Cuba= war
 Sent Soviet Ships
 Submarines made it past blockades
US Response was to go to Def Con 2
 DefCon 1 prepare for launch fully armed
 DefCon 0 NUCLEAR WAR
Phone search WHITE BOARD
 What was the range of the missiles in Cuba?
What each
leader
wanted
Kennedy
Castro
Khrushche
v
-Wanted
Missiles out of
Cuba
-Give a promise
of not invading
Cuba
-end Naval quarantine
-US not attack Cuba
-Limit Cuban exile activity
in Cuba
-Return of Guantanamo Bay
-End Economic Blockade
-Would take
missiles out of
Cuba
-US Promise
not to Invade
Cuba
-US remove
Missiles from
Turkey
Agreements Are Made
 Oct 27 RFK Met USSR
Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin
 Notice that missiles were leaving
Turkey anyways
 Soviets needed to remove
Missiles or they would be
destroyed
Soviets Agree
 Khrushchev's Decision
 Oct 28 Radio announcement stating Removal
of Missiles under UN verifications
 US Would not Invade Cuba
-US would remove Missiles in Turkey but not
made Public
-IF this was made public Kennedy would and the
US would look weak as making a Missile swap
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbKCyQn5oTc
White Board
 Who got the worst deal out of the situation?
 Discuss why
Why put Missiles in Cuba
 Soviets lacked numbers and technology of US Nuclear
Missiles
 This would be pressure to have the US remove some of their
Missiles
 Cuba was used to improve Soviet protection
 Blockade of Cuba lasted Nov 20th 1962
 Economic Sanctions last till today
 http://cloudsovercuba.com/ Show later