| Historical
Review.
When Columbus, on October 28, 1492, first landed on Cuba
it was inhabited by the Siboney, a friendly tribe related
to the Arawak. Colonization of the island began in 1511,
when the Spanish soldier Diego Velázquez established
the town of Baracoa. Velázquez subsequently founded
several other settlements, including Santiago de Cuba in
1514 and Havana in 1515. The Spanish transformed Cuba into
a supply base for their expeditions to Mexico and Florida.
As a result of savage treatment and exploitation, the aborigines
became, by the middle of the 16th century, nearly extinct,
forcing the colonists to depend on imported black slaves
for the operation of the mines and plantations.
Independence
On February 23, 1895, mounting discontent culminated in
a resumption of the Cuban revolution, under the leadership
of the writer and patriot José Martí and General
Máximo Gómez y Báez. The U.S. government
intervened on behalf of the revolutionists in April 1898,
precipitating the Spanish-American War. Intervention was
spurred by the sinking of the battleship Maine in the harbor
of Havana of February 15, 1898, for which Spain was blamed.
By the terms of the treaty signed December 10, 1898, terminating
the conflict, Spain relinquished sovereignty over Cuba.
An American military government ruled the island until May
20, 1902, when the Cuban republic was formally instituted,
under the presidency of the former postmaster general Tomás
Estrada Palma. The Cuban constitution, adopted in 1901,
incorporated the provisions of the Platt Amendment, U.S.
legislation that established conditions for American intervention
in Cuba.
Economic
difficulties, caused by complete U.S. domination of Cuban
finance, agriculture, and industry, marked the period following
World War I. In an atmosphere of crisis, the Liberal Party
leader, Gerardo Machado y Morales, campaigned on a reform
platform and was elected president in November 1924. A protracted
period of violence and unrest followed Machado's overthrow,
with frequent changes of government. During this period
the United States instituted various measures, including
abrogation of the Platt Amendment, in an effort to quiet
popular unrest on the island. Batista won the presidential
contest of 1940, defeating Ramón Grau San Martin,
the opposition candidate. The promulgation in 1940 of a
new constitution contributed further to the lessening of
political tension.
The
presidential election of 1944 resulted in victory for Grau
San Martin, the candidate of a broad coalition of parties.
The first year of his administration was one of recurring
crises caused by various factors, including widespread food
shortages, but he regained popularity the following year
by obtaining an agreement with the U.S. government for an
increase in the price of sugar.
Fluctuations
in world sugar prices and a continuing inflationary spiral
kept the political situation unstable in the postwar era.
Carlos Prio Socarrás, a member of the Auténtico
Party and a cabinet minister under Grau San Martin, was
elected president in June 1948. Shortly after his inauguration
a 10 percent reduction in retail prices was decreed in an
attempt to offset inflation. Living costs continued to rise,
however, leading to unrest and political violence.
In
March 1952 former president Batista, supported by the army,
seized power. Batista suspended the constitution, dissolved
the congress, and instituted a provisional government, promising
elections the following year. Batista's opponent, Grau San
Martin, withdrew from the campaign just before the election,
charging that his supporters had been terrorized. Batista
was thus reelected and on his inauguration February 24,
1955
On December 2, 1956, Fidel Castro came in Granma yacht,
and then Fidel continued the struggle in the mountains,
where he organized the 26th of July Movement, so called
to commemorate the 1953 uprising. For the next year Castro's
forces, using guerrilla tactics, opposed the Batista government
and won popular support. On March 17, 1958, Castro called
for a general revolt. His forces made steady gains through
the remainder of the year, and on January 1, 1959, Batista
resigned and fled the country. The Cuban revolution had
triumphed.
Historical
Dates
-
Octubre 27, 1492: Discovery of Cuba by Cristopher Colombus
- November
16, 1519: Foundation of San Cristóbal de La Habana
in its current site. This is the last of the seven villas
established by Spaniards.
- August
12, 1762: Havana is taken by the English
- January
28, 1853: National Heroe José Martí is born.
- October
10, 1868: Beginning of the independence wars.
- March
15, 1878: Protest of Baraguá.
- 1880:
Formal abolition of slavery, coming into effect 6 years
later.
- April
10, 1892: Foundation of the Cuban Revolutionary Party.
- February
24, 1895: beginning of the last independence war
- May
19, 1895: José Martí dies.
- December
7, 1896: Antonio Maceo dies in combat.
- 1898:
American intervention.
- May
20, 1902: establishment of a neocolonial republic.
- 1925:
Foundation of the first Communist Cuban Party of Cuba
- July
26, 1953: Assault to Moncada Garrison by the revolutionaries
headed by Fidel Castro.
- December
2, 1956: Debarkation of Granma yacht
- January
1st, 1959: Triumph of the Revolution
- April
19, 1961: Defeat of mercenary imperialist at Playa Girón.
- December
22, 1961: Cuba is free from illiteracy
Holidays
- January
1: Liberation Day. Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution
- May
1: International Workers' Day.
- July
25, 26 and 27: Festivities in honor of the July 26, 1953
attack on Moncada Garrison
- October
10: Beginning of the Wars of Independence.
- December
25: Christmas Day.
Commemorations
-
January 28 - Birth of the National Hero José Martí
(1853)
- February
24 - Restart, in 1895, of the struggle for independence
- March
8 - International Women's Day.
- March
13 - Attack on the Presidential Palace (1957) by a group
of young revolutionaries.
- April
19 - Victory at Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) and the
first major defeat of US imperialism in Latin America
(1961).
- July
30 – Martyrs´ Day.
- October
8 - Death in combat of Ernesto Che Guevara. (1967)
- October
28 - Disappearance of Commander Camilo Cienfuegos (1959).
- November
27 - Eight medical students shot by firing squad under
the orders of the Spanish government (1871).
- December
7 - Death in combat of Lieutenant General Antonio Maceo
(1896).
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