Rise
What was the name of the movement Castro led against the Batista regime?
The 26th of July Movement (M-26-7).
What was the primary legal tool used to try and execute "enemies of the revolution" in 1959?
Revolutionary Tribunals.
Which superpower provided Cuba with massive economic subsidies and military protection?
The Soviet Union (USSR).
What was the primary goal of the 1961 Year of Education?
To eliminate illiteracy; thousands of "literacy brigades" were sent into the countryside to teach peasants.
Where is the US naval base located that remained an "imperialist" thorn in Castro's side?
Guantánamo Bay.
Which failed 1953 attack served as the symbolic beginning of the Cuban Revolution?
The attack on the Moncada Barracks.
What were the CDRs, and what was their primary function?
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution; neighborhood "eyes and ears" used for social monitoring and local mobilization.
What was the 1962 event that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war?
The Cuban Missile Crisis.
Describe the 1959 Agrarian Reform Act.
It limited land ownership, abolished sharecropping, and redistributed land to the peasants/state farms.
What was the name of the 1980 mass exodus where 125,000 Cubans left for the US?
The Mariel Boatlift.
What were the three main social/economic "causes" cited in Castro’s "History Will Absolve Me" speech?
Land reform, industrialization, and education/housing reform (addressing rural poverty and corruption).
How did Castro consolidate power during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion?
He used the threat of "Yankee Imperialism" to nationalize all US property and officially declare the revolution Socialist.
What was "Exporting the Revolution"?
Cuba’s policy of sending troops and doctors to support socialist movements in Angola, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua.
What was the outcome of the "Ten Million Ton Harvest" (1970)?
It was a failure; Cuba failed to reach the target, and the mobilization exhausted the workforce and damaged other economic sectors.
Who were the "Gusanos"?
A derogatory term meaning "worms" used by Castro to describe those who fled the revolution.
How did the geography of the Sierra Maestra mountains contribute to Castro's rise?
It provided a defensible base for guerrilla warfare, allowing the rebels to survive initial defeats and build local peasant support.
Explain the significance of the PCC in maintaining power.
The Communist Party of Cuba became the only legal party, centralizing all political authority under the Politburo.
How did the Special Period (1990s) change Cuban foreign policy?
Following the USSR's collapse, Cuba was forced to seek new partners (like Venezuela) and open up to international tourism.
How did the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) change social status?
Led by Vilma Espín, it increased female participation in the workforce and improved access to healthcare and education.
How did Castro handle the Catholic Church in the early 1960s?
He expelled foreign priests and nationalized Catholic schools, effectively silencing the Church as a political rival.
Analyze the role of the Urban Resistance in Castro's victory.
Groups like the Directorío Revolucionario (DR) organized strikes, sabotage, and propaganda in cities, stretching Batista's forces thin.
How did the 1976 Constitution institutionalize Castro's rule?
It created the National Assembly of People's Power, but formalized the President (Castro) as the head of state, government, and the military.
Discuss the impact of the US Trade Embargo (El Bloqueo) on Cuba's economy.
It crippled trade with its closest neighbor, forcing total reliance on the Soviet bloc and justifying internal repression as "national security."
Evaluate the Moral vs. Material Incentives debate (Guevara's "New Man").
Che Guevara argued for working for the good of society (moral) rather than higher wages (material); this led to a drop in productivity.
What was the Varela Project?
A late-1990s petition for democratic reforms and civil liberties; Castro responded by declaring the Socialist system "irrevocable."