ORIGINS SPRING 2019: CUBA
The Republic of Cuba in island nation located in the Northern Caribbean Sea. This term, we have selected Cuba after learning about the Missile Crisis in relation to the Cold War in our IGCSE course. We have covered the events in the past century, which have led to modern day Cuba, and articles range from accounts of events, to interviews, to profile pieces on key figures . We hope that you learn something new, as well as enjoying this edition as much as we have enjoyed making it!
Many thanks to Anushri Mene for the cover art and to our amazing writers.
“A revolution is a struggle to death between the future and the past” ~Fidel Castro
Please find a link to the articles below, alongside a map and significant dates.
Significant Dates
1492 – Columbus colonises Cuba on behalf of Spain
1523 – Sugar is first grown (became large export and contributed to economy)
1607 – Havana made capital of Cuba
1762 – Havana captured by Britain during Seven Year War
1763 – Occupation of Havana ends under Treaty of Paris
1868 – Ten Year War with Spain begins after restricted trade, high taxes and lack of Cuban control (Cuba unsuccessful but promised more representation and change in government but this does not happen)
1879 – Rebels wage second war for independence but fail again due to minimal resources
1886 – Slavery abolished in Cuba
1902 – US ends military occupation and Estrada Palma become first president
1912 – Uprising by Black Cubans because of discrimination
1925 – Socialist Party founded
1933 – Sergeant Batista overthrows President Machado in a coup
1944 – Batista retires
1952 – Batista takes over again
1953 – Castro leads first attempt to
overthrow Batista’s regime at Santiago de Cuba (unsuccessful)
1955 – Castro released from prison
1956 – Castro leads guerrilla war, assisted by Che Guevara
1958 – USA withdraws aid to Batista
1959 – Castro takes over government after leading rebel army to Havana, forces Batista to flee
1961 – Bay of Pigs invasion fails, and Cuba declared a communist state. Ties broken off with USA and formed with USSR
1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis; USSR install missiles in Cuba
1976 – Castro elected president
1976-81 – Cuban troops sent to Angola and Ethiopian to help with individual battles
1988 – Troops from Angola after South Africa and Cuba reach an agreement Batista Regime:
Taken from BBC Cuba Profile Timeline