78 years have passed since the British formally left India, yet the Indian state still serves several foreign interests at the cost of exploiting its own people. In contrast, there exists a tiny nation at the northern tip of the Caribbean Sea that demonstrated to the world how to throw out imperialism effectively!
The revolution is not an apple that falls when ripe. You have to make it fall.
-Che Guevara
When Columbus first set eyes on the island, he described it as the most beautiful land human eyes have ever seen. Despite Cuba being rich its people remained poor. For several decades, Cuba endured the hardships of Spanish colonialism until 1898, when a strong nationalist struggle brought the country to the brink of independence. Thwarted by US interference, which dominated the island from then on. The American big businessmen, the benefactors of the imperialist machinery, wanted two things:
1) The fertile lands of Cuba
2) A readily exploitable, cheap Cuban workforce
To achieve this, they nurtured a Cuban state apparatus that would only serve imperial interests. This was institutionalized through the Platt Amendment of 1901 and the formation of the American-funded Cuban National Army in 1908. They also formed a section of dependent big businesses fed on American capital, as well as landlords who wanted to preserve the nation’s feudal structure. This coupled with several liberalisation and privatisation laws made under the dictum of Washington resulted in Cuba becoming a neo-colony of the USA wholly dependent on imperialist capital.
Education was limited, out of 180,370 children, only 4,852 reached the 8th grade, fewer advancing further. The healthcare system was inadequate, leaving many Cubans suffering from preventable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, syphilis, malnutrition, and parasitic infections. Housing conditions were deplorable; most lived in overcrowded huts called Bohíos, sometimes with up to 12 people in one home. Unemployment was at 25% and worsening each year during the 1950s. A small group of foreign corporations and landlords controlled 71% of the land, much of it used for sugar production. The landless peasants were forced to grow sugar for survival, while food had to be imported, driving up prices. Despite Cuba being one of the richest agricultural nations in the world, it could not feed its own people.
In response to this rampant exploitation, the Cuban masses rose in great numbers to join the national liberation struggle. Although the movement was democratic and legal in nature, its mere existence during the Cold War alarmed the American imperialist machinery, which feared that a liberated Cuba would ultimately align with the Soviet Union. To prevent this, U.S. interests required a dictatorship in Cuba, one that would mercilessly suppress popular movements while remaining loyal to Washington. This situation culminated in the military coup of 1952 and the rise of Fulgencio Batista to power.
The Batista regime brutally repressed and slaughtered activists with intentions to dismantle the national liberation movement. It also decimated most of Cuba’s democratic state institutions. At this point, many Cuban nationalists began to believe that the mode of struggle needed to change. Among them was a young lawyer, Fidel Castro. He recognized the urgent need for an armed vanguard group to carry the struggle forward. Together with his brother, Raúl, he began organizing like-minded young revolutionaries and eventually formed a rebel army of around 200 men and two women.
On 26th of July, 1953, this group launched an attack on the Moncada Barracks, the country’s largest military fortress. Although the assault ended in failure, it stirred the masses, who began to recognize the necessity of an armed revolutionary force. While the Batista regime initially plotted to execute Fidel, mounting public pressure forced the government to release him. He soon went into exile in Mexico, where he began preparing for the next stage of the revolution.
Fidel began organizing the rebels and procuring arms in Mexico. There, he met Colonel Alberto Bayo, from whom he and his comrades learned the art and science of guerrilla warfare. During this period, they were also joined by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, an Argentine-born physician and staunch anti-imperialist inspired by the ideas of Marx, Lenin, and Mao. Che soon proved himself highly skilled in guerrilla tactics.
After completing their training, on November 30, 1956, Fidel and his force of 82 men set sail for Cuba aboard the yacht Granma. Following a rough voyage, they landed on Cuban soil, but were quickly hunted down by Batista’s military. After days of hiding, the survivors regrouped in the mountains. Out of the original 82, only 12 remained; the others had been killed or captured. Despite these heavy losses, the rebels did not lose morale. Under Fidel’s determined leadership, they resolved to carry the struggle forward.
The guerrillas established their base in the Sierra Maestra mountains. In one of their early actions, they killed a local landlord and redistributed 400 acres of land among landless peasants. From their stronghold in the Sierra Maestra, the rebel army not only fought militarily but also built a parallel government. They opened schools, hospitals, and implemented small-scale land reforms in Oriente Province, which further expanded popular support. As the revolution proceeded to the next phase there were base areas set up in rural areas across the nation, workers in cities did mass agitations and propaganda work for the rebel army.
On May 5, 1958, the fearful Batista regime deployed 12,000 soldiers in an attempt to dismantle the revolution. A brutal crackdown followed, during which many Cubans were mercilessly killed. Despite the repression, the people remained steadfast in their support for the rebels. Sensing the regime’s weakness, the rebels descended from the mountains and launched a bold offensive. Their campaign culminated in the decisive defeat of Batista’s forces, his flight from the country, and the overthrow of his dictatorship. In its place, a revolutionary government was established, with Fidel Castro emerging as its leader.
As soon as the new revolutionary regime came to power, the old Cuban state apparatus that had long served imperialist interests was dismantled with the crushing of the Cuban national army in 1959. All U.S.-owned banks, industries, and private enterprises were nationalized, while the dependent businesses were driven out. With the land reforms of the 1960s, the landlord class was also decisively crushed.
Inspired by socialist ideals, the revolutionary government ensured that the average Cuban could live with dignity by guaranteeing free education, universal healthcare, and addressing the housing crisis. Today, Cuba boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world, with 99.7% of its population literate, alongside one of the most advanced healthcare systems globally, reflected in a high life expectancy of 79 years and a low infant mortality rate.
One of the greatest achievements of the Cuban Revolution is that it has withstood, and still stands firm against, over six decades of relentless imperialist assault. Despite several U.S. military interventions, none succeeded, most notably the humiliating defeat of American imperialism in the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. Fidel Castro himself was targeted in 638 assassination attempts orchestrated by the CIA, yet every attempt failed.
The United States also imposed devastating economic blockades in an effort to strangle Cuba’s economy. However, Cuba endured and emerged as a beacon of internationalism. It extended solidarity to national liberation struggles in countries such as Angola, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Bolivia, while also sending medical aid and personnel to around 160 countries worldwide. More than six decades have passed since the days of the Cuban revolution, yet its banner still stands tall, immortalized in the pages of history.
