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July 26th Movement
Origins and Effects of the M-26-7 Movement during the Cold War
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How did Batista seize power in Cuba? | In 1950, Batista seized power through a coup against President Grau. |
| What actions did Batista take after seizing power? | Batista suspended the constitution, cancelled future elections, and made deals with American mobsters for casinos, prostitution, and the drug trade. |
| What led Fidel Castro to believe a revolution was necessary? | Under Batista, corruption grew, and the quality of life worsened, convincing Castro that a revolution was needed to overthrow the government. |
| What was Castro's background before leading the revolution? | Castro was born into an upper middle class family, studied law at the University of Havana, and was a troublemaker who protested government corruption. |
| What was Castro's political background? Who did he admire? | Castro joined the Orthodoxo Party and ran for congress in 1950 but was not elected due to Batista's coup. He also admired radio broadcaster Eddy Chibas, who spoke out against government corruption. |
| What was the first major action of the July 26th Movement (M-26-7)? | In 1953, Castro and 130 men attacked the Moncada barracks on July 26, but were quickly captured. 9 rebels were killed, and 20 were executed after the battle. |
| What happened after the failed attack on Moncada? What did Castro Speak out against once arrested? | Castro was captured, spent months in solitary confinement, and delivered his "History will Absolve Me" speech, arguing that people have the right to revolt against corrupt governments. |
| What did Castro do after being released from prison? | Went into exile in Mexico, met Che Guevara, and began planning a guerrilla campaign. |
| What was the Granma expedition? | In 1956, Castro, Che, and 80 others sailed to Cuba to begin the revolution, but were attacked shortly after landing. |
| How did Castro’s forces survive the failed landing? | About 20 rebels escaped to the Sierra Maestra Mountains and began guerrilla warfare. |
| Which groups supported Castro's revolution? | University radicals, Communist Party rebels, Frank Pais’s cells, and student revolutionaries. |
| How did the international community view Castro in 1957? | Positively—after a New York Times interview where Castro denied being a communist. |
| What happened after Batista was overthrown and Castro took over? | Castro took power and reversed his democratic promises, consolidating power and aligning with communists. |
| Name some early reforms Castro implemented. | Raised minimum wage, lowered rent, opened free schools and clinics, cracked down on crime. |
| How did the U.S. respond to Castro’s nationalization of American property? | Imposed a trade embargo and supported a failed invasion (Bay of Pigs). |
| What were the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution? | Local surveillance groups that monitored citizens and reported dissent. |
| When did Castro declare Cuba a socialist state? | In May 1961, later proclaiming himself a communist in December. |
| What major Cold War event did Soviet-Cuban relations lead to? | The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. |
| What was the War of the Bandits? | A guerrilla campaign against Castro by former allies and rebels, including the directorio. |
| What was the Freedom Airlift and Mariel Boatlift? | Mass migrations of Cubans fleeing the regime (250,000 in the Freedom Airlift, 125,000 in Mariel Boatlift). |
| How did Castro differ from the Soviet approach to communism? | He supported global revolution and trained foreign rebels, including interventions in Africa and South America. |
| What was the Non-Aligned Movement? | A group of 50+ countries in the UN who opposed domination by the US/USSR; |
| What inspired Fidel Castro’s early political beliefs? | Castro was heavily influenced by Eddy Chibás, a popular radio host and politician known for exposing corruption; Chibás's dramatic death by suicide during a live broadcast left a lasting impression on Castro and solidified his anti-corruption stance. |
| Who was Che Guevara and why did he join Castro? | Che Guevara was an Argentine doctor turned Marxist revolutionary who had witnessed poverty and exploitation across Latin America; he met Castro in Mexico and joined the M-26-7 movement, believing in armed revolution to overthrow capitalist oppression. |
| How did the rebels survive in the Sierra Maestra Mountains? | They relied on local peasants for food, shelter, and intelligence, used guerrilla tactics to ambush Batista’s troops, and slowly built a reputation as liberators fighting for justice and land reform. |
| What role did Frank País play in the revolution? | Frank País was a key urban organizer of the M-26-7 in Santiago who coordinated sabotage, strikes, and uprisings; his 1957 failed assault on Batista’s mansion and later assassination made him a martyr and intensified revolutionary activity. |
| What was the purpose of the revolutionary graffiti campaign? | To spread revolutionary messages, raise awareness, and encourage public resistance against Batista's regime by writing slogans like “26 de Julio” across cities and villages to show that the resistance was growing and organized. |
| Why did the New York Times interview in 1957 help Castro? | The interview portrayed Castro as a freedom fighter rather than a communist, gaining him sympathy and support from American citizens and distancing his movement from Cold War fears of Soviet-style communism. |
| What caused the U.S. to turn against Castro after initially supporting him? | After taking power, Castro aligned with communists, nationalized U.S.-owned properties without compensation, and allied with the Soviet Union, prompting the U.S. to impose sanctions and support efforts to remove him from power. |
| What actions did Castro take to consolidate his authority in Cuba? | |
| What was the First Agrarian Reform Law? | Passed in 1959, it redistributed land from wealthy landowners and U.S. corporations to peasants and small farmers, dramatically changing rural Cuban society and marking a major step toward socialism. |
| How did Cuba’s alliance with the Soviet Union affect its economy? | The USSR provided Cuba with economic support, buying sugar at inflated prices and selling oil cheaply, stabilizing Cuba’s economy after the U.S. embargo and helping fund social programs and military buildup. |
| What was the Havana Doctrine? | A foreign policy strategy where Cuba, under Castro, promised to support revolutionary movements and countries resisting domination by either the U.S. or the USSR, promoting global anti-imperialism and independence from superpower influence. |
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25adamsonj
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