Spanish Rule
In 1512, a Spanish nobleman, Diego de Velazquez, founded the first city in Cuba-Baracoa, at the eastern tip of the island-near the site where Columbus landed on his first voyage to the New World. Although it profited from Cuban tobacco, cattle, and timber, over the course of some three hundred years Spain's influence diminished. By 1825, Spain had lost its other colonies in Latin America, leaving Cuba and Puerto Rico as the last of what had been Madrid's vast empire in the New World.

Cuban Revolution
The Ten Years War (1868-1878) marked the emergence of Cuban nationalism. In 1895, a revolution began in earnest, led by the poet and writer José Martí (1853-1895) and revolutionary generals Antonio Maceo and Máximo Gomez. Regarded today as a national hero, Martí is revered by Cubans as the heart and soul of Cuban independence, as well as the country's greatest literary figure.

Spanish-American War
Statesmen in the U.S. carefully watched the progress of the Cuban Revolution. American business interests were influential in Cuba at the turn of the century and represented millions of dollars of investments. Tensions were already high when the battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898. When Spain subsequently refused to grant full independence to Cuba, the U.S. declared war on April 25, 1898. The U.S. held a decisive advantage, and war ended August 12, 1898. The peace settlement left the U.S. in possession of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam-and in control of Cuba.

U.S. Intervention
The period of U.S. Interventionism broke Cuba's colonial ties to Spain. The Platt Amendment (1901) made Cuba a protectorate of the U.S. The provisions of the Platt Amendment forbade Cuba to negotiate treaties without the express approval of the U.S., required Cuba to grant land to the U.S. for naval bases, and asserted the U.S. right to intervene at will in Cuba's internal affairs. The U.S. pulled down its flag on May 20, 1902-the day Cuba still celebrates as independence day.

Batista Period
In September 1933, a Cuban army sergeant named Fulgencio Batista (1901-1976) led a revolt of non-commissioned officers against their superiors. Within a week he appointed himself Colonel and pulled the power of the Cuban army behind him. He governed Cuba through a series of puppet presidents for the next several years, but Batista was unmistakably the power of Cuba.

In 1940, Batista was elected president and enacted the Constitution of 1940. Although he attempted to establish himself as a populist who promoted social and labor legislation, his government was characterized by greed and corruption. Batista enjoyed the support of American business interests and wealthy Cuban property owners. However, the majority of the Cuban people lived in relative poverty under the oppressive regime. Batista retired to Florida at the end of his term in 1944, after losing a bid for reelection. In 1952 he came out of retirement and, with the backing of the army, staged a coup d'état that returned him to Cuban rule as a dictator.

A Cuban law student, Fidel Castro (b. 1926) was a candidate for the Cuban House of Representatives in the 1952 elections aborted by Batista's coup. Castro immediately set out to force Batista from office, at first working through established political parties. But he soon believed that an armed struggle was the only feasible course of action. Castro secretly began gathering about him a small group of daring revolutionaries to overthrow Batista.

By July 1952, Castro had moved his band from Havana to a headquarters just outside Santiago de Cuba. The bold plan was to attack the Moncada army barracks in Santiago at dawn on July 26, then broadcast an appeal to the people of Cuba to rise in arms against Batista's rule. But the plan was thwarted, and many of the attackers were killed or taken prisoner. Castro and a few other survivors escaped to the hills, but were apprehended within days. Thereafter, Castro's liberation movement was often referred to as the 26th of July Movement.

Although the attack on Moncada was a military failure, it was a political success that skyrocketed Castro to prominence. In spite of his fiery, eloquent speech at his trial, Castro and his men were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Batista granted amnesty to many Cuban prisoners on May 6, 1955 to appease the opposition. Among those liberated were Castro and his men. They moved to Mexico where they prepared themselves for guerrilla warfare. The Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Ché" Guevara joined them there.

The next several months were crucial in Castro's odyssey. Living in safe houses and frequently dodging the Mexican police, he and his companions trained tirelessly in the Mexican countryside, financed in part by wealthy exiles living in Miami. In November, Castro left Mexico with 86 followers aboard a small sailing vessel, the Granma, to storm the island.

Although a rebel attack had been planned to divert attention from Castro's landing, the timing was out of sync and Batista's army met them. After a bloody skirmish, Castro's meager band, reduced to barely a dozen men, fled to the Sierra Maestra Mountains. There Castro established a rebel base and spread the word of his cause through the underground. While in hiding, Castro's guerrilla forces, including Ché Guevara and Castro's younger brother Raúl, gained strength and numbers. The image of this brave band of dashing rebels, who were rejecting Batista's regime and confronting his powerful army in guerrilla warfare, captured the imagination of the Cuban people.

By the end of December 1958, Batista's government lay in ruins. Freedom fighters throughout the island, including Castro's band, pressed the dictator on all sides. Batista resigned and fled to the Dominican Republic on New Year's Eve. The Cuban people exulted over the rebels' victory, looking forward to freedom at last. On January 2, 1959 Castro took possession of the Moncada barracks, where his revolution had begun. Other freedom fighters fell in with Castro and they marched through Havana on January 9, 1959. Castro promptly took control of the Cuban government and assumed the highest office in the land-Premier of Cuba.

In his new role as Premier and liberator of Cuba, Castro visited the United States in April 1959 to gain support for his policies. Most Americans embraced him warmly, assuming that this charismatic leader would guide Cuba to democracy. Others remained wary, unsettled by Castro's socialist sympathies.

The tide of opinion turned decisively in May when Castro took over the American-owned sugar plantations in Cuba, the multi-national companies, and petroleum holdings. By late fall, pro-communist factions within Castro's revolutionary government consolidated control of the Cuban army, bureaucracy, and labor movement. Overtures from the Soviet Union increased.

In 1960, Castro signed a trade agreement with the U.S.S.R. The U.S. responded by cutting sugar imports dramatically, and Cuba countered by nationalizing all remaining American properties. When Cuba negotiated an expanded trade agreement and loans from the Soviets, the U.S. broke diplomatic relations.

By the fall of 1960, Cuba had begun to receive Soviet military aid. President Kennedy made no attempt to negotiate a diplomatic release of the tension between the U.S. and Cuba. As time passed, the climate in Cuba became more anti-American.

For More Information try these books:
Bay of Pigs Declassified
The Kennedy Tapes
Thirteen Days
The Kennedys and Cuba
The Most Dangerous Area in the World