The Revolution (1953–1959)

In the 1950s, Cuba under dictator Fulgencio Batista was a playground for the American Mafia: Havana was the Las Vegas of the Caribbean — casinos, brothels, luxurious hotels. Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, and Frank Sinatra were regular guests. At the same time, the majority of Cubans lived in dire poverty: 40% were illiterate, child mortality was high, and farmworkers toiled for starvation wages on the sugar fields.

The Attack on the Moncada Barracks (1953)

On July 26, 1953, the young lawyer Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba with 160 rebels — a desperate, poorly planned attempt to ignite the uprising. The attack failed, over 60 rebels were killed or tortured. Fidel was arrested and put on trial. His defense speech — "History will absolve me" — became the manifesto of the revolution.

The Granma and the Sierra Maestra (1956–1959)

After his release, Fidel went into exile in Mexico, where he met Ernesto "Che" Guevara. On December 2, 1956, 82 revolutionaries landed on the yacht Granma on Cuba's southern coast — most were immediately killed or captured. Only 12 survived and fled into the Sierra Maestra, including Fidel, Raúl Castro, and Che Guevara.

From the Sierra, they led a three-year guerrilla war that gained more and more supporters. On December 31, 1958, Che's troops stormed Santa Clara, Camilo Cienfuegos took Havana, and Batista fled with 300 million dollars to Santo Domingo. On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro declared the victory of the revolution.