Castro's Rise of Power, Consolidation of Power, and Policies

**aqalieh95** Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:07 pm

Lots of thanks to Faisal Chaudhry who put this guide together and released it so that everybody could benefit from it!

Castro's Rise to Power
1. Moncada Assault (1953)
  1. Castro and rebels attacked military camp in Moncada hoping to capture large stacks of ammunition
  2. Failed – Half of the rebels killed or tortured
  3. Castro defends himself in trial and gains national recognition
  4. Marked the beginning of national opposition movement
2. Granma Expedition (1956)
  1. Castro and rebels were exiled to Mexico
  2. Landed on Cuban beach Granma where Batista and government forces were waiting
  3. Rebels slaughtered and captured
  4. The few who survived fled to the nearby Sierra Maestra mountains
3. Sierra Maestra Period
  1. Castro regrouped in mountains and recruited
  2. Treated people very well and gained popular support
  3. After a failed government attack to drive them out in 1958, Castro went on the offensive
  4. The rebels captured province after province until Batista fled the next year
  5. Castro then formed provisional government (head of military)
4. Existing dissatisfaction with Batista
  1. The majority of people disliked his government
  2. Low living standards and high inflation
  3. Castro seemed like the only alternative
Castro's Consolidation of Power
1. Batista's supporters eliminated
  1. Trials were extremely quick and criticized internationally for the lack of human rights
  2. Supporters were either jailed or executed
2. Popular support and Propaganda
  1. Castro could be seen everyday giving speeches, meeting with peasants, etc to increase his appeal
  2. Then stepped in as PM after the first resigned
3. Unification of the Opposition
  1. The PCC remains the only legal party in Cuba
4. Ending opposition of Communism from Government
  1. Many leaders had already left due to these concerns
  2. Castro set example with Matos, military chief (20 years jailed)
Castro's Domestic Policies
1. Agrarian Reform Laws
  1. Nationalized all foreign-held land and companies
  2. The government owned the vast majority of land
  3. The amount of land one could own was reduced
  4. Other reforms were as extreme as abolishing rents, effectively making everyone property owners
2. Che Guevara's economic policies
  1. Favored centrally planned economy with emphasis on “moral” incentives
  2. Had mixed results due to lack of expertise, reduced productivity, and artificially low prices
3. Special Period (1991)
  1. When the USSR died and cut off Cuban aid
  2. Castro called on all to sacrifice with rations, etc
Castro's Foreign Policy
1. Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)
  1. US trained CIA operatives to invade and incite population
  2. Failed dramatically with over 1000 captured
  3. Worked against US in that Castro unified the people against the evil enemy
2. Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
  1. Soviet nuclear warheads placed on island
  2. Were removed after US agreed not to invade Cuba and removed warheads from Turkey
  3. Castro wanted to go to war, but Khrushchev didn't let him
  4. Castro admitted to being a Marxist-Leninist