In 1952, former Cuban president Batista

led a military coup and seized power

when it became clear he was not going to

be re-elected. He placed Cuba under a

repressive military dictatorship

and began to establish close relations

with the United States.

This allowed American

companies to buy up the majority of

Cuba's natural resources, plus under his

rule, the country became a haven for

organized crime syndicates, all of which

angered a young lawyer named Fidel Castro.

Castro put together a group of 138 men

and on July 26th, 1953, attacked an
isolated

Barracks in Moncada in the hope of

securing more weapons. The attack was a

disaster, and the rebels were fought back.

securing more weapons. The attack was a

disaster, and the rebels were fought back.

Most of those who were not killed were

captured, including Fidel and his brother

Raúl. The public trial of the captured

Rebels helped turn public opinion and

Castro's favor when he argued against

the dictatorship and said, "History will

absolve me". He was sentenced to 15 years

in prison, but Batista was under

International and Domestic pressure for

reforms and released the political

prisoners in just two years. Fidel and Raúl

fled to Mexico to regroup and make new

plans for the revolution. They met with

other Cuban exiles and an Argentinian

doctor named Che Guevara, who joined the

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

controversial election and increasing

unemployment in Cuba, led to more and

more anti-Batista riots, although they

weren't necessarily socialist. Batista

responded by becoming even more

oppressive, which led to even more people

calling for him to resign. Back in Mexico,

the revolutionaries purchased a small

yacht named 'Granma' and in November 1956,

82 Men set sail for Cuba. The Cuban

government, however, was aware that the

rebels were returning to Cuba and

attacked them. Only a handful of them

survived to escape up into the mountains.

From their Mountain Base they gathered

new supporters and launched guerrilla

attacks on Military targets. Plus, foreign

journalists were allowed to visit, and

along with their Pirate Radio Station,

this gave their struggle International

attention and ultimately increased their

popularity. Meanwhile, in the cities too,

new rebel groups were launching attacks

against Batista. Angered and desperate, in

1958, Batista sent a large army into the

mountains to try and flush the rebels

out once and for all. However, this was a