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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

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and on July 26th, 1953, attacked an
isolated

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Barracks in Moncada in the hope of

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securing more weapons. The attack was a

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disaster, and the rebels were fought back.

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securing more weapons. The attack was a

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disaster, and the rebels were fought back.

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Most of those who were not killed were

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captured, including Fidel and his brother

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Raúl. The public trial of the captured

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Rebels helped turn public opinion and

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Castro's favor when he argued against

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the dictatorship and said, "History will

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absolve me". He was sentenced to 15 years

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in prison, but Batista was under

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International and Domestic pressure for

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reforms and released the political

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prisoners in just two years. Fidel and Raúl

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fled to Mexico to regroup and make new

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plans for the revolution. They met with

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other Cuban exiles and an Argentinian

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doctor named Che Guevara, who joined the

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'26th of July Movement'. 
In the meantime, a

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controversial election and increasing

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unemployment in Cuba, led to more and

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more anti-Batista riots, although they

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weren't necessarily socialist. Batista

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responded by becoming even more

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oppressive, which led to even more people

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calling for him to resign. Back in Mexico,

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the revolutionaries purchased a small

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yacht named 'Granma' and in November 1956,

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82 Men set sail for Cuba. The Cuban

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government, however, was aware that the

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rebels were returning to Cuba and

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attacked them. Only a handful of them

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survived to escape up into the mountains.

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From their Mountain Base they gathered

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new supporters and launched guerrilla

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attacks on Military targets. Plus, foreign

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journalists were allowed to visit, and

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along with their Pirate Radio Station,

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this gave their struggle International

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attention and ultimately increased their

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popularity. Meanwhile, in the cities too,

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new rebel groups were launching attacks

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against Batista. Angered and desperate, in

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1958, Batista sent a large army into the

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mountains to try and flush the rebels

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out once and for all. However, this was a