One late afternoon, a United States satellite orbiting in space picked up an unsettling and unexplained image. If there was one thing every Cuban loved, it was baseball. All Cuban military bases in 1952 had at least one baseball field to give the soldiers something recreational to do. The satellite image showed a select few bases without any baseball fields; these bases had soccer fields constructed instead. A CIA consultant noticed this and it raised questions in his mind as he observed, “Cubans play baseball, Russians play soccer.” The Cuban Missile Crisis was due to a chain of events involving the United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union. Those events began with Fulgencio Batista becoming a dictator, Fidel Castro revolting against the
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He served as the president of Cuba from 1940 until 1944. However, in the year 1952, Batista returned to leadership through a military coup. Batista’s coup d'etat had no fatalities and was as peaceful as it could be. His presidential actions did not reflect the same characteristics. Fulgencio Batista was no longer a democratic president, he was an all powerful leader. “He was called El Hombre, ‘the Man,’ and for three decades he was one of Cuba's most controversial leaders.” He held power for eight years and Cubans had mixed feelings about him. Rolando Gonzalez-Alonso, a native Cuban, shared the common opinion of the dictator, “Some people liked Batista, but some people hated Batista. They hated him because he killed many people, but he killed the people who were against him.” This goes to show that the Cuban political scene was in chaos and somewhat fragile. Cuba had two consecutive successful military coups within the span of ten years. Before the coup as a democratic president, Batista was successful and well liked. He expanded the school system, grew the economy, and sponsored public works. It was not until 1952 when he performed a military coup against the government, that he was disliked. Fulgencio Batista never returned to power again and moved to the Dominican Republic after being forcefully removed from office in
He served as the president of Cuba from 1940 until 1944. However, in the year 1952, Batista returned to leadership through a military coup. Batista’s coup d'etat had no fatalities and was as peaceful as it could be. His presidential actions did not reflect the same characteristics. Fulgencio Batista was no longer a democratic president, he was an all powerful leader. “He was called El Hombre, ‘the Man,’ and for three decades he was one of Cuba's most controversial leaders.” He held power for eight years and Cubans had mixed feelings about him. Rolando Gonzalez-Alonso, a native Cuban, shared the common opinion of the dictator, “Some people liked Batista, but some people hated Batista. They hated him because he killed many people, but he killed the people who were against him.” This goes to show that the Cuban political scene was in chaos and somewhat fragile. Cuba had two consecutive successful military coups within the span of ten years. Before the coup as a democratic president, Batista was successful and well liked. He expanded the school system, grew the economy, and sponsored public works. It was not until 1952 when he performed a military coup against the government, that he was disliked. Fulgencio Batista never returned to power again and moved to the Dominican Republic after being forcefully removed from office in