History of Cuba (1959–present)

Common card · No. 432561

The modern history of Cuba began in 1959, after the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro ousted a US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista, following a guerrilla war that lasted about two years and culminated in a battle of Santa Clara. The initial period saw a climate of euphoria after the toppling of the regime. While in power, Castro began to implement agrarian reforms, including expropriation of the foreign (mostly American) property, including the United Fruit Company, which caused conflict with the United States which in response imposed an embargo on Cuba. Over time, Castro began to engage in contacts with Cuban communist groups, backed by his brother Raúl and Che Guevara, and Cuba's international relations became closer to the Soviet Union. While initially claiming the revolution being "humanist", Castro announced that the movement was socialist in nature in April 1961. In the same moment, the US-sponsored Bay of Pigs Invasion began and failed to topple Fidel's government. In December...

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