Revolution1953 CE – 1959 CEAmericas

Cuban Revolution

Fidel Castro led a guerrilla campaign from the Sierra Maestra mountains that overthrew the US-backed Batista dictatorship on January 1, 1959, establishing a socialist state 90 miles from Florida.

Key Figures

Fidel Castro Che Guevara Fulgencio Batista Raúl Castro Camilo Cienfuegos

Preceding Causes

Batista's corrupt and brutal dictatorship (installed via a 1952 coup), US corporate dominance of Cuba's sugar economy, widespread rural poverty, and the failure of peaceful opposition. Castro's 26th of July Movement gained support from peasants, students, and urban middle class.

War1947 CE

Cold War

A geopolitical and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that defined global politics for over four decades through nuclear deterrence, proxy wars, and competition for influence across the developing world.

Cause-Effect Graph

Loading graph…