The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt conducted by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement and its allies against the government of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. The revolution began in July 1953, and finally overcame Batista on January 1st 1959, replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state. The Movement organisation later reformed along communist lines, becoming the Communist Party in October 1965. The Communist Party, now headed by Castro's brother Raúl, continues to govern Cuba today. Fulgencio Batista, who had served as the elected President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944, became President for the second time in March 1952, after seizing power in a military coup and cancelling the 1952 elections. Although Batista had been a relative progressive during his first term, in the 1950's he proved far more dictatorial and indifferent to popular concerns. While Cuba remained tormented by high unemployment and limited water, Batista antagonized the population by forming lucrative links to organised crime and allowing American companies to dominate the Cuban economy.
During his first term as President, Batista had been supported by the Communist Party of Cuba, but during his second term he became strongly anti-communist, gaining him political support and military aid from the United States. Batista developed a powerful security infrastructure to silence political opponents, leading John F. Kennedy to describe the Cuban government as a "complete police state" in 1960. In the months following the March 1952 coup, Fidel Castro, at the time was a young lawyer and activist, petitioned for the overthrow of Batista, whom he accused of corruption and tyranny. However, Castro's constitutional arguments were rejected by the Cuban courts. After deciding that the Cuban state could not be overthrown through legal means, Castro resolved to launch an armed revolution. To this end, he and his brother Raúl founded a paramilitary organization known as "The Movement", stockpiling weapons and recruiting around 1,200 followers from Havana's disgruntled working class by the end of 1952. Eventually an Argentine rebel by the name of Ernesto "Che" Guevara joined their cause they named themselves the "26th of July movement".
The poster says "All with Fidel at the Plaza of the Revolution"
During his first term as President, Batista had been supported by the Communist Party of Cuba, but during his second term he became strongly anti-communist, gaining him political support and military aid from the United States. Batista developed a powerful security infrastructure to silence political opponents, leading John F. Kennedy to describe the Cuban government as a "complete police state" in 1960. In the months following the March 1952 coup, Fidel Castro, at the time was a young lawyer and activist, petitioned for the overthrow of Batista, whom he accused of corruption and tyranny. However, Castro's constitutional arguments were rejected by the Cuban courts. After deciding that the Cuban state could not be overthrown through legal means, Castro resolved to launch an armed revolution. To this end, he and his brother Raúl founded a paramilitary organization known as "The Movement", stockpiling weapons and recruiting around 1,200 followers from Havana's disgruntled working class by the end of 1952. Eventually an Argentine rebel by the name of Ernesto "Che" Guevara joined their cause they named themselves the "26th of July movement".
The poster says "All with Fidel at the Plaza of the Revolution"