Fidel Castro's Rise to Power Timeline

July 1953:

Castro and followers attempt to capture the Moncada military barracks

• hopefully would overrun the Batista regime
• 111 followers participated; 61 killed after the fact by overaggressive Batista endorsed forces
• seen as a sign of military brutality

September 1953:

Castro denounces Batista regime in court.

May 1955:

Batista signs amnesty bill for Castro and his comrades in light of public support

July 1955:

Castro flees Cuba, like his brother Raul, for Mexico, in order to train a revolutionary force without fear of assassination from Batista

January 1956:

Castro denies any and all ties with the Communist party when rumors surface which Castro claims were supported by Batista

October 1956:

Fidel and Che Guevara meet.  Meanwhile, the revolutionary force is deemed ready for combat.

November 1956:

Castro’s team loads into a boat with 84 men and embarks for Cuba.Technical difficulties caused the boat to be delayed two days.

December 2nd 1956:

Unaware of the delay, Frank Pais attempted to stage an uprising in Santiago, which failed miserably.

Dec. 4th:

Castro and his crew arrive on the Cuban shores in which they were hunted until only 16 men survived.  -These survivors fled into the Sierra Maestra.

February 1957:

Castro releases his first manifesto in which he preaches for a liberated and free Cuba

Spring 1957:

The rebels’ philosophy of paying for the food they took from the peasants and the persecution of wrong doers in the Sierra Maestra endeared the rebels to the peasants.

March 1957:

Herbert L. Matthews is smuggled into the rebels’ camp in which Castro presents his forces as immensely stronger than reality, a form of propaganda which gives the revolution further support and credibility.

Later in March:

Student-led organization attempted to assassinate Batista by storming the National Palace. = BIG FAIL

August 1957:

Protest strikes spread across Cuba due to the murder of Frank Pais by the police

Spring 1958:

Rebel forces control a large area of the Sierra Maestra and released accurate military reports through Radio Rebelde which contrasted the fantasies of the pro-Batista media

-Rebels set up rudimentary hospitals, a printing press, and workshops for wartime goods

April 1958:

Castro was pressured into endorsing a strike that was considered a complete failure which led to Castro’s distancing from any and all parties.

Later in April:

Castro releases statement to reassure business elite

May 1958:

Castro releases the Caracas Pact, which promotes agrarian reform, restoration of constitutional and democratic rights, and the promise of economic and social progress

-Money begins to flow in from the Cuban elite who felt the need for economic reforms and a revision of the current political system