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In 1952, former Cuban president Batista

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led a military coup and seized power

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when it became clear he was not going to

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be re-elected. He placed Cuba under a

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repressive military dictatorship

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and began to establish close relations

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with the United States.

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This allowed American

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companies to buy up the majority of

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Cuba's natural resources, plus under his

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rule, the country became a haven for

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organized crime syndicates, all of which

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angered a young lawyer named Fidel Castro.

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Castro put together a group of 138 men