Spend your holiday in Cuba


Cuba history

The recorded history of Cuba began on 28
October 1492, when Christopher ColumbusIn 1956 a party of rebels, including Fidel
sighted the island during his first voyage ofCastro, landed in a boat from Mexico and
discovery and claimed it for Spain. (This istried to start an armed resistance movement
still not certain and is an unresolvedin the Sierra Maestra. (Castro had gone to
topic.)The island had been inhabited byMexico after being released from prison,
Amerindian peoples known as the Taíno andwhere he was serving a sentence for his part
Ciboney whose ancestors had come from Southin a 1953 rebel attack on the Moncada
America several centuries before. TheBarracks in Santiago de Cuba.)
Taíno were farmers and the Ciboney (alsoBatista’s forces killed most of the
written Siboney neo-Taino nations) were bothrebels, but enough survived to maintain a
farmers and hunter-gatherers; some havelow-level insurgency in the mountains. In
suggested that copper trade was significantresponse, Batista made the mistake of
and mainland artifacts have been found inlaunching a campaign of repression against
proximal  Taino  cultures.the opposition, which only served to increase
support  for  the  insurgency.
The coast of Cuba was fully mapped by
Sebastián de Ocampo in 1511, and in thatThrough 1957 and 1958, opposition to Batista
year the first Spanish settlement was foundedgrew, among the middle class and the
by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar atstudents, in the Catholic Church and in the
Baracoa. Other towns, including Havanarural areas. The United States government
(founded in 1515), soon followed. Theimposed an arms embargo on the Cuban
Spanish, as they did throughout the Americas,government on March 14, 1958. By late 1958,
oppressed and enslaved the approximatelythe rebels had succeeded in breaking out of
100,000 indigenous people that resistedthe Sierra Maestra and launched a general
conversion to Christianity on the island.insurrection, joined by hundreds of students
Within a century they had all but disappearedand others fleeing Batista’s crackdown
as a distinct nation as a result of theon dissent in the cities. When the rebels
combined effects of European introducedcaptured Santa Clara, east of Havana, Batista
disease, forced labor and genocide, thoughdecided the struggle was futile and fled the
aspects of the region's aboriginal heritagecountry to exile in Portugal and later Spain.
has survived in part via the rise of aCastro’s rebel forces entered the
significant Mestizo population.[7][8] Withcapital  on  January  1,  1959.
destruction of aboriginal society, the
settlers began to exploit abducted AfricanCuba  following  revolution
slaves, with more resistance to the diseases
from the old world, and who soon made up aFidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba in
significant  proportion  of  the inhabitants.February 1959, and has held effective power
in the country until temporarily handing it
Colonial  Cubaover to his brother for medical reasons in
July 2006. During 1959, Castro’s
Cuba was a Spanish possession for 388 years,government carried out measures such as land
ruled by a governor in Havana, with anreform, the nationalization of public
economy based on plantation agriculture andutilities, and the suppression of the
the export of sugar, coffee and tobacco towidespread corruption that had developed
Europe and later to North America. It wasunder Batista, including closing down the
seized by the British in 1762, but restoredgambling industry and evicting the many
to Spain the following year. The SpanishFlorida-based American mobsters operating on
population was boosted by settlers leavingthe  island.
Haiti when that territory was ceded to
France. As in other parts of the SpanishCastro flew to Washington, DC, but was not
Empire, a small land-owning elite ofmet by President Eisenhower, who decided to
Spanish-descended settlers held social andattend a golf tournament rather than meet
economic power, supported by a population ofwith Castro.[3] Summary executions of
plebian creoles, mixed-race small farmers,suspected Batista collaborators, coupled with
laborers  and  African-descended  slaves.the seizure of Cuban-owned businesses and the
rapid demise of the independent press,
In the 1820s, when the other parts ofnominally attributed to the powerful
Spain’s empire in Latin Americapro-revolution printing unions, raised
rebelled and formed independent states, Cubaquestions about the nature of the new
remained loyal, although there was somegovernment. Attitudes towards the Cuban
agitation for independence. This was partlyrevolution in the United States were changing
because the prosperity of the Cuban settlersrapidly. The nationalization of U.S.-owned
depended on their export trade to Europe,companies (to an estimated value of US$1
partly through fears of a slave rebellion (asbillion[citation needed]) aroused immediate
had happened in Haiti) if the Spanishhostility within the Eisenhower
withdrew and partly because the Cubans fearedadministration. Cuban exiles formed a
the rising power of the United States moreburgeoning expatriate community in Miami.
than  they  disliked  Spanish  colonial rule.Many were angry at the revolutionary
government due to its seizure of their
Cuba’s proximity to the U.S. has beenproperty in Cuba and the deaths of friends
a powerful influence on its history.and relatives and they soon formed a powerful
Throughout the 19th century, Southernpolitical lobbying group in the United
politicians in the U.S. plotted theStates. The United States government became
island’s annexation as a means ofincreasingly hostile towards Cuba throughout
strengthening the pro-slavery forces in the1959. This, in turn, may have influenced
U.S., and there was usually a party in CubaCastro's movement away from the liberal
which supported such a policy. In 1848, aelements of his revolutionary movement and
pro-annexationist rebellion was defeated andincrease the power of hardline Marxist
there were several attempts by annexationistfigures in the government, notably Che
forces to invade the island from Florida.Guevara.
There were also regular proposals in the U.S.
to buy Cuba from Spain. During the summer ofIn October 1959, Castro openly declared
1848, President James Knox Polk quietlyhimself to be friendly towards Communism,
authorized his ambassador to Spain, Romulusthough he did not yet claim to be a Communist
Mitchell Saunders, to negotiate the purchasehimself, and the liberal and other
of Cuba and offer Spain up to $100 million,anti-Communist elements of the government
an astonishing sum of money at the time forwere purged, with many who had initially
one territory. Spain, however, refused tosupported the revolution fleeing the country
consider ceding one of its last possessionsto join the growing exile community in Miami.
in  the  Americas.In March 1960, the first aid agreements were
signed with the Soviet Union. In the context
After the American Civil War apparently endedof the Cold War, the U.S. saw the
the threat of pro-slavery annexationism,establishment of a Soviet base of influence
agitation for Cuban independence from Spainin the Americas as a threat and plans were
revived, leading to a rebellion in 1868. Thisapproved to remove Castro from power (see The
resulted in a prolonged conflict known as theCuban Project). In late 1960, a trade embargo
Ten Years' War between pro-independencewas imposed, which strengthened Castro's ties
forces and the Spanish, allied with theirwith the Soviet Union. At the same time, the
local supporters. There was much sympathy inadministration authorized plans for an
the U.S. for the independence cause, and someinvasion of Cuba by Florida-based exiles,
unofficial aid was sent, but the U.S.taking advantage of anti-Castro uprisings
declined to intervene militarily. In 1878,which were repressed (see some details and
the Peace of Zanjon ended the conflict, withreferences in War Against the Bandits and Bay
Spain  promising  greater  autonomy  to Cuba.of Pigs Invasion). The result was the
disastrous Bay of Pigs Invasion of April
The island was exhausted after this long1961. President John Kennedy withdrew
conflict and pro-independence agitationpromised US air support for the invading
temporarily died down. There was also aforce at the last minute and the populist
prevalent fear that if the Spanish withdrewanti-Castro uprising failed to materialize.
or if there was further civil strife, theKennedy refused direct American military
increasingly expansionist U.S. would step inintervention and the invasion force was
and annex the island. Partly in response torouted. This prompted Castro to declare Cuba
U.S. pressure, slavery was abolished in 1886,a socialist republic, and himself a
although the African-descended minorityMarxist-Leninist  in  May  of  1961.
remained socially and economically oppressed,
despite formal civic equality granted inMarxist-Leninist  Cuba
1893. During this period, rural poverty in
Spain led to a substantial Spanish emigrationOne immediate strategic result of the
to Cuba — among those arriving wereCuban-Soviet alliance was the decision to
the  parents  of  Fidel  Castro.place Soviet intermediate range ballistic
missiles in Cuba, which precipitated the
During the 1890s, pro-independence agitationCuban missile crisis of 1962, during which
revived, fueled by resentment of theU.S. President John F. Kennedy threatened the
restrictions imposed on Cuban trade by SpainSoviet Union with nuclear war unless the
and hostility to Spain’s increasinglymissiles were withdrawn. Castro urged the
oppressive and incompetent administration ofSoviets to take an aggressive stance.
Cuba. In April 1895, rebellion broke out ledEventually the Soviets backed down. In the
by the poet José Martí and Tomásaftermath of this, there was a resumption of
Estrada Palma who proclaimed Cuba ancontacts between the U.S. and Castro,
independent republic — Martí wasresulting in the release of the anti-Castro
killed shortly thereafter and has becomefighters captured at the Bay of Pigs in
Cuba’s undisputed national hero. Theexchange for a package of aid. But during
Spanish retaliated with a campaign of1963, relations deteriorated again as Castro
suppression, herding the rural populationmoved Cuba towards a fully-fledged Communist
into what were described by internationalsystem modeled on the Soviet Union. The U.S.
observers as "fortified towns". Estimatesimposed a complete diplomatic and commercial
that between 200,000 and 400,000 Cubans diedembargo on Cuba. At this time U.S. influence
from emaciation and disease during thisin Latin America was strong enough to make
period. These numbers were verified by boththe embargo very effective and Cuba was
the Red Cross and the U.S. Senator, andforced to direct virtually all its trade to
former War Secretary, Redfield Proctor. U.S.the  Soviet  Union  and  its  allies.
and European protests against Spanish conduct
on  the  island  followed.[9]In 1965, Castro merged his revolutionary
organizations with the Communist Party, of
In 1897, fearing U.S. intervention, Spainwhich he became First Secretary, with Blas
moved to a more conciliatory policy,Roca as Second Secretary — later to be
promising home rule with an electedsucceeded by Raúl Castro, who as Defense
legislature. The rebels rejected this offerMinister and Fidel’s closest confidant
and the war for independence continued.became and has remained the second most
Shortly afterwards, on 15 February 1898, thepowerful figure in the government. Raúl
U.S. battleship Maine was mysteriously blownCastro’s position was strengthened by
up in Havana harbor, killing 266 men. Forcesthe departure of Che Guevara to launch
in the U.S. favoring intervention in Cubaunsuccessful attempts at insurrectionary
seized on this incident to accuse Spain ofmovements in Congo, and then Bolivia, where
blowing up the ship (although Spain had nohe was killed in 1967. Osvaldo Dorticós
motive for doing so and there was no evidenceTorrado, President of Cuba from 1959 to 1976,
of Spanish culpability). Swept along on awas a figurehead of little importance. Castro
wave of nationalist sentiment, the U.S.introduced a new constitution in 1976 under
Congress passed a resolution calling forwhich he became President himself, while
intervention and President William McKinleyremaining chairman of the Council of
was  quick  to  comply.Ministers.
The result was the Spanish-American War, inDuring the 1970s, Castro moved onto the world
which U.S. forces landed in Cuba in June 1898stage as a leading spokesperson for Third
and quickly overcame Spanish resistance. InWorld “anti-imperialist”
August a peace treaty was signed under whichgovernments. On a more concrete level, he
Spain agreed to withdraw from Cuba. Someprovided invaluable military assistance to
advocates in the U.S. supported Cubanpro-Soviet forces in Angola, Ethiopia, Yemen
independence, while others argued forand other African and Middle Eastern trouble
outright annexation. As a compromise, thespots. Cuban forces were decisive in helping
McKinley administration placed Cuba under athe MPLA forces win the Angolan Civil War in
20-year U.S. treatie. The Cuban independence1975. Although the bills for these
movement bitterly opposed this arrangement,expeditionary forces were paid by the
but unlike the Philippines, where events hadSoviets, they placed a considerable strain on
followed a similar course, there was noCuba’s economy and manpower resources.
outbreak  of  armed  resistance.Cuba was also hampered by its continuing
dependency on sugar exports. The Soviets were
Independenceforced to provide further economic assistance
by buying the entire Cuban sugar crop, even
Theodore Roosevelt, who had fought in thethough the Soviet Union grew enough sugar
Spanish-American War and had some sympathiesbeet to meet its own needs. In exchange the
with the independence movement, succeededSoviets had to supply Cuba with all its fuel,
McKinley as President of the United States insince it could not import oil from any other
1901 and abandoned the 20-year treatiesource.
proposal. Instead, the Republic of Cuba
gained formal independence on 20 May 1902,Cuba’s economic dependence on the
with the independence leader Tomás EstradaSoviet Union was deepened by Castro’s
Palma becoming the country’s firstdetermination to build his vision of a
president. Under the new Cuban constitution,socialist society in Cuba. This entailed the
however, the U.S. retained the right toprovision of free health care and education
intervene in Cuban affairs and to supervisefor the entire population. Through the 1970s
its finances and foreign relations. Under theand 1980s, the Soviets were prepared to
Platt Amendment, Cuba also agreed to lease tosubsidise all this in exchange for the
the U.S. the naval base at Guantánamo Bay.strategic asset of an ally under the noses of
the United States and the undoubted
Independent Cuba soon ran into difficultiespropaganda value of Castro’s
as a result of factional disputes andconsiderable prestige in the developing
corruption among the small educated elite andworld.
the failure of the government to deal with
the deep social problems left behind by theBy the 1970s, the ability of the U.S. to keep
Spanish. In 1906, following disputedCuba isolated was declining. Cuba had been
elections to choose Estrada Palma’sexpelled from the Organization of American
successor, an armed revolt broke out and theStates in 1962 and the OAS had cooperated
U.S. exercised its right of intervention. Thewith the U.S. trade boycott for the next
country was placed under U.S. occupation anddecade, but, in 1975, the OAS lifted all
a U.S. governor took charge for three years.sanctions against Cuba and both Mexico and
In 1908 self-government was restored whenCanada defied the U.S. by developing closer
José Miguel Gómez was electedrelations with Cuba. Both countries said that
President, but the U.S. retained itsthey hoped to foster liberalization in Cuba
supervision of Cuban affairs. Despiteby allowing trade, cultural and diplomatic
frequent outbreaks of disorder, however,contacts to resume — in this they were
constitutional government was maintaineddisappointed, since there was no appreciable
until 1925, when Gerardo Machado y Morales,easing of repression against domestic
having been elected President, suspended theopposition. Castro did stop openly supporting
constitution.insurrectionary movements against Latin
American governments, although pro-Castro
Machado was a Cuban nationalist and hisgroups continued to fight the military
regime had considerable local support despitedictatorships which then controlled most
its violent suppression of critics. DuringLatin  American  countries.
his tenure, Cubans gained greater control
over their own economy and some importantThe Cuban exile community in the U.S. grew in
national development projects weresize, wealth and power and politicized
undertaken. His hold on power was weakened byelements effectively opposed liberalization
the Great Depression, which drove down theof U.S. policy towards Cuba. However, the
price of Cuba’s agricultural exportsefforts of the exiles to foment an
and caused widespread poverty. In Augustanti-Castro movement inside Cuba, let alone a
1933, elements of the Cuban army staged arevolution there, met limited success. On
coup which deposed Machado and installedSunday, April 6, 1980, 7,000 Cubans stormed
Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (whose fatherthe Peruvian embassy in Havana seeking
was instrumental in initiating the Ten Yearspolitical asylum. On Monday, April 7, Fidel
War of independence) as President. InCastro granted permission for the emigration
September, however, a second coup led byof Cubans seeking refuge in the Peruvian
Sergeant Fulgencio Batista overthrewembassy.[12] On April 16 500 Cuban citizens
Céspedes leading to the formation of theleft the Peruvian Embassy for Costa Rica. On
first Ramón Grau San Martín government.April 21 many of those Cubans started
This government lasted just 100 days, butarriving in Miami via private boats and were
engineered radical liberal changes in Cubanhalted by the State Department on April 23.
society and a rejection of the PlattThe boat lift continued, however, since
amendment.Castro allowed anyone who desired to leave
the country to do so through the port of
In 1934, Batista and the army, who were theMariel and this emigration became known as
real center of power in Cuba, replaced Grauthe Mariel boatlift. In all, over 125,000
with Carlos Mendieta y Montefur. In 1940,Cubans emigrated to the United States before
Batista decided to run for President himself.the  flow  of  vessels  ended  on  June  15.
The leader of the constitutional liberals
Ramón Grau San Martín refused toPost-Cold  War  Cuba
support him, so he turned instead to the
Communist Party of Cuba, which had grown inThe fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 dealt
size  and  influence  during  the  1930s.Cuba a giant economic blow. It led to another
unregulated exodus of asylum seekers to the
With the support of the Communist-controlledUnited States in 1994, but was eventually
labor unions, Batista was elected Presidentslowed to a trickle of a few thousand a year
and his administration carried out majorby the U.S.-Cuban accords. It again increased
social reforms and introduced a newin 2004-06 although at a far slower rate than
progressive constitution. Several members ofbefore. Castro’s popularity was
the Communist Party held office under hisseverely tested by the aftermath of the
administration. Batista's administrationSoviet collapse, which led to a cut off in
formally took Cuba into World War II as aaid, the loss of a guaranteed export market
U.S. ally, declaring war on Japan on Dec 9,for Cuban sugar and the loss of a source of
1941, then on Germany/Italy on Dec 11, 1941;cheap imported oil. It also caused, as in all
Cuba, however, did not significantlyCommunist countries, a crisis in confidence
participate militarily in World War IIfor those who believed that the Soviet Union
hostilities. At the end of his term in 1944,was successfully “building
in accordance with the constitution, Batistasocialism” and providing a model that
stood down and Ramón Grau was elected toother countries should follow. In Cuba,
succeed him. Grau initiated increasedhowever, these events were not sufficient to
government spending on health, education andpersuade Cuban Communists that they should
housing. But Grau’s liberals werevoluntarily  give  up  power.
bitter enemies of the Communists and Batista
opposed  most  of  Grau’s  program.By the later 1990s the situation in the
country had stabilized. By then Cuba had more
In 1948, Grau was succeeded by Carlos Príoor less normal economic relations with most
Socarrás, who had been Grau’sLatin American countries and had improved
minister of labor and was particularly hatedrelations with the European Union, which
by the Communists. Prío was a lessbegan providing aid and loans to the island.
principled liberal than Grau and, under hisChina also emerged as a new source of aid and
administration, corruption increased. Thissupport, even though Cuba had sided with the
was partly a result of the postwar revival ofSoviets during the Sino-Soviet split of the
U.S. wealth and the consequent influx of1960s. Cuba also found new allies in
gambling money into Havana, which became aPresident Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and
center of mafia operations. NeverthelessPresident Evo Morales of Bolivia, major oil
Prío carried out major reforms such asand  gas  exporters.
founding a National Bank and stabilizing the
Cuban currency. The influx of North AmericanTemporary  transfer  of  duties
money fueled a boom which did much to raise
living standards, although the gap betweenOn July 31 2006, Fidel Castro delegated his
rich  and poor became wider and more obvious.duties as President of the Council of state,
President of the Council of Ministers, First
From  Batista  to  CastroSecretary of the Cuban Communist Party and
the post of commander in chief of the armed
The 1952 election was a three-way race.forces to his brother and First Vice
Roberto Agramonte of the Ortodoxos party ledPresident, Raúl Castro. This transfer of
in all the polls, followed by Dr. Aurelioduties has been described as temporary while
Hevia of the Auténtico party, and runningFidel Castro recovers from surgery undergone
a distant third was Batista, who was seekingafter suffering from an "acute intestinal
a return to office. When it became apparentcrisis with sustained bleeding". Fidel Castro
that Batista had little chance of winning, hewas too ill to attend the nationwide
staged a coup on 10 March 1952 and held powercommemoration of the 50th anniversary of the
with the backing of a nationalist section ofGranma boat landing on December 2, 2006,
the army as a “provisionalwhich fuelled speculations that Castro had
president” for the next two years. Instomach cancer, though Spanish doctor Dr.
1954, under pressure from the U.S., he agreedGarcía Sabrido stated that his illness was
to elections. The Partido Auténtico puta digestive problem and not terminal, after
forward ex-President Grau as their candidate,an examination of the subject on Christmas
but he withdrew amid allegations that BatistaDay.
was rigging the elections in advance. Batista
could then claim to be an elected President.On January 31, 2007, footage of Castro
His regime was marked by severe corruptionmeeting with Venezuelan president Hugo
and poverty. Batista's police force wasChávez was broadcast, where, according to
well-known for their harsh tactics andinternational media reports, Castro "appeared
violence against the population. Fidel Castrofrail but stronger than three months ago",
directed failed resistance action at theand the Cuban leader made a lengthy surprise
Moncada Barracks, in Santiago de Cuba, and onappearance by phone on Chávez's radio talk
the smaller Carlos Manuel de Cespedesshow Aló Presidente the following month.
Barracks and on the feast of Saint Ann JulyThough Castro loyalists in the Cuban
26,  1953.government have maintained that he will stand
in the 2008 elections to the Cuban National
Many Florida-based American mafiosiAssembly, speculation has continued as to
established themselves in Cuba underwhether  he  will  ever  return  to  power.
Batista's rule, notably prominent mob boss
Santo Trafficante, Jr. Their operationsA BBC reporter is among at least three
included legitimate hotels and casinos asinternational correspondents asked to leave
well as all manners of illicit businesses.At least three foreign correspondents based
The American mobsters became influentialin Havana have been told they must leave the
supporters of Batista in Cuban politics,country because of their 'negative'
whose government tolerated their activitiesreporting.
in  exchange  for  bribes  and  kickbacks.



1 A B C 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93