Cuban Revolution: Geography

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.