Page 54 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

52  INTRODUCING CUBA

The Cuban Revolution

In exile in Mexico after the attack on the
Moncada army barracks, on 25 November 1956
Fidel Castro left for Cuba on the yacht Granma
with 81 other revolutionaries, including Che
Guevara and Raúl Castro. Three days later, after
landing, they were attacked by Batista’s troops.
Only a few escaped to the Sierra Maestra, where
they began to organize their guerrilla war. The attack against the Moncada barracks
The miserable living conditions of the people took place on 26 July 1953. The rebels took
and ever-increasing corruption and repression advantage of the Carnival festivities to make
a move in the dead of night, but the attack
lent impetus to their struggle. The rebel army, ended in failure.
which included farmers, students, women and
regular army deserters, defeated Batista’s
troops after two years of fighting. Santa Clara was the scene of the battle
that marked the triumph of the Revolution.
After the rebels’ victory, Batista fled to
Key Havana was occupied by Che Santo Domingo (31 December 1958).
Guevara’s guerrillas, while Fidel
Raúl Castro’s march Castro entered Santiago de Cuba Havana
(1 January 1959).
Che Guevara’s march
Matanzas
Camilo Cienfuegos’ march
Pinar del Río
Santa Clara
Cienfuegos

Isla de la
Juventud
Sierra del Escambray was reached
by Che Guevara after an exhausting
march; his men were without food or
shoes and extremely weary but they
were victorious (October 1958).
The Phases of the War
Radio Rebelde was The advance of two columns of guerrillas from the
the guerrillas’ radio
station, set up in the Sierra Maestra – one led by Che Guevara and Camilo
Sierra Maestra by Che Cienfuegos to the west (October 1958), the other by
Guevara in February Raúl Castro bound for Guantánamo – marked the
1958. Its programmes climax of the revolutionaries’ struggle. After the battle
were listened to avidly of Santa Clara and the taking of the city by Guevara’s
all over the island. troops at the end of December, Batista escaped
to Santo Domingo. On 1 January 1959 victory
was declared by the revolutionaries.

The Landing of the Granma
in Cuba took place on
2 December 1956. Due to some
problems at sea, the yacht
landed on 2 December and
not 30 November as planned.
Three days later they were
attacked by Batista’s troops.
Those captured were killed,
while the survivors (including
Fidel and Raúl Castro) took
refuge in the Sierra Maestra.

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