ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the Cuban Revolution and its causes and impacts. The chapter describes Cuba’s wars for independence and the role of Jose Martí. Political and economic relationships with the US are depicted and how these affected Cuba’s revolutionary movements. The life, ideas, and actions of the Cuban Revolution’s main leader Fidel Castro are detailed, along with important roles played by others such as Che Guevara and Celia Sánchez. The chapter portrays the characteristics and events of the revolution and decisions by the revolutionary leaders upon victory. The connection among emigration of opponents of the revolution, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the Cuban Missile Crisis is explained. The chapter describes Cuba’s assistance to foreign revolutionaries, Guevara’s guerrilla foco approach and failure in Bolivia and how this affected revolutionary movements elsewhere. Cuba’s roles in Angola and in helping to defeat apartheid in South Africa are explained along with how Cuba coped with loss of assistance following the cold war. Effects of the US embargo against Cuba are depicted as well as further hostile actions by the US and other nations. The chapter describes Cuba’s relationships with leftist governments as well as Cuba’s medical internationalism and role in combatting the coronavirus pandemic worldwide.
