Download Cuba - Tapp Middle School

Circle Cuba on
the world map.
What
hemisphere is
Cuba in?
Struggle for Independence
·Originally a colony of Spain
·1898, The Spanish American War. With the
help of the United States, Cuba wins
independence from Spain.
·The U.S. appoints a military governor to
Cuba and sends troops to the island
·1902, Cuba gains full independence. The
U.S. withdraws troops, but still keeps a base
at Guantanamo Bay
Cuba: The richest island in the Caribbean.
·After gaining independence
from Spain, Cuba became the
richest nation in the Caribbean
due to SUGAR.
·Cuba became the place for the
rich and famous to visit.
·Hotels, casinos, and
restaurants were built to cater to
the tourists coming to Cuba.
Fulgencio Batista
·President of Cuba- 1940
·Dictator of Cuba- 1952 by military coup
·Only allowed staged elections
·Good relationship with the United States
·Most Cubans were very poor under
Batista's rule
·He fled from Castro's revolt in 1959stealing millions of dollars
1. Who was Batista?
2. Do you think the Cuban people were happy with
him?
3. How do you think Cubans felt about Americans?
Fidel Castro
·Law degree from University of
Havana
·Disliked Batista's government
·Attacked Moncada Army Barracks in
1953
·Arrested, but pardoned after 2 years
·Lived in exile in Mexico with other
revolutionaries, such as Che Guevara
·Invaded Cuba in 1956, but most of
Castro's small army were killed
·Castro, his brother, and Che Guevara
survived and hid in the Sierra Maestra
moutains
·Batista was forced to flee in 1959 and
Castro took over.
·Many Cubans left after realizing that
the revolution was communist.
Che Guevara
·Marxist (Communist) Revolutionary
·Born in Argentina
·Joined Castro's Revolutionary force
in Mexico
·Helped convert Castro to
communism
·Was captured and executed after a
failed attempt to overthrow the
government in Bolivia (1967)
4. Why do you think Castro had such a poor
relationship with the United States?
5. Why do you think Che Guevara was a hero in the
minds of many Latin Americans?
Castro
Che Guevara
Batista
Had a good
relationship with th
U.S.
Was never the
dictator of any
country
Stole millions of
dollars from Cuba
Was a military
dictator
Took over all U.S.
property in Cuba Established a
relationship with
Soviet Union
Helped Castro take
over Cuba
Cuban Revolution
·An army led by Fidel Castro and others
overthrew the government of Cuba on January 1,
1959.
·Castro took control of the country by July of 1959
·The people of Cuba welcomed the new
leadership and ideas of Fidel Castro
·Cuba will become a communist nation, and will
break ties with the U.S.
·Today the U.S. has a trade embargo with Cuba
·People from the U.S. are not able to travel freely
to Cuba, Cubans are unable to leave their country
6. What language do most people in Cuba
speak?
7. What religion would you expect to be the
most common in Cuba?
8. Why don't they celebrate Christmas?
9. Why might some Cubans think that Castro
has helped their nation and others think he has
hurt it?
Why does the United States own part of Cuba?