victorious forces marched into Havana
and took power.
Castro claimed at first that his revo-
lution was neither capitalist nor commu-
nist. Even so, the cold war between the
United States and the Soviet Union,
under way since the end of World War II,
provided the lens through which the
United States viewed the new Cuban
leader. The United States put economic
pressure on Castro to conform to its
vision of democratic capitalism rather
than carry out the program of land
reform and industrial nationalization he
had in mind. Relations between the for-
mer allies deteriorated rapidly, and Castro
turned to the Soviet Union for aid.
Private businesses, including U.S.-owned
ones, were nationalized without compen-
sation, and a repressive crackdown on
political opponents began. In 1961 the
United States cut off diplomatic relations
with Cuba and Castro openly declared
himself a Marxist-Leninist.
The Birth of
Little HavanaCastro’s revolution had great appeal for
Cuba’s rural poor, whose standard of
LA RAZA UNIDA 179The Cuban Revolution, 1956–1959
In December 1956, Fidel Castro and 81 followers emerged from exile to land in Cuba at Coloradas Beach. Although they were
defeated by government forces, they escaped into the Sierra Maestra, a mountainous region of eastern Cuba. The following May,
they captured the government garrison at El Uvero. Then, on New Year’s Day in 1959, the rebels captured Santiago, eastern Cuba’s
largest city. When dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country, Castro and his forces made a triumphant march across Cuba to the
capital of Havana.
Cuban Migration to the
United States, 1959–1980