History of Cuba

Christopher Columbus reached Cuba on October 28, 1492, and wrote in his logbook: "The most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen." At that time, the island was inhabited by Taíno Indians — a peaceful people who cultivated cassava and lived in bohíos (palm huts). Within a few decades, the Taíno were nearly exterminated by diseases, forced labor, and violence.

Spanish colonization began in 1511 under Diego Velázquez, who founded seven settlements — including Baracoa (1511), Santiago de Cuba (1515), and Havana (1519). Havana became the hub of the Spanish colonial empire thanks to its strategic location: Here, the silver and gold fleets from Mexico and Peru gathered before crossing the dangerous Atlantic. Pirates like Francis Drake and Henry Morgan regularly hunted for the treasures.

From the 18th century, sugar became the engine of the Cuban economy — and the fuel for one of the most brutal slave economies in the world. Between 1790 and 1880, over 800,000 African slaves were brought to Cuba to work on the sugar plantations. Slavery was abolished in Cuba only in 1886 — the last country in the Western Hemisphere after Brazil. The African roots still shape Cuba's culture today: in music (Son, Rumba), religion (Santería), and cuisine.

In 1898, Spanish rule ended with the Spanish-American War. The USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor (probably an accident), and the USA used it as a pretext for intervention. Cuba became formally independent — but in fact, a US satellite state.

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.

After the victory, Fidel Castro nationalized companies, plantations, and real estate — including the Mafia casinos and US firms. The USA responded with a trade embargo (in effect since 1962 and still ongoing), which economically isolated Cuba. Castro turned to the Soviet Union.

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

In October 1962, the Soviet Union stationed nuclear missiles in Cuba — 150 km from Florida. For 13 days, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. The crisis ended with the withdrawal of the missiles in exchange for the USA's promise not to invade Cuba. It was the most dangerous moment of the Cold War.

Soviet Era & Special Period

From 1961 to 1991, Cuba was massively subsidized by the Soviet Union: oil, food, industrial goods in exchange for sugar. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba lost 80% of its trade volume overnight. This was followed by the Special Period — the worst economic crisis in Cuban history. GDP fell by 35%, there were power outages, hunger, no gasoline. Many Cubans lost 10–15 kg in body weight.

Cuba survived through tourism (massively expanded from 1995), remittances from Cuban exiles (remesas), and Venezuelan oil (under Hugo Chávez). Fidel Castro ruled until 2006, then handed over power to his brother Raúl Castro, who initiated cautious economic reforms: private businesses (cuentapropistas), Casas Particulares, Paladares.

Today

Since 2019, Miguel Díaz-Canel has been in power — the first non-Castro since 1959. The economic situation is tense: the 2021 currency reform (abolition of the CUC, only CUP) led to massive inflation. Protests in July 2021 (the largest since 1959) showed the population's discontent. The emigration wave continues — over 300,000 Cubans left the country in 2022 alone. Cuba is in its most difficult moment since the Special Period.