Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( 1953 – 1959 ) was an armed revolt conducted by Fidel Castro ' s 26th of July Movement and its allies against the government of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista . The revolution began in July 1953 , and finally ousted Batista on 1 January 1959 , replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state . The Movement organisation later reformed along communist lines , becoming the Communist Party in October 1965 . The Communist Party , now headed by Castro ' s brother Raúl , continues to govern Cuba today . The Cuban Revolution had great domestic and international repercussions ; in particular , it reshaped Cuba ' s relations with the United States , which continues an embargo against Cuba as of 2013 . In the immediate aftermath of the revolution , Castro ' s government began a program of nationalization and political consolidation that transformed Cuba ' s economy and civil society . The revolution also heralded an era of Cuban intervention into foreign military conflicts , including the Angolan Civil War and Nicaraguan Revolution . Background and causes . Fulgencio Batista , who had served as the elected President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 , became President for the second time in March 1952 , after seizing power in a military coup and cancelling the 1952 elections . Although Batista had been a relative progressive during his first term , in the 1950s he proved far more dictatorial and indifferent to popular concerns . While Cuba remained plagued by high unemployment and limited water infrastructure , Batista antagonised the population by forming lucrative links to organised crime and allowing American companies to dominate the Cuban economy . During his first term as President , Batista had been supported by the Communist Party of Cuba , but during his second term he became strongly anti - communist , gaining him political support and military aid from the United States . Batista developed a powerful security infrastructure to silence political opponents , leading John F . Kennedy to describe the Cuban government as a " complete police state " in 1960 . In the months following the March 1952 coup , Fidel Castro , then a young lawyer and activist , petitioned for the overthrow of Batista , whom he accused of corruption and tyranny . However , Castro ' s constitutional arguments were rejected by the Cuban courts . After deciding that the Cuban state could not be overthrown through legal means , Castro resolved to launch an armed revolution . To this end , he and his brother Raúl founded a paramilitary organization known as " The Movement " , stockpiling weapons and recruiting around 1 , 200 followers from Havana ' s disgruntled working class by the end of 1952 . Early stages . To strike their first blow against the Batista government , Fidel and Raúl Castro gathered around 160 Movement fighters and planned a multi - pronged attack on military installations . On 26 July 1953 , the rebels unsuccessfully attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago and the barracks in Bayamo . The exact number of rebels killed in the battle is debatable ; however , in his autobiography , Castro claimed that nine were killed in the fighting , and an additional 56 were killed later by the Batista government . Among the dead was Abel Santamaría , Castro ' s second - in - command , who was imprisoned , tortured , and executed on the same day as the attack . The survivors , including Fidel and Raúl Castro , were captured shortly afterwards . In a highly political trial , Fidel spoke for nearly four hours in his defense , ending with the words ; " Condemn me , it does not matter . History will absolve me . " Fidel was sentenced to 15 years in the Presidio Modelo prison , located on Isla de Pinos , while Raúl was sentenced to 13 years . However , in 1955 , under broad political pressure , the Batista government freed all political prisoners in Cuba , including the Moncada attackers . Fidel ' s Jesuit childhood teachers succeeded in persuading Batista to include Fidel and Raúl in the release . Soon , the Castro brothers joined with other exiles in Mexico to prepare for the overthrow of Batista , receiving training from Alberto Bayo , a leader of Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War . In June 1955 , Fidel met the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto " Che " Guevara , who joined his cause . The revolutionaries named themselves the " 26th of July Movement " , in reference to the date of their attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953 . Guerrilla warfare . The yacht " Granma " arrived in Cuba on 2 December 1956 , carrying the Castros and 80 others of the 26th of July Movement . It landed on Playa Las Coloradas , in the municipality of Niquero , arriving two days later than planned because the boat was heavily loaded , unlike during the practice sailing runs . This dashed any hopes for a coordinated attack with the " llano " wing of the movement . After arriving and exiting the ship , the band of rebels began to make their way into the Sierra Maestra mountains , a range in southeastern Cuba . Three days after the trek began , Batista ' s army attacked and killed most of the " Granma " participants – while the exact number is disputed , no more than twenty of the original eighty - two men survived the initial encounters with the Cuban army and escaped into the Sierra Maestra mountains . The group of survivors included Fidel and Raúl Castro , Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos . The dispersed survivors , alone or in small groups , wandered through the mountains , looking for each other . Eventually , the men would link up again – with the help of peasant sympathizers – and would form the core leadership of the guerrilla army . Celia Sanchez and Haydee Santamaria ( the sister of Abel Santamaria ) were among the female revolutionaries who assisted Fidel Castro in the mountains . On 13 March 1957 , a separate group of revolutionaries – the anticommunist Revolutionary Directorate ( RD ; " Directorio Revolucionario " ) , composed mostly of students – stormed the Presidential Palace in Havana , attempting to assassinate Batista and decapitate the government . The attack ended in utter failure . The RD ' s leader , student Jose Antonio Echeverria , died in a shootout with Batista ' s forces at the Havana radio station he had seized to spread the news of Batista ' s death . The handful of survivors included Dr . Humberto Castello ( who later became the Inspector General in the Escambray ) , Rolando Cubela and Faure Chomon ( both later Commandantes of the 13 March Movement , centered in the Escambray Mountains of Las Villas Province ) . Thereafter , the United States imposed an economic embargo on the Cuban government and recalled its ambassador , weakening the government ' s mandate further . Batista ' s support among Cubans began to fade , with former supporters either joining the revolutionaries or distancing themselves from Batista . Nonetheless , the Mafia and U . S . businessmen continued their support . The government resorted to often brutal methods to keep Cuba ' s cities under government control . However , in the Sierra Maestra mountains , Castro , aided by Frank País , Ramos Latour , Huber Matos , and many others , staged successful attacks on small garrisons of Batista ' s troops . Che Guevara and Raúl Castro helped Fidel to consolidate his political control in the mountains , often through execution of suspected Batista loyalists or other rivals of Castro ' s . In addition , poorly armed irregulars known as " escopeteros " harassed Batista ' s forces in the foothills and plains of Oriente Province . The " escopeteros " also provided direct military support to Castro ' s main forces by protecting supply lines and by sharing intelligence . Ultimately , the mountains came under Castro ' s control . In addition to armed resistance , the rebels sought to use propaganda to their advantage . A pirate radio station called " Radio Rebelde " ( " Rebel Radio " ) was set up in February 1958 , allowing Castro and his forces to broadcast their message nationwide within enemy territory . The radio broadcasts were made possible by Carlos Franqui , a previous acquaintance of Castro who subsequently became a Cuban exile in Puerto Rico . During this time , Castro ' s forces remained quite small in numbers , sometimes fewer than 200 men , while the Cuban army and police force had a manpower of around 37 , 000 . Even so , nearly every time the Cuban military fought against the revolutionaries , the army was forced to retreat . An arms embargo – imposed on the Cuban government by the United States on 14 March 1958 – contributed significantly to the weakness of Batista ' s forces . The Cuban air force rapidly deteriorated : it could not repair its airplanes without importing parts from the United States . Batista finally responded to Castro ' s efforts with an attack on the mountains called Operation Verano , known to the rebels as " la Ofensiva " . The army sent some 12 , 000 soldiers , half of them untrained recruits , into the mountains . In a series of small skirmishes , Castro ' s determined guerrillas defeated the Cuban army . In the Battle of La Plata , which lasted from 11 July to 21 July 1958 , Castro ' s forces defeated a 500 - man battalion , capturing 240 men while losing just three of their own . However , the tide nearly turned on 29 July 1958 , when Batista ' s troops almost destroyed Castro ' s small army of some 300 men at the Battle of Las Mercedes . With his forces pinned down by superior numbers , Castro asked for , and received , a temporary cease - fire on 1 August . Over the next seven days , while fruitless negotiations took place , Castro ' s forces gradually escaped from the trap . By 8 August , Castro ' s entire army had escaped back into the mountains , and Operation Verano had effectively ended in failure for the Batista government . Final offensive and rebel victory . On 21 August 1958 , after the defeat of Batista ' s " Ofensiva " , Castro ' s forces began their own offensive . In the Oriente province ( in the area of the present - day provinces of Santiago de Cuba , Granma , Guantánamo and Holguín ) , Fidel Castro , Raúl Castro and Juan Almeida Bosque directed attacks on four fronts . Descending from the mountains with new weapons captured during the " Ofensiva " and smuggled in by plane , Castro ' s forces won a series of initial victories . Castro ' s major victory at Guisa , and the successful capture of several towns including Maffo , Contramaestre , and Central Oriente , brought the Cauto plains under his control . Meanwhile , three rebel columns , under the command of Che Guevara , Camilo Cienfuegos and Jaime Vega , proceeded westward toward Santa Clara , the capital of Villa Clara Province . Batista ' s forces ambushed and destroyed Jaime Vega ' s column , but the surviving two columns reached the central provinces , where they joined efforts with several other resistance groups not under the command of Castro . When Che Guevara ' s column passed through the province of Las Villas , and specifically through the Escambray Mountains – where the anticommunist Revolutionary Directorate forces ( who became known as the 13 March Movement ) had been fighting Batista ' s army for many months – friction developed between the two groups of rebels . Nonetheless , the combined rebel army continued the offensive , and Cienfuegos won a key victory in the Battle of Yaguajay on 30 December 1958 , earning him the nickname " The Hero of Yaguajay " . On 31 December 1958 , the Battle of Santa Clara took place in a scene of great confusion . The city of Santa Clara fell to the combined forces of Che Guevara , Cienfuegos , Revolutionary Directorate ( RD ) rebels led by Comandantes Rolando Cubela , Juan ( " El Mejicano " ) Abrahantes , and William Alexander Morgan . News of these defeats caused Batista to panic . He fled Cuba for the Dominican Republic just hours later on 1 January 1959 . Comandante William Alexander Morgan , leading RD rebel forces , continued fighting as Batista departed , and had captured the city of Cienfuegos by 2 January . Castro learned of Batista ' s flight in the morning and immediately started negotiations to take over Santiago de Cuba . On 2 January , the military commander in the city , Colonel Rubido , ordered his soldiers not to fight , and Castro ' s forces took over the city . The forces of Guevara and Cienfuegos entered Havana at about the same time . They had met no opposition on their journey from Santa Clara to Cuba ' s capital . Castro himself arrived in Havana on 8 January after a long victory march . His initial choice of president , Manuel Urrutia Lleó , took office on January 3 . Aftermath . In 1959 , Castro travelled to the United States to explain his revolution . He said , " I know what the world thinks of us , we are Communists , and of course I have said very clearly that we are not Communists ; very clearly . " Hundreds of Batista - era agents , policemen and soldiers were put on public trial for human rights abuses , war crimes , murder and torture . Most of the people accused were convicted by revolutionary tribunals of political crimes , and were executed by firing squad ; others persons received long sentences of imprisonment . A notable example of revolutionary justice was after the capture of Santiago , Raul Castro directed the execution of more than seventy Batista POW s . For his part in taking Havana , Che Guevara was appointed supreme prosecutor in La Cabaña Fortress . This was part of a large - scale attempt by Fidel Castro to cleanse the security forces of Batista loyalists and potential opponents of the new revolutionary government . Though many were killed or imprisoned , others were fortunate enough to be dismissed from the army and police without prosecution , and some high - ranking officials of the Batista administration were exiled as military attachés . Reforms and nationalization . During its first decade in power , the Castro government introduced a wide range of progressive social reforms . Laws were introduced to provide equality for black Cubans and greater rights for women , while there were attempts to improve communications , medical facilities , health , housing , and education . In addition , there were touring cinemas , art exhibitions , concerts , and theatres . By the end of the 1960s , all Cuban children were receiving some education ( compared with less than half before 1959 ) , unemployment and corruption were reduced , and great improvements were made in hygiene and sanitation . According to geographer and Cuban Comandante Antonio Núñez Jiménez , 75 % of Cuba ’ s best arable land was owned by foreign individuals or foreign ( mostly American ) companies at the time of the revolution . One of the first policies of the newly formed Cuban government was eliminating illiteracy and implementing land reforms . Land reform efforts helped to raise living standards by subdividing larger holdings into cooperative s . Comandante Sori Marin , who was nominally in charge of land reform , objected and fled , but was eventually executed when he returned to Cuba with arms and explosives , intending to overthrow the Castro government . Many other non - Marxist , anti - Batista rebel leaders were forced into exile , purged in executions , or eliminated in failed uprisings such as that of the Beaton brothers . Shortly after taking power , Castro also created a revolutionary militia to expand his power base among the former rebels and the supportive population . Castro also created the informant Committees for the Defense of the Revolution ( CDRs ) in late September 1960 . Local CDRs were tasked with keeping " vigilance against counter - revolutionary activity " , keeping a detailed record of each neighborhood ’ s inhabitants ' spending habits , level of contact with foreigners , work and education history , and any " suspicious " behavior . Among the increasingly persecuted groups were homosexual men . In February 1959 , the Ministry for the Recovery of Misappropriated Assets ( " Ministerio de Recuperación de Bienes Malversados " ) was created . Cuba began expropriating land and private property under the auspices of the Agrarian Reform Law of 17 May 1959 . Farms of any size could be and were seized by the government , while land , businesses , and companies owned by upper - and middle - class Cubans were nationalized ( notably , including the plantations owned by Fidel Castro ' s family ) . By the end of 1960 , the revolutionary government had nationalized more than $ 25 billion worth of private property owned by Cubans . The Castro government formally nationalized all foreign - owned property , particularly American holdings , in the nation on 6 August 1960 . In 1961 , the Cuban government nationalized all property held by religious organizations , including the dominant Roman Catholic Church . Hundreds of members of the church , including a bishop , were permanently expelled from the nation , with the new Cuban government being declared officially atheist . Education also saw significant changes – private schools were banned and the progressively socialist state assumed greater responsibility for children . In July 1961 , the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations ( IRO ) was formed by the merger of Fidel Castro ’ s 26th of July Movement , the People ' s Socialist Party led by Blas Roca , and the Revolutionary Directorate of 13 March led by Faure Chomón . On 26 March 1962 , the IRO became the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution ( PURSC ) which , in turn , became the modern Communist Party of Cuba on 3 October 1965 , with Castro as First Secretary . Castro remained the ruler of Cuba , first as Prime Minister and , from 1976 , as President , until his retirement in February 2008 . His brother Raúl officially replaced him as President later that same month . International reactions and foreign policy . The Cuban Revolution was a crucial turning point in U . S . - Cuban relations . Although the American government was initially willing to recognize Castro ' s new government , it soon came to fear that Communist insurgencies would spread through the nations of Latin America , as they had in Southeast Asia . Castro , meanwhile , resented the Americans for providing aid to Batista ' s government during the revolution . After the revolutionary government nationalized all U . S . property in Cuba in August 1960 , the American Eisenhower administration froze all Cuban assets on American soil , severed diplomatic ties , and tightened its embargo of Cuba . In 1961 , the U . S . government backed an armed counterrevolutionary assault on the Bay of Pigs with the aim of ousting Castro , but the counterrevolutionaries were swiftly defeated by the Cuban military . The American embargo against Cuba – the longest - lasting single foreign policy in American history – is still in force as of 2013 , although there have been some efforts to loosen it in recent years . Castro ' s victory and post - revolutionary foreign policy had global repercussions . Influenced by the expansion of the Soviet Union , Castro immediately sought to " export " his revolution to other countries in the Caribbean and beyond , sending weapons to Algerian rebels as early as 1960 . In the following decades , Cuba became heavily involved in supporting Communist insurgencies and independence movements in many developing countries , sending military aid to insurgents in Ghana , Nicaragua , Yemen and Angola , among others . Castro ' s intervention in the Angolan Civil War in the 1970s and 1980s was particularly significant , involving as many as 60 , 000 Cuban soldiers . Following the American embargo , the Soviet Union became Cuba ' s main ally . The two Communist countries quickly developed close military and intelligence ties , culminating in the stationing of Soviet nuclear weapon s in Cuba in 1962 , an act which triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis . Cuba maintained close links to the Soviets until the Soviet Union ' s collapse in 1991 . The end of Soviet economic aid led to an economic crisis and famine known as the Special Period in Cuba . Exiles and counterrevolutionary rebels . In the wake of the revolution , thousands of disaffected anti - Batista rebels , former Batista supporters , and " campesinos " ( peasants ) fled to Cuba ' s Las Villas province , where an anticommunist underground had been forming since early 1960 . Operating out of the Escambray mountain range , these counterrevolutionary rebels , also known as Alzados , made a number of unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the Cuban government , including the abortive , United States - backed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 . In the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 , the United States promised not to invade Cuba in the future ; in compliance with this agreement , the U . S . withdrew all support from the Alzados , effectively crippling the resource - starved resistance . The counterrevolutionary conflict , known abroad as the Escambray Rebellion , lasted until about 1965 , and has since been branded the War Against the Bandits by the Cuban government . Between 1959 and 1980 , an estimated 500 , 000 Cubans left the island for the United States , seeking greater political and economic freedoms ; 125 , 000 left in 1980 alone , when the Cuban government briefly permitted any Cubans who wished to leave to do so . By 2010 , the Cuban American community numbered over 1 . 9 million , 67 % of whom lived in the state of Florida .