ABSTRACT
In the 1950s, as the United States became increasingly involved in Vietnam, Cuba was torn by civil war. Many Cubans took up arms to win a fairer distribution of the island's wealth for the poor, while others aimed at establishing a truly democratic political system. The Cuban revolution had important consequences for the Cuban people, the United States, other countries of the Americas, and other parts of the world. The Cuban revolution had important consequences for the Cuban people, the United States, other countries of the Americas, and other parts of the world. Perception of foreign dominance and exploitation of the Cuban economy, high unemployment, declining real income, and the poverty of the rural population all contributed to the growth of mass discontent preceding the revolution. Fidel Castro believed that Marxist-Leninist-style socialism could solve Cuba's socioeconomic problems, such as high inequality, unemployment, crime, and corruption.
