Essay on the Cuban Revolution 1959

The Cuban Revolution was an armed conflict led by Fidel Castro under the 26th of July Movement against a dictatorial regime and Fulgencio Batista, the then President (Chomsky, 2015). The revolt started in 1953 and went on sporadically to replace the government with a socialist state. The movement later changed to Communist Party under the leadership of Fidel Castro in 1965. The revolution had significant local and international implications, particularly transforming the U.S. Cuba relationship, although endeavors to enhance diplomatic relationships took another turn over the recent years. The aftermath of the armed conflict was the political consolidation and nationalism programs that aimed to transform the countrys economy, as well as the civil society. Subsequently, the event heralded a period of military intervention of Cuba into international conflicts, such as the Nicaragua Revolution and Angolan Civil War. The objective is to review the primary causes of the Fidel Castro-led revolution. The objective of the Cuban revolution was to overthrow an authoritarian and corrupt government.

The goal of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 was to enhance the living condition of the Cuban citizens (Chomsky, 2015). The underlying goal was to get rid of the highly corrupt administration that was running the country and improve the condition of the lower class and poor, as well as the influence of the US in running the country. Prior to the revolution, the leader of the country was Fulgencio Batista who had acquired power through similar means, coup. After assuming power, Bastia went on to suspend the constitution, successfully establishing a dictatorial regime that increasingly over depended on America for economic aid and other interventions. Although Batista and those around him had accumulated significant wealth, average Cubans were subject to ill health and poverty. Six hundred thousand out of three million Cubans were not employed, which was almost equivalent to the number of the unemployed Americans during the era of great depression. Moreover, over fifty percent of the entire populations were victims of poor housing conditions. As a result, these people were desperate to improve their lifestyles and were completely in support of Castros endeavors to remove the regime and restore a responsible form of leadership.

Although some quarters in the population argue that the revolution did not achieve its milestones, they definitely realized development in the society, including better healthcare, education, and living standards. Despite these improvements, it is questionable where Cubans completely eradicated the excesses of the previous regime and got the freedom of speech and how to live their life free from manipulations. Following the revolution, education and healthcare improved significantly. While prior to the revolution only thirty percent of the children in the rural areas had access to primary education, Castro made primary education compulsory. Despite the progress made, the education was highly biased and any information that was considered to be undermining the new leadership was censored from being published in books, media, and newsprints. Such measures motivated most citizens to flee the country in search of better living conditions and freedoms in the United States.

In conclusion, despite these stated hitches, the objective of the revolution was achieved, which was to remove Batista from power and put in place a form of government that had respect for its people. The new administration worked extremely hard to meet the desires of its people, which were to safeguard freedom of spend and improve standards of living.

Reference

Chomsky, A. (2015). History of the cuban revolution. Wiley-Blackwell.