Introduction

The Cuban Revolution is a communist revolution across the country of Cuba, putting into power Fidel Castro in January 1, 1959, thus ending the intense influence that the United States possessed over the country. The end result of the conflict greatly changed the structures of the Cuban economy and social system. The significance of this conflict was that this event established the only communist state in the western part of the world. It is said that Cuban communism, during the early stages, was the closest that any government had been to true communism, much unlike the governments of the USSR and Maoist China.

Location of the Conflict

Early Stages – The Sierra Maestra Mountains

The Cuban Revolution obviously occurred on the small island of Cuba, a country in the Caribbean, known for its proximity to the USA and as a point of distress of this superpower, now boasting a population of more than 11 million people.

In the early stages of the conflict, from December 1956 to mid-1958, the majority of the conflict took place in a mountain range on Cuba known as the Sierra Maestra Mountains. Many of the revolutionaries were separated in this mountain range, having been attacked by the Cuban army.

The few original survivors from violent clashes with the Cuban Army found each other, usually due to peasant sympathisers, and formed the core leadership for future guerrilla attacks on the Cuban Army.

Once the group of revolutionaries organised themselves, many successful attacks were staged on Bastita garrisons located in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. These attacks were lead by Castro.

Through continued harassment and successful attacks, the Sierra Mountains became under Fidel Castro’s control.

It was in these mountains that Fidel Castro was able to defensively fend off a massive attack, involving 12000 Bastita troops. Castro’s soldiers managed to defeat the Cuban Army, in many small scale skirmishes. The two main battles of great contrast were the two battles fought at “La Plata” and “Las Mercedes”. A temporary cease-fire was announced on the 1st of August, but these futile negotiations just gave Castro time to retreat back into the mountains and secure his victory.

Capturing Cities and Overthrowing Bastita

In the second stage, from mid 1958 to January 1959, the revolutionaries started their own offensive, creating four fronts, and moving the conflict at first to the “Oriente” province.

A major victory at Guisa enabled Castro to capture many towns, such as Maffo and Contramaestre.

Meanwhile, three other columns proceeded westward to Santa Clara, a capital of a province. The columns passed through the village of Las Villas and the Escrambray mountains.

The revolutionaries joined up with another group of rebels to win a key victory at Yaguajay.

In another joint operation, the two main rebel forces took Santa Clara, causing Bastita to flee to the Dominican Republic. Two further cities were taken; Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.

The army then marched to Havana without opposition and took the city, ending the revolution.

The Revolutionaries and the Cuban Army

Who was involved?

The Cuban revolutionaries are a group of soldiers and commoners who opposed the US-empowered dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. These men were very determined in their quest to free their country, driven through Fidel Castro’s vision. It was desperate passion that enabled the soldiers to defeat thousands of soldiers in meagre numbers. Situated in the Sierra Maestra Mountains in early stages, they soon strengthened in numbers, enabling them to march forward and capture the entire island. This group was lead by a cohort of commanders, including Fidel Castro, his brother, Raul Castro, as well as Ernesto Guevara, Camilo Cienfuegos and Huber Matos, who commanded the three columns that formed the main force that attacked Santa Clara.

The opposing side was the US-backed “Bastita government” and its army, the Cuban Army. Despite their better equipment and superior numbers, they were slowly defeated by guerrilla tactics and the sheer determination of Castro’s men. This group was lead by the infamous Fulgencio Bastita, who cowardly fled the country to the Dominican Republic, after the capture of Santa Clara.

The Reasons for the Cuban Revolution

The main reason for the Cuban Revolution was the corruption of the US-backed Batista government, and its harsh repression of dissent. In certain sectors of Cuban society, many pockets of growing opposition appeared, determined to overthrow Batista and his government. The most powerful group out of these was lead by Fidel Castro.

Although not apparent at first, the Cuban Revolution also served to sever and disentegrate the weathly class of Cuba, often supported by the United States. The lower classes were sick and tired of the common corruption and exploitation of higher classes. However, in many ways, this damaged the economy of Cuba.

Even though the Cuban Revolution also succeeded in severing ties with the United States, and its heavy influeneces on the countries policies and actions, Cuba could not support itself, and soon found itself in a similar position with the USSR.

The conflict was effectively caused by two events. Firstly, Batsista, on 10th of March 1952, cancelled all elections and declared himself the ruler of Cuba. This angered Fidel Castro, who then lead the second event, an attack on military barracks in Santiago. This ultimately failed, and Fidel was captured and sentenced to 15 years of prison. However, he was released 2 years after, as a show of Batista’s supreme power.

Attempts for a Peaceful Resolution

Batista, through the release of Fidel Castro, expected Castro to back down from his attempts to overthrow his government. However, these actions did not discourage him.

A ceasefire was also announced by both sides, during the later stages of the conflict in the Sierra Maestra mountains. However, the negotiations were fruitless, with neither side accepting to terms. This ceasefire, however, allowed Castro’s band of guerrillas to escape back into the mountains, whereas they would have been crushed by superior numbers in the open.

Other than these actions, there were no more attempts for a peaceful resolution, especially after the large offensive in the Sierra Maestra mountains. With the advance of Castro’s attack, it was clear that neither of the two sides had any chance of co-existence, and that their ideals would mean that one side had to go.

 In short, Fidel Castro abused his people, disregarding human rights.