Batista's Rise and Fall

Batista’s Rise & Fall

During the Cuban Revolution, there were two main nationalists who were opposed by the United States in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s.  We know these individuals as Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara.  Though, before their attempts to overthrow the Cuban government’s dictator, the object of dictatorship had been the none other than Ruben Fulgencio Batista Zaldivar.

Although he came from a mixed racial background (Negro, white, Indian and Chinese) and had been raised by parents who worked in a sugar plantation, he eventually worked his way into the military and reached the role of a sergeant.  This background also folds into how his inevitable rule connected with the ideologies of Marxism, and his continual rise in class.  This can be further identified during the uprising in 1933, known as the “Revolt of the Sergeants.”  After overthrowing the liberal government of Gerardo Machado, of which liberals had yet to relinquish any beliefs, Batista stuck with his militaristic conformity and emerged a self-appointed chief of the armed forces.

When it came to power, Batista had remained a US military dictator, who not only was further encouraged by a US Ambassador, but basically ran the country, which did little for the economic status of Cuba.  Although there was a sort of presidency that existed during Batista’s presence, the focus of having an arsenal completely destabilized the government of Cuba.  The depressing lifestyle of Cuban civilians was greatly deprived of common resources needed to survive.  Batista only maintained his reign and existence in the higher social class while the poorer individuals remained excluded and continued to over-populate the desolate streets of Cuba.  Nevertheless, under the new constitution in 1940, Batista became president and increased trade with the U.S. and wrote off a series of war taxes.

After being relinquished presidential power in 1951, Batista was reelected again in 1952, and had developed newer ways to feed the richer classes with large-scale gambling in Havana.  While doing nothing for the citizens of Cuba who still remained in poverty, he continued to only support the wealthy.  Although he had acknowledged the fact that the constitutional elements of Cuba were in need of an altercation, and even claimed the “democratic and progressive essence of 1940” had been incorporated into the new law, there was little to be said about the democracy of Cuba when Batista had his sights set on the fortunes made from his American business.  His loyalties to Latin American cultures had seemed to have faded with the success of this organized crime.

From my own experience watching films like “Scarface” for example, where a fictitious refugee rises as a drug lord while originally being one of the Cuban refugees from a harbor at Mariel, I found there to be a bit of a similarity with how Batista’s own rise to power came with enough determination and know-how from his own initial profession as sergeant.  Though, at the peak of Batista’s reign, it had eventually been hindered and eventually ceased by the efforts of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and other revolutionists who called for an end to Batista’s dedication to US soil and unconstitutional manner.  This in turn caused to gradually step from suspension of his guarantees in the new constitution to his formal resignation in 1959.

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086250/plotsummary

              http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/batista.htm