ABSTRACT
The victory of Fidel Castro, the "Maximum Leader", and his movement not only produced a Communist regime in Cuba but set off bloody civil wars in several Latin American countries and shaped developments in post-colonial Africa. The general problems of Latin America were no secret in 1950s: horrible poverty, exploitation, illiteracy, and an extremely high birth-rate that complicated almost all other problems. Cuba had an excellent transportation system. Some 80 percent of Cubans were literate, a good level by Latin American standards; most illiterates were in rural areas. Cuban politics were dirty, even by Latin American standards. Up to the 1930s, Cuba was ruled by a succession of corrupt civilian politicos, culminating in the tyranny of Machado. Castro gained financing from many sources both in Cuba and exile. Helped by a Spanish Republican officer, Alberto Bayo, he trained men for a landing in Oriente to coincide with a general uprising there and attacks in cities by the Directorio Revolutionario (DR).
