Conditions under Batista
When did Batista become dictator and how did he become one?
How did Castro build a strong relationship with locals?
While in the mountains, Castro and his rebels worked hard to win over the poor local farming population
• They treated farmers fairly, helped build schools and educate the population about the rights they should have.
• They “liberated” cows from wealthy families and gave them to poor families.
What ideology was introduced as Castro's political reform?
Communism
Who established a blockade on Cuba?
USA
What ideology did he believe in?
Marxism and communism - anti imperialism and anti capitalism
What was the role of the Police State
Any form of revolt or protest was quickly suppressed with Batista’s armed forces, effectively turning Cuba into a police state. Arrests without trial were common, public beatings of protesters (especially students) occurred, and prisoners were tortured.
How did Castro implement anti-Batista propaganda?
With local support, Fidel set up his own newspaper El Cubano Libre (the Free Cuban).
A radio station, Radio Rebelde, was built in the jungle and anti-Batista propaganda was broadcast to the people.
How did Castro maintain control of Cuba
Castro relied on oppressive terror to maintain control. The old regime were arrested, tried and some executed. Political opposition was suppressed and violence used to ensure that the population complied.
Explain the Bay of Pigs
During the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, anti-Castro Cubans living in exile (forced removal from a country) in the United States invaded Cuba. 1400 exiles – who had been funded, trained and armed by the CIA – landed on Cuba’s southern coast at the Bay of Pigs with the purpose of destabilising Castro’s government
Where, when, and how did Guevara die?
Guevara was killed in Bolivia in 1967 while attempting another uprising
What aspects did the US Investment control? State the percentage.
US companies controlled 60% Cuban land and most of Cuban businesses.
US investment controlled 90% of Cuba’s tobacco companies, and all its iron ore, copper and nickel mines. They also controlled the majority of railways, electricity and telephone systems.
What is Guerrilla Warfare and how were the rebels able to take advantage of their surroundings?
Small groups, such as rebels, who use their knowledge of their environment to attack. They use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism, raids, petty warfare or hit-and-run tactics in a rebellion.
By using guerrilla warfare, the rebels were able to take advantage of the social (locals) and territorial resources (knowledge of the mountain) that they had, rather than relying on economic and technological resources.
Discuss why and how censorship implemented by Castro.
Castro also limited the political rights of Cubans to ensure there was little opportunity challenge to his power.
The government used censorship to expand its control and initiated the Committee for the Defence of the Revolution, whose role was to promote the ideas of the government and report on any opposition
Discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1962, the USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev made a deal with Castro to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, pointed at the United States. This decision resulted in the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tense 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that took the world to the brink of a nuclear conflict.
How did Guevarra help Castro
He helped with guerrilla warfare and was a commander for Castro.
Discuss the gap between the classes and how they impacted with social conditions of Cubans.
For the lower and working class, life was based on poverty.
• 1.5 million rural workers who relied on farming for survival. These people often suffered from seasonal unemployment, leaving them on the edge of starvation. The sight of malnourished, poorly dressed children was common in the streets.
• For the working class, approximately 3.5 million, the conditions were slightly better. Although they had more consistent employment, their low wage and the high cost of living meant that they still struggled to get by.
•Upper class owned 43% of the national income. Their wealth often included luxury homes in Cuba and the US, as well as luxury tombs with contained lifts, telephones and air-conditioning.
How did Castro weaken Batista's regime?
The propaganda was also effective as it weakened the morale of Batista’s army.
• Most of Batista’s army were conscripts or had only joined the army because it provided income, clothes, and food. This meant that they rarely had a strong ideological connection to Batista and his cause.
• With the anti-Batista propaganda circulating, more of the army were unenthusiastic in their fight against Castro
• Castro adopted the strategy of releasing captured government troops after they surrendered and gave up their weapons.
• Combined with the anti-Batista messaging, this won the sympathy of the soldiers and helped arm the rebels.
Why did Castro lose support from the Cuban population? Looking for a few key words.
He created a totalitarian government.
1. use of terror - opposition were executed
2. censorship
3. Unable to travel
4. 600 000 exiles fled
Describe the relationship between Cuba and Soviets.
The relationship between the two countries began in 1959, when Castro signed a trade treaty with the
USSR that protected the Cuban economy from the withdrawal of US purchasing of sugar, as well as providing the government with a great number of weapons
• With the formal declaration of Cuba being a communist state in 1961, USSR and Cuba were now ideologically aligned and Cuba became a crucial ally to USSR in the Cold War
What role did Guevara have in the governement and what was the impact
Guevara’s role as finance minister, he favoured communist ideas as a way of improving the Cuban economy. He was responsible for some of Cuba’s boldest experiments but was often criticised for lacking an understanding of economics, as the experiments were not always successful.
Discuss the main things Batista did in order to gain popularity both domestically and internationally.
Batista allowed for US investors to control major Cuban companies due to their support by providing weapons.
Batista opened Havana as playground for the wealthy, with tourism and casino industries being run by American mafia. Batista’s personal aspirations left Cuba open to corruption.
As a result, Presidents won rigged elections, received large payments in exchange for building contract sand allowed US mafia (gangsters) to control tourist areas.
Discuss the two battles that forced Batista's troops to retreat.
In the Battle of Yaguajay, rebel Camilo Cienfuegos was able to take down Batista’s men despite being outnumbered 60 to 250. Cienfuegos made his own tank and surrounded the garrison, who were forced to surrender when their reinforcements did not arrive and they ran out of ammunition (bullets and shells)
• In the Battle of Santa Clara, rebel Che was able to win despite being outnumbered 10 to 1, as they were able to stop an armoured train with Molotov cocktails and seize a great number of weapons. With support from local people who built up barricades against Batista’s reinforcements, the rebels stopped the attack through limiting the soldiers movement.
Discuss both economic and social reforms that Castro implemented.
Castro put banks, transport, oil refiners and some land under government control, rather than US control.
Foreigners were now banned from owning Cuban land, which forced the US to leave the island.
Land reform was widespread, with land ownership limited to 1000 acres. This ensured there was land title to thousands of peasants.
Established an egalitarian society; nationalisation of Cuban industries, land reforms to bridge the gap between poverty and upper class. Improved education of Cuban people.
Describe Cuba's relationship with African nations.
African countries that had been victim to Western imperialism were able to form relationships with Castro’s government from the beginning on his revolution
• In 1966, Havana hosted a conference which resulted in the Organisation of Solidarity among Afro- Asiatic and Latin Americans People. It aimed to promote anti-imperialist and socialist ideals among the poorer nations of the world, reflecting Castro’s long-held belief that the US dominance must be challenged.
• Cuba was involved in 17 African nations, by sending continued to send supplies and soldiers to support communist rebels, only ending in 1991.
Describe one battle that Guevara aided in.
In the Battle of Santa Clara, rebel Che was able to win despite being outnumbered 10 to 1, as they
were able to stop an armoured train with Molotov cocktails and seize a great number of weapons. With
support from local people who built up barricades against Batista’s reinforcements, the rebels stopped
the attack through limiting the soldiers movement.