Republic of Cuba ( 1902 -- 1959 ) - wikipedia Republic of Cuba ( 1902 -- 1959 ) Republic of Cuba República de Cuba 1902 -- 1906 1909 -- 1959 Flag Coat of arms Anthem La Bayamesa `` The Bayamo Song '' Capital Havana Languages Spanish Religion Roman Catholic Government 1902 -- 1940 : Unitary presidential republic 1940 -- 1952 : Semi-presidential republic 1952 -- 1959 : Military dictatorship President 1902 -- 1906 Tomás Estrada Palma ( first ) 1952 -- 1959 Fulgencio Batista ( last ) Prime Minister 1940 -- 1942 Carlos Saladrigas Zayas ( first ) 1959 José Miró Cardona ( last ) Legislature Congress Upper Chamber Senate Lower Chamber House of Representatives Historical era Modern Era Platt Amendment 2 March 1901 Constitution adopted 20 May 1902 Treaty of Relations 17 February 1903 Treaty of Relations 29 May 1934 1940 Constitution 10 October 1940 Admitted to the United Nations 24 October 1945 Cuban Revolution 1 January 1959 Currency Cuban peso Preceded by Succeeded by United States Protectorate over Cuba Second Occupation of Cuba Second Occupation of Cuba Republic of Cuba ( present ) Today part of Cuba Part of a series on the History of Cuba Governorate of Cuba ( 1511 -- 1519 ) Viceroyalty of New Spain ( 1535 -- 1821 ) Captaincy General of Cuba ( 1607 -- 1898 ) Cuban War of Independence Spanish -- American War Treaty of Paris US Military Government ( 1898 -- 1902 ) Republic of Cuba ( 1902 -- 1959 ) Cuban Pacification ( 1906 -- 1909 ) Negro Rebellion ( 1912 ) Sugar Intervention ( 1917 -- 1922 ) Cuban Revolution ( 1953 -- 1959 ) Republic of Cuba ( 1959 -- ) Bay of Pigs Invasion Cuban Missile Crisis Intervention in Angola Special Period Cuban Thaw Timeline Topical Military history Cuba portal The Republic of Cuba ( Spanish : República de Cuba ) of 1902 to 1959, refers to the historical period in Cuba from 1902, when Cuba seceded from US rule in the aftermath of the Spanish -- American War that took Cuba from Spanish rule in 1898, until communist revolutionaries took power in 1959. The official form of government was representative democracy though at times it was controlled by a military junta or otherwise unelected government. After becoming head of the armed forces in 1933, colonel Fulgencio Batista played a dominant role in Cuban politics over the next decades. The Cuban Revolution of 1953 -- 1959 massively changed Cuban society, creating a socialist state and ending US economic dominance in Cuba, as it aligned the country with the Soviet Union. The Republic of Cuba has been regarded as a client state of the United States. From 1902 -- 1932 Cuban and United States law included the Platt Amendment, which guaranteed the US right to intervene in Cuba and placed restrictions on Cuban foreign relations. In 1934, Cuba and the United States signed the Treaty of Relations in which Cuba was obligated to give preferential treatment of its economy to the United States, in exchange the United States gave Cuba a guaranteed 22 percent share of the US sugar market that later was amended to a 49 percent share in 1949. Contents 1 Early independent governments 1.1 US occupation, 1906 -- 1908 1.2 1908 -- 1924 1.3 Machado era 2 Revolution of 1933 3 Constitution of 1940 4 Batista dictatorship 5 References Early independent governments Raising the Cuban flag on the Governor General 's Palace at noon on May 20, 1902. After the Spanish -- American War, Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris ( 1898 ), by which Spain ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States for the sum of $20 million. Cuba gained formal independence from the U.S. on May 20, 1902, as the Republic of Cuba. Under Cuba 's new constitution, the U.S. retained the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to supervise its finances and foreign relations. Under the Platt Amendment, the U.S. leased the Guantánamo Bay naval base from Cuba. U.S. occupation, 1906 -- 1908 Main article : Second Occupation of Cuba Following disputed elections in 1906, the first president, Tomás Estrada Palma, faced an armed revolt by veterans of the war for independence who defeated the government 's meager forces. The U.S. intervened by occupying Cuba and named Charles Edward Magoon as Governor for three years. Cuban historians have attributed Magoon 's governorship as having introduced political and social corruption. 1908 -- 1924 In 1908, self - government was restored when José Miguel Gómez was elected President, but the U.S. continued intervening in Cuban affairs. In 1912, the Partido Independiente de Color attempted to establish a separate black republic in Oriente Province, but was suppressed by General Monteagudo with considerable bloodshed. Sugar production played an important rule in Cuban politics and economics. In the 1910s, during and after World War I, a shortage in the world sugar supply fueled an economic boom in Cuba, marked by prosperity and the conversion of more and more farmland to sugar cultivation. Prices peaked and then crashed in 1920, ruining the country financially and allowing foreign investors to gain more power than they already had. This economic turbulence was called `` the Dance of the Millions ''. Machado era In 1924, Gerardo Machado was elected president. During his administration, tourism increased markedly, and American - owned hotels and restaurants were built to accommodate the influx of tourists. The tourist boom led to increases in gambling and prostitution in Cuba. Machado initially enjoyed support from much of the public and from all the country 's major political parties. However, his popularity declined steadily. In 1928 he held an election which was to give him another term, this one of six years, despite his promise to serve only for one term. Revolution of 1933 The Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to precipitous drops in the price of sugar, political unrest, and repression. Protesting students, known as the Generation of 1930, and a clandestine terrorist organization known as the ABC, turned to violence in opposition to the increasingly unpopular Machado. US ambassador Sumner Welles arrived in May 1933 and began a diplomatic campaign which involved `` mediation '' with opposition groups in including the ABC. This campaign significantly weakened Machado 's government and, backed with the threat of military intervention, set the stage for a regime change. A general strike ( in which the Communist Party sided with Machado ), uprisings among sugar workers, and an army revolt forced Machado into exile in August 1933. He was replaced by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada, son of Cuban patriot Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and former ambassador to the US. The Pentarchy of 1933. Fulgencio Batista, who controlled the armed forces, appears at far right. In September 1933, the Sergeants ' Revolt, led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista, overthrew Céspedes. General Alberto Herrera served briefly as president ( August 12 -- 13 ) followed by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada from August 13 until September 5, 1933. A five - member executive committee ( the Pentarchy of 1933 ) was chosen to head a provisional government. They were ousted by a student - led organization, the Student Directory, which appointed Ramon Grau San Martin as provisional president and passed various reforms during the ensuing One Hundred Days Government. Grau resigned in 1934, after which Batista dominated Cuban politics for the next 25 years, at first through a series of puppet - presidents. The period from 1933 to 1937 was a time of `` virtually unremitting social and political warfare ''. Constitution of 1940 A new constitution was adopted in 1940, which engineered radical progressive ideas, including the right to labor and health care. Batista was elected president in the same year, holding the post until 1944. He is so far the only non-white Cuban to win the nation 's highest political office. His government carried out major social reforms. Several members of the Communist Party held office under his administration. Cuban armed forces were not greatly involved in combat during World War II, although president Batista suggested a joint U.S. - Latin American assault on Francoist Spain in order to overthrow its authoritarian regime. Batista adhered to the 1940 constitution 's strictures preventing his re-election. Ramon Grau San Martin was the winner of the next election, in 1944. Grau further corroded the base of the already teetering legitimacy of the Cuban political system, in particular by undermining the deeply flawed, though not entirely ineffectual, Congress and Supreme Court. Carlos Prío Socarrás, a protégé of Grau, became president in 1948. The two terms of the Auténtico Party saw an influx of investment which fueled a boom and raised living standards for all segments of society and created a prosperous middle class in most urban areas. Batista dictatorship Slum ( bohio ) dwellings in Havana, Cuba in 1954, just outside Havana baseball stadium. In the background is advertising for a nearby casino. After running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1952, Batista staged a coup. He outlawed the Cuban Communist Party in 1952. Cuba had Latin America 's highest per capita consumption rates of meat, vegetables, cereals, automobiles, telephones and radios, though about one third of the population was considered poor and enjoyed relatively little of this consumption. In 1958, Cuba was a relatively well - advanced country by Latin American standards, and in some cases by world standards. On the other hand, Cuba was affected by perhaps the largest labor union privileges in Latin America, including bans on dismissals and mechanization. They were obtained in large measure `` at the cost of the unemployed and the peasants '', leading to disparities. Between 1933 and 1958, Cuba extended economic regulations enormously, causing economic problems. Unemployment became a problem as graduates entering the workforce could not find jobs. The middle class, which was comparable to that of the United States, became increasingly dissatisfied with unemployment and political persecution. The labor unions supported Batista until the very end. Batista stayed in power until he was forced into exile in December 1958. References Jump up ^ Pérez, Louis A. ( 1991 ). Cuba Under the Platt Amendment, 1902 -- 1934. Pittsburgh, PA : Pittsburgh University Press. p. xvi. Jump up ^ Pérez, Louis A. ( 1991 ). Cuba Under the Platt Amendment, 1902 -- 1934. Pittsburgh, PA : Pittsburgh University Press. p. 54. Jump up ^ Miller, John ; Kenedi, Aaron ( 2003 ). Inside Cuba : The History, Culture, and Politics of an Outlaw Nation. New York : Marlowe & Company. pp. 35 -- 36. Jump up ^ `` Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain ''. The Avalon Project. Yale Law School. December 10, 1898. Jump up ^ Louis A. Pérez ( 1998 ). Cuba Between Empires : 1878 -- 1902. University of Pittsburgh Pre. p. xv. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8229 - 7197 - 9. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Diaz - Briquets, Sergio ; Pérez - López, Jorge F. ( 2006 ). Corruption in Cuba : Castro and Beyond. Austin : University of Texas Press. p. 63. ISBN 0 - 292 - 71321 - 5. Retrieved September 6, 2009. Jump up ^ Thomas, Hugh ( 1998 ). Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom. pp. 283 -- 287. ISBN 978 - 0 - 306 - 80827 - 2. Jump up ^ Beede, Benjamin, ed. ( 1994 ). The War of 1898, and U.S. interventions, 1898 -- 1934 : an encyclopedia. New York : Garland. p. 134. ISBN 0 - 8240 - 5624 - 8. Retrieved September 6, 2009. Jump up ^ Kevin Grogan, Cuba 's Dance of the Millions : Examining the Causes and Consequences of Violent Price Fluctuations in the Sugar Market Between 1919 and 1920 ; Masters ' Thesis accepted at University of Florida, August 2004. Jump up ^ Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr., `` Dance of the Millions '' ; Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture ( 2008 ). Jump up ^ Terry K Sanderlin, Ed D ( April 24, 2012 ). The Last American Rebel in Cuba. AuthorHouse. p. 7. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4685 - 9430 - 0. Retrieved July 19, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Wilber Albert Chaffee ; Gary Prevost ( 1992 ). Cuba : A Different America. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 4. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8476 - 7694 - 1. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Philip Dur & Christopher Gilcrease, `` U.S. Diplomacy and the Downfall of a Cuban Dictator : Machado in 1933 '' ; Journal of Latin American Studies Vol. 34, No. 2, May 2002 ; DOI : 10.01 / S0022216X02006417 ; JSTOR. Jump up ^ Argote - Freyre, Frank ( 2006 ). Fulgencio Batista. 1. New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University Press. p. 50. ISBN 0 - 8135 - 3701 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Jones, Melanie ( 2001 ). Jacqueline West, ed. South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002. Routledge. p. 303. ISBN 978 - 1 - 85743 - 121 - 6. Retrieved July 19, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Jaime Suchlicki ( 2002 ). Cuba : From Columbus to Castro and Beyond. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 95. ISBN 978 - 1 - 57488 - 436 - 4. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Domínguez, Jorge I. Cuba : Order and Revolution. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. 76. Jump up ^ Domínguez, Jorge I. Cuba : Order and Revolution. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. ?. ^ Jump up to : Frank R. Villafana ( December 31, 2011 ). Expansionism : Its Effects on Cuba 's Independence. Transaction Publishers. p. 201. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4128 - 4656 - 1. Retrieved July 19, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Horowitz, Irving Louis, ed. ( 1998 ) ( 1988 ). Cuban Communism ( 6 ed. ). Transition Books. p. 662. ^ Jump up to : Bethell, Leslie ( 1993 ). Cuba. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 521 - 43682 - 3. Jump up ^ Sweig, Julia E. ( 2004 ). Inside the Cuban Revolution : Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. 4. Jump up ^ Sweig, Julia E. ( 2004 ). Inside the Cuban Revolution : Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. ?. Jump up ^ `` Batista 's Boot ''. Time. January 18, 1943. Retrieved April 20, 2013. Jump up ^ Domínguez, Jorge I. Cuba : Order and Revolution. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. 101. Jump up ^ Domínguez, Jorge I. Cuba : Order and Revolution. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. pp. 110 -- 11. ^ Jump up to : Maureen Ihrie ; Salvador Oropesa ( October 31, 2011 ). World Literature in Spanish : An Encyclopedia : An Encyclopedia. ABC - CLIO. p. 262. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 08083 - 8. Retrieved July 19, 2013. Jump up ^ Sweig, Julia E. ( 2004 ). Inside the Cuban Revolution : Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. 6. Jump up ^ Paul H. Lewis ( 2006 ). Authoritarian Regimes in Latin America. Oxford, UK : Rowman & Littlefield. p. 186. ISBN 0 - 7425 - 3739 - 0. Retrieved September 14, 2009. Jump up ^ Smith & Llorens 1998. Jump up ^ Baklanoff 1998. Jump up ^ Thomas, Hugh ( 1998 ). Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom. p. 1173. ISBN 978 - 0 - 306 - 80827 - 2. Cuba topics History Pre-Revolution Timeline Colonial governors Slavery Ten Years ' War Little War Cuban War of Independence Sinking of the USS Maine Spanish -- American War Platt Amendment World War I Republic 1932 hurricane World War II Revolution Post-Revolution Escambray Rebellion Bay of Pigs Invasion Cuban Missile Crisis Cuban intervention in Angola Mariel boatlift Special Period Fidel 's transfer of power United States -- Cuban thaw Cities History of Havana Timeline Other cities Timelines : Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Guantánamo, Holguín, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba Geography Cities Bayamo Camagüey Ciego de Ávila Cienfuegos Guantánamo Havana Holguín Las Tunas Matanzas Pinar del Río Sancti Spíritus Santa Clara Santiago de Cuba Provinces Artemisa Camagüey Ciego de Ávila Cienfuegos Ciudad de La Habana Granma Guantánamo Holguín Isla de la Juventud Las Tunas Matanzas Mayabeque Pinar del Río Sancti Spíritus Santiago de Cuba Villa Clara Other Almendares River Earthquakes List of islands Sierra Maestra Tropical cyclones World Heritage Sites Governance Security Economy Governance Armed Forces Castroism Constitution Elections Foreign relations Law Politics Presidency Cuba -- United States relations Bay of Pigs Invasion Brothers to the Rescue Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations Cuban American Cuban - American lobby Cuban dissident movement Cuban Five Cuban Missile Crisis Elián González affair Fair Play for Cuba Committee Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Helms -- Burton Act Cuba -- United States hijackings Luis Posada Carriles Mariel boatlift Orlando Bosch Operation Northwoods Operation Peter Pan Platt Amendment Spanish -- American War United States ambassador United States embargo United States Interests Section Political parties Current Communist Party Christian Democratic Democratic Social - Revolutionary Democratic Socialist Current Democratic Solidarity Liberal Liberal Movement Social Democratic Co-ordination Former Auténtico Cuban National Democratic Union Independent Republican Ortodoxo Popular Socialist Republican ( Havana ) Security Military Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces ( MINFAR ) Air Force Army Navy Territorial Troops Militia Law enforcement National Revolutionary Police Force Intelligence Dirección General de Inteligencia Military Counterintelligence Directorate Economy Agriculture Agrarian reform Cooperatives Central bank Peso ( currency ) Convertible peso International rankings Telecommunications Tourism Transport airline Society Culture Society Censorship Committees for the Defense of the Revolution Education Health care Human rights LGBT LGBT history Women Language Rationing Scouting and Guiding Sociolismo Culture Art Cinema Cuisine Internet Literature Media Newspapers TV Music Musical theater Festivals Public holidays Radio Religion Santería Sport baseball boxing football Universities Demographics People Demographics Cubans Afro - Cubans Americans Cape Verdean Chinese Ciboney Filipino French German Haitian Isleños Italian Japanese Jews Koreans Lebanese Mexicans Spanish White People By name Desi Arnaz Fulgencio Batista Leo Brouwer Fidel Castro Raúl Castro Celia Cruz Ibrahim Ferrer Osmani García Máximo Gómez Elián González Nicolás Guillén José Martí Pablo Milanés Omara Portuondo Silvio Rodríguez Compay Segundo Félix Varela By occupation Architects Artists Athletes baseball players Painters abstract Writers women Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Republic_of_Cuba_(1902 -- 1959 ) &oldid = 836411197 '' Categories : Former countries in the Caribbean States and territories established in 1902 States and territories disestablished in 1959 History of Cuba by period Former polities of the Cold War Former republics Cuban nationalism 1900s in Cuba 1910s in Cuba 1920s in Cuba 1930s in Cuba 1940s in Cuba 1950s in Cuba 1902 establishments in Cuba 1959 disestablishments in Cuba Former member states of the United Nations History of Cuba 20th century in Cuba Hidden categories : CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Former country articles requiring maintenance Pages using infobox former country with unknown parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Español فارسی Bahasa Indonesia Nederlands Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 14 April 2018, at 17 : 11. 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Question: when did cuba gain independence from the united states
Answer: May 20, 1902