Independence, Mafia & Revolution
Wars of Independence (1868–1898)
Cuba's struggle against Spain lasted three decades. The national hero José Martí — poet, journalist, and revolutionary — fell in battle in 1895, but his legacy drove the fight forward. In 1898, the USA intervened (Spanish-American War), defeated Spain, and made Cuba a de facto US colony — the infamous Platt Amendment gave the USA the right to intervene militarily at any time.
The Mafia Era (1940s–1950s)
Under dictator Fulgencio Batista, Havana became the playground of the American Mafia: Meyer Lansky built casinos, Frank Sinatra sang at the Hotel Nacional, prostitution flourished, and rum flowed freely. Havana was the Las Vegas of the Caribbean — glamorous, decadent, and corrupt. The dark side: poverty, illiteracy, and brutal repression of the rural population.
The Revolution (1953–1959)
On January 1, 1959, Batista and the Mafia fled, and Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and their revolutionaries marched into Havana. The revolution promised equality, education, and healthcare — and indeed delivered: Cuba still has one of the lowest illiteracy rates in the world and a free healthcare system praised even by the WHO.
The downside: one-party rule, no press freedom, political prisoners, economic isolation, and the US embargo (since 1962), which continues to economically strangle Cuba. The truth about the revolution lies — as so often — somewhere in the middle.
