| 1959: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz became | | | | most spectacular achievements of Soviet |
| dictator.He banned free speech and imprisoned | | | | colonization. |
| his opponents. All political parties were | | | | |
| dissolved. Castro announced plans to | | | | 1966-1985:Some of the Soviet Union´s best |
| "exterminate capitalism". | | | | coaches came to Cuba and opened sports |
| | | | schools. These schools attracted students |
| 1960-1978:More than 700,000 Cuban fled to the | | | | from all parts of the country. |
| United States and Mexico. Many sailed | | | | |
| secretly from Cuba in boats, some of which | | | | 1967-1990: Havana and other Cuban cities. |
| were apprehended by the Cuban navy before | | | | Ernesto Guevara´s image was displayed |
| reached abroad. | | | | everywhere -in every home, university, school |
| | | | and factory. |
| 1960-2007:Blacks suffered many forms of | | | | |
| discrimination. The poverty rate among blacks | | | | 1972-1990:Relations with the People´s |
| is almost two times that of general | | | | Republic of China deteriorated, with |
| population. | | | | disagreements on foreign affairs and |
| | | | ideology. Different from Cuba and |
| 1960-1988:Ever Peñalver Mazorra spent 28 | | | | Czechoslovakia, China did not break |
| years in prison for his opposition to the | | | | diplomatic relations with Chile |
| communist dictatorship. He was leader of the | | | | (1973-1990).Fidel Castro critized Mao |
| nonviolent movement for human rights and | | | | Tse-tung and began a program to dishonor him. |
| democracy in Cuba. Peñalver was the | | | | He accused Mao of murdering innocent people |
| world´s oldest and longest-standing black | | | | and of faulty leadership. |
| political prisoner of conscience. Like the | | | | |
| South African leader Nelson Mandela, Ever | | | | 1973: After the military coup against |
| Peñalver Mazorra is a symbol of heroic and | | | | Salvador Allende (President of Chile), Fidel |
| peaceful resistance in the face of | | | | Castro called for Third World countries to |
| oppression. | | | | apply sanctions against Chile. |
| | | | |
| 1960-2007:Vilma EspÃn Guillois proclaimed | | | | 1976: Another Constitution was adopted in |
| herself president of the Federation of Cuban | | | | this year. |
| Women, one of the most powerful organizations | | | | |
| in the country.Born into the upper middle | | | | 1977-1981:Cuban arms aid and advisers were |
| class, she studied chemical engineering at | | | | sent to several Third World countries |
| the Massachusetts Institute of Technology | | | | (Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Suriname, Somalia and |
| (MIT).After of living in the United States, | | | | Grenada). |
| she returned to Cuba when Fidel Castro came | | | | |
| to power.She made pro-Castro campaign by all | | | | 1978-1988:Cuba sent 5,000 troops to Ethiopia |
| Cuban territory. Espin´s rule was | | | | to assist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in |
| characterized by ruthless and brutal | | | | opposing Eritrean rebels. Fidel Castro |
| totalitarism and women´s rights | | | | endorsed Ethiopian statehood without |
| violations. Her best friends were madame | | | | mentioning Eritrea´s right to exist. |
| Elena Ceausescu (first lady of Romania) and | | | | |
| Rosario Murillo de Ortega (first lady of | | | | 1980:With the tacit approval of Fidel |
| Nicaragua).She, who had French ancestry, died | | | | Castro´s dictatorship, the United States |
| on June 18,2007, in Havana. | | | | absorbed more than 100,000 Cuban refugees |
| | | | (best known as "Marielitos").Castro also sent |
| 1961:Like Bulgaria and Poland, Cuba was | | | | many criminals and mentally ill people. |
| declared a socialist state. | | | | |
| | | | 1985:Fidel Castro advocate peaceful |
| 1961:All American businesses were eventually | | | | co-existence with the terrorist states |
| expropriated. After expelling the Americans, | | | | (Lybia, North Korea, Iran and Syria). |
| Fidel Castro used the money from their | | | | |
| business to reward friends who were loyal to | | | | 1983: Pan American Games.Four Cuban athletes |
| him. | | | | were disqualified from competition for using |
| | | | banned drugs to increase their performance. |
| 1962:Cuban citizens need official permission | | | | They were Maria Cristina Betancourt, Mayra |
| to accept work, change jobs, move, or travel | | | | Vila, Daniel Nuñez and Alberto Blanco. |
| abroad. | | | | |
| | | | 1988: Fidel Castro called for a boycott of |
| 1962:Fidel Castro created an aggressive | | | | the Olympic Games. However, 30 Eastern bloc |
| regime of agricultural reform. His political | | | | nations to sent athletes to the Summer |
| social experiment claimed the lives of | | | | Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. |
| countless Cubans. They worked the sugar | | | | |
| plantations like slaves. | | | | 1992:Jorge Esquivel defected to Italy and |
| | | | soon joined the San Francisco Ballet. |
| 1963: The Cuban Revolution created a strong | | | | Esquivel was one of the world´s leading |
| anti-U.S. stance. | | | | ballet dancers. |
| | | | |
| 1963-1980: The communists destroyed many | | | | 1999:Pan American Games. Cuban athlete Javier |
| churches, made schools of other, and arrested | | | | Sotomayor Sanabria lost his gold medal in the |
| or killed many church leaders who refused to | | | | men´s high jump after testing positive for |
| follow communism. Some were sent to mental | | | | a drug of abuse. Javier Sotomayor was the |
| hospitals. | | | | best athlete of the Cuban Revolution. |
| | | | |
| 1964:Fidel Castro set up organizations for | | | | 2000: The secret police, or Direccion General |
| young people between the ages of 8 and 16.The | | | | de Inteligencia (General Intelligence |
| communists taught children to spy on their | | | | Directorate), enforced strict loyalty to |
| own families and friends and report | | | | Castro´s policies on all levels of live. |
| anti-communist criticism they might hear. | | | | It is also active abroad, spying on Cubans. |
| | | | |
| 1964:After Leonid Brezhnev became secretary | | | | 2005:Cuba is one of the few countries in the |
| of the Communist Party of the USSR, Soviet | | | | world with a communist dictatorship, which |
| financial and military aid to Cuba´s | | | | has been led by Fidel Castro since 1959. |
| dictatorship increased.The Soviet Union also | | | | |
| sent military advisers to help the | | | | 2006:While serving as dictator of Cuba, Fidel |
| dictatorship.Cuba became a Soviet colony. | | | | Castro Ruz contracted cancer. Raul Castro Ruz |
| | | | succeeded his brother as dictator. Previously |
| 1965-1990:Soviet development of its Caribbean | | | | he was the world´s longest-serving |
| colony was extensive in areas such as | | | | defence minister. |
| culture, railroads, olympic sports, public | | | | |
| health, agricultural research, education and | | | | 2007-:Raul Castro continued the basically |
| literacy. The enormous increase in sugar cane | | | | conservative policies of his predecessor. |
| production is considered to be one of the | | | | |