Fulgencio Batista Y Castro (Ingles)

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE ORGANIZATION
Diploma Programme



Historical Investigation












Why was Castro able to defeat Batista during the Cuban Revolution?



History – Standard Level
Diploma Session: November 2009



Word Count: 2000







Table of contentsPages
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………2
A. Plan of investigation …………………………………………………………………..3
B. Summary of evidence …………………………………………………………………3-6
C. Evaluation of sources …………………………………………………………………7-8
D. Analysis ………………………………………………………………………………..8-9
E. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………..10
F. List of Sources…………………………………………………………………………11-12
















Why Was Castro able to defeat Batista during the Cuban Revolution?

A) Plan of investigation:


Since the 1800s the United States (U.S) had a great influence in Cuba. As a consequence, in 1952 Fulgencio Batista decided to establish himself as the Cuban president by a military coup. He gained opposition, especially by the 26th of July movement, led by Fidel Castro. In 1956 Castro refuged inSierra Maestra Mountains, location where he destroyed Batista’s army in the Cuban Revolution. So there is a need to answer this question: Why Was Castro able to defeat Batista during the Cuban Revolution? In order to answer, this investigation will concentrate on the guerrilla tactics, such as hit and run tactics, sabotage, mining, roadblocks, among others, used by Castro and on Batista’s actionsthat contributed to his defeat. Two sources will be evaluated, Modern Latin America by Thomas Skidmore and Peter Smith and The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course and legacy by Marifeli Perez-Stable


B) Summary of Evidence:

According to Ernesto Guevara, remarkable leader of the revolution there must be three fundamental lessons of the guerrilla: “(1) Popular Forces can win a war againstthe army. (2) It is not necessary to wait until all conditions for making the revolution exists; the insurrection can create them. (3) In underdeveloped America the countryside is the basic area for armed fighting” (Guevara, 1960, p. 7). Castro and Guevara applied them to gain popular support among the natives in Sierra Maestra and the Cuban population.


“Fulgencio Batista, obtained powerin 1952, using repressive methods with the population” (Halperin, 1993, p.287). “As a consequence, Fidel Castro attacked Moncada barracks in 1953 to spark a general insurrection in Cuba. He failed and he was exiled in Mexico.”(Halperin, 1993, p.288) “In 1956 Fidel returned to Cuba with an army made of revolutionaries as Ernesto Guevara, and looked for refuge in Sierra Maestra Mountain, sufferingserious casualties” (Skidmore & Smith, 2001, p.306).


In 1956 Castro and Jose Antonio Echevarria, leader of the Revolutionary Directorate (DRE) signed a pact in which both joined forces against Batista. Echevarria attacked from the cities. (Perez-Stable, 1999, p.103)


“In 1957, Echaverria tried to assassinate Batista at the presidential palace, however he failed and more revolutionariesdecided to stand against Batista.” (Perez-Stable, 1999, p.103 – 104)


“In early 1958 U.S Government sent arm supplies to Batista and Cubans exiled in U.S sent arm supplies to Castro. However, Batista violated the naval reform, which stated that Batista could not use the naval weapons of the U.S for domestic conditions. As a consequence the U.S suspended in March the arms shipments toBatista”. (Haynes & Keen, 2004, p.438)


“In mid- 1958 Batista launched the “Summer Operation” over Sierra Maestra. This operation, reduced to the La Plata Battle, Santo Domingo Battle and Las Mercedes Battle.” (Garcini, 2008
In La Plata battle, first the guerrilla fighters applied hit and run tactics, continuous attacks. They did not give the...