1959–1962 CE · Americas · Rights
Cuba’s revolution and the changing Cold War alignment
The overthrow of Batista opened a struggle over political power and property. Cuba’s relationship with the United States deteriorated as ties with the Soviet Union strengthened.
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After Batista
The fall of Fulgencio Batista’s government in 1959 brought Fidel Castro and his allies to power. The revolutionary coalition’s victory began a new political struggle rather than settling the country’s direction. U.S. diplomatic records distinguish the government’s establishment from subsequent arguments over agrarian reform and economic property.
Reform and confrontation
Cuban expropriation of U.S. assets and closer relations with the Soviet Union deepened confrontation with Washington. The Eisenhower administration developed plans for covert action against Castro. These developments should be followed as a sequence of decisions rather than projected backwards as a completely fixed alignment at the moment Batista fell.
Bay of Pigs
In April 1961, a CIA-backed force of Cuban exiles attempted an invasion at the Bay of Pigs. The operation failed. It intensified the conflict between Cuba and the United States and formed part of the background to the 1962 missile crisis. U.S. records are detailed evidence of American policy, but do not represent all Cuban experiences.