The DRE was founded in 1954 as a Catholic student group opposed to the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, defining its principles as political liberty, economic independence, and social justice.
DRE didirikan pada 1954 sebagai kelompok pelajar Katolik yang menentang diktator Kuba Fulgencio Batista, atas dasar prinsip kebebasan politik, kemerdekaan ekonomi, dan keadilan sosial.