The rebel leaders in 1958
The Cuban Revolution (1953-1959) was a military conflict in Cuba that was fought between the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and the communists under Fidel Castro.
History[]
Caused by the oppressive rule of pro-United States dictator Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban Revolution originated in the Moncada Barracks attack of 26 July 1953, in which Marxist rebel Fidel Castro attacked an army barracks as the first step of the revolution. It failed, and he was imprisoned. He was later released in an amnesty and he escaped to Mexico, where he met fellow revolutionary Che Guevara, and the two of them formed the 26th of July Movement, a communist revolutionary organization. In 1956, they returned to Cuba, where they fought the government in several battles, including La Plata, Las Mercedes, and Santa Clara. Eventually, Fulgencio Batista's position became untenable as defeats at Guantanamo, Santiago, and Santa Clara occurred. On New Year's Day of 1959, he announced his resignation as president, and communist troops entered Havana, creating a communist country.
The war was significant to organized crime, as Cuba was (along with Las Vegas) the Italian Mafia's main source of casino rackets. They were given business by Fulgencio Batista, but they were later driven out when Castro seized power. Castro gave power to his former comrade-at-arms Esteban Almeida, Don of the Almeida crime family of the Cuban Mafia, and he remained the mob boss of Cuba until his death in 1960. The Italian Mafia attempted to assassinate Castro in 1959, with Dominic Corleone wounding him with a sniper rifle shot in the Presidential Palace, where he stayed as a guest of the president, awaiting a meeting to discuss his past friendship with the government in killing dissident leaders in Havana. However, the Almeidas and Cuban troops chased him out of Havana, and he would only return a while later. The revolution ruined the Mafia's profits in Cuba, and they were forced to operate in America alone.
The revolution also caused economic, political, and social issues in Cuba, with Havana becoming a very poor city. Many poor Cubans attempted to flee to the United States on refugee rafts, and they arrived primarily in Miami, Florida. In 1980, the Mariel Boatlift brought many poor Cubans to Miami, which precipitated the formation of several Cuban gangs and the growth of Little Havana into a drug-ridden ghetto. Famous Mariel Boatlifters include Tony Montana, Manny Ribera, Angel Fernandez, and Chi-Chi, the four of whom were members of the Montana Cartel of Miami, which was the strongest gang in the city in the early 1980s.