Cuba Discovered

Many lands were taken as colonial expansion pushed outward in the age of exploration. European nations began to flock to the new world and the newly discovered lands in the east. Britain set up its global empire. Portugal began trading from the East Indies. Spain began claiming land in Central America. One such colony was Cuba, a small Caribbean island that would one day be powerful enough to garner fear from the most powerful nation in the world, whose history is marked by turmoil and rebellion.

Cuba was first discovered by western powers on Columbus’ first voyage in 1492. Three indigenous tribes were on the island, with an estimated population of anywhere from 16,000 to 600,000. These three tribes were the Guanahatabey tribe, the Ciboney tribe, and the Taino tribe. Soldiers and priests arrived on the island in 1511, and Indigenous resistance fell soon afterward. (1)

Cuba Under Spanish Rule

            As Cuba was made into a colony, Native peoples were put to use as slave laborers, and by mid 1500, the majority of the Indigenous population was dead, and a large amount of African slaves were imported to the island. Cuba was also valued by the Spanish as strategically important for controlling the local waterways. In 1569, Havana, Cuba was the central hub for Spanish treasure ships returning to Spain, and the center of all colonial activity. In Cuba’s first change of possession, the British captured Cuba in 1762 during the Seven Years War, or as Americans call it, The French and Indian War. The worst Britain did to Cuba was to make some trade reforms to steal Cuban wealth, all else remained normal for colonial activity. In 1763, almost as soon as it had been taken, Cuba was returned to Spain and the war was over. Spain then made reforms, easing trade restrictions, abolished duties on imports, and opened free slave trade. The economy flourished as a result, and sugar became the colonies greatest export.

            As time progressed, unrest grew in the small colony. In 1812, Antonio Aponte began planning a slave rebellion to take control of the island. However, his efforts were discovered and he and his followers were hanged. This was the beginning of a darker time in Cuba. (2)

Independence- A Century of Fighting

            By mid 1820, Cuba was one of Spain’s few remaining colonies. Most had garnered their freedom from there Spanish overlords, and Cuba didn’t want to be left out. Around1850, A movement for the annexation of Cuba into the United States begins. In 1868, the Ten Years War broke out when a group of poor whites, mulatteos, and free black slaves led a revolt under Carlos Manuel de Cespedos. They demanded independence, a new free republic, and the abolishment of slavery on Cuba. Ultimately, the movement fail, but they managed to gain the freedom of the saves that fought in the revolution. Slavery would not be abolished until 1886. In 1895, under the influence of authors like Jose Marti and movements in politics such as the separatist formed Cuban Revolutionary Party, another civil war broke out on the island. The United States demanded that Spain fix the problem, or cut the island loose altogether to protect U.S. interests. The U.S.S. Maine was sent by the U.S. Navy to Havana to protect American interests there. The ship exploded suddenly and without warning, leaving few survivors. That triggered the Spanish-Cuban-American war in 1895. The last of Spanish forces on Cuba surrendered in July of 1898, and after four years of fighting, an armistice officially ended the fighting in October of the same year. In 1898, on December 10, Spain released claim of Cuba in the Treaty of Paris. However, Cuba was still far from free. 

            In the year 1901, Cuba adopted its first constitution. However, the U.S. insisted upon the incorporation of the Platt Amendment. This allowed the U.S. to intervene in Cuban affairs, limited their ability to make treaties with other governments and allowed the U.S. to build a naval base on the island. The Guantanamo Bay Navy base was built in 1903 under the amendment. 1902 to 1934 is referred to as the Plattist (Amendment) Republic, with the acceptation of the years 1906 to 1909. The time is marked by severe political instability and corruption and a total U.S. domination of Cuban trade and economy. The first Cuban president was Tomas Palma, who won the 1901 election. However in 1906, protests broke out over the next election, and U.S. troops stepped in to settle the issue. Charles E. Magoon ruled over Cuba until the year 1909. Control was then re-diverted back to the Cuban people and the only remaining U.S. presence was the Guantanamo Bay Navy base. In 1912, a lack of equality led to an uprising of black peoples of Cuba. In 1917, a revolt protesting electoral fraud broke out. The U.S. yet again sent troops to resolve the issue. In 1929, Gerado Machado was elected into office. His campaign attacked the Platt Amendment and promised reform. However, he ruled as a dictator fallowing his election. In August of 1933, the army revolts against current government and forces Machado out of office. The next month, Sgt. Fulgancio Batista y Zaldivar and group of university students and professors led a revolt on the new government. Professor Ramon San Gran Martin led the 5-man government, and there efforts sough to reduce U.S. influence on Cuba and make radical changes. They wanted to set eight-hour workdays and require an at least half Cuban work force in Cuban owned businesses. However, the U.S. and many of the Cuban peoples refused to recognize the new government. However, the group was only a prelude to another dramatic change in Cuban history.

            In 1934, a period known as the Batista Era began when Barista forced Gram to resign and ruled as dictator through a puppet government. The Platt amendment was also canceled in the year 1934, however the Guantanamo Bay lease still held. American business also retained its death grip over Cuban economy. Between 1940 and 1950, American businesses controlled 90% of Cuban electrical and telephone systems and 40% of Cuban sugar production. America also remained Cuba’s most important trade partner. Around 1940, a new Cuban Constitution was integrated, and prevented Batista from re-election. In 1952, Batista overthrew Cuban government and resumed his position as Cuban dictator(3). On July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro, then a lawyer, led a revolt on the Moncada Army Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Castro was captured and imprisoned and released in 1955, but was not finished. He fled to Mexico, where he organized the 26 of July Movement, after his first attempt(4). In December of 1956, Castro’s forces land on Cuba. Castro’s forces fail to hold, and he and his surviving forces fled to the Sierra Maestra. Castro began to wage guerilla warfare against the Batista government from his new hideout. Within the same year, a group of university students attempt to assassinate Batista and fail. However, in mid 1958, poor economic conditions after Batista’s attempts to revive the economy win overwhelming support for the rebel forces. Even the United States lost faith in Batista’s government and support the rebel movement. On January 1, 1959, Batista flees the country, and the Castro movement seizes control, where Castro names himself the new Cuban Prime Minister.  Total government Reform is made and the Castro Ear begins.(5)

            At the start of Castro’s reforms, many of the upper class and Cuban elite flee to Florida. Aggressive Cuban internalization efforts strain U.S. relations. In 1960, Castro began seizing U.S. businesses and sugar estates. In he same year, Castro also signs a broad economic pack with the U.S.S.R. By 1961 Castro seized all U.S. businesses in Cuba and the U.S. ceases all diplomatic relations with the island. Cuba also accepted U.S.S.R. military assistance within the same year. The U.S. attempts to overthrow Castro with the Bay of Pigs invasion formed from Cuban exiles and CIA operatives. The failed operation ended with many of the exiles captured, however they were returned to the U.S. in return for non-military supplies (6). Fearing further Invasion, Castro agrees to let Soviet missile silos to be constructed in Cuba. When the U.S. discovered these missiles in October of 1962, President J.F. Kennedy ordered a Naval blockade of the island to stop further weapons shipment and demands the missiles be removed. Threat of total nuclear war lasted for days, but the problem was resolved when the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles if the U.S. removed theirs from Turkey and agreed not to invade Cuba(7). As time passed and the powers of communism fell, Cuba began to suffer from economic troubles again. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba lost its vital economic support. At this point, Cuba was on its own, completely independent. (8)