9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In 1952, former Cuban president Batista 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 led a military coup and seized power 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when it became clear he was not going to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 be re-elected. He placed Cuba under a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 repressive military dictatorship 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and began to establish close relations 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with the United States. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This allowed American 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 companies to buy up the majority of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Cuba's natural resources, plus under his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 rule, the country became a haven for 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 organized crime syndicates, all of which 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 angered a young lawyer named Fidel Castro. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Castro put together a group of 138 men 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and on July 26th, 1953, attacked an[br]isolated 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Barracks in Moncada in the hope of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 securing more weapons. The attack was a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 disaster, and the rebels were fought back. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 securing more weapons. The attack was a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 disaster, and the rebels were fought back. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Most of those who were not killed were 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 captured, including Fidel and his brother 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Raúl. The public trial of the captured 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Rebels helped turn public opinion and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Castro's favor when he argued against 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the dictatorship and said, "History will 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 absolve me". He was sentenced to 15 years 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in prison, but Batista was under 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 International and Domestic pressure for 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 reforms and released the political 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 prisoners in just two years. Fidel and Raúl 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fled to Mexico to regroup and make new 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 plans for the revolution. They met with 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 other Cuban exiles and an Argentinian 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 doctor named Che Guevara, who joined the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 '26th of July Movement'. [br]In the meantime, a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 controversial election and increasing 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 unemployment in Cuba, led to more and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 more anti-Batista riots, although they 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 weren't necessarily socialist. Batista 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 responded by becoming even more 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 oppressive, which led to even more people 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 calling for him to resign. Back in Mexico, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the revolutionaries purchased a small 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 yacht named 'Granma' and in November 1956, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 82 Men set sail for Cuba. The Cuban 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 government, however, was aware that the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 rebels were returning to Cuba and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 attacked them. Only a handful of them 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 survived to escape up into the mountains. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 From their Mountain Base they gathered 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 new supporters and launched guerrilla 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 attacks on Military targets. Plus, foreign 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 journalists were allowed to visit, and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 along with their Pirate Radio Station, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this gave their struggle International 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 attention and ultimately increased their 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 popularity. Meanwhile, in the cities too, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 new rebel groups were launching attacks 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 against Batista. Angered and desperate, in 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 1958, Batista sent a large army into the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 mountains to try and flush the rebels 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 out once and for all. However, this was a