Cuban Revolution - Cold War DOCUMENTARY

Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on the Cuban Revolution of 1953-1959, as we see how the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro managed to defeat the US supported dictator Fulgencio Batista.

#ColdWar #Documentary #Cuba

[ha-meemfirozezaman]

Fun fact: Before the revolution, Cuba was so close to USA that, when Castro gained power after deposing Batista, it initially attracted little attention in Moscow. Soviet planners, resigned to US dominance over the Western Hemisphere, were unprepared for the possibility of a future ally in the region. According to later testimonies from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, neither the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee nor KGB intelligence had any idea who Castro was or what he was fighting for. Khrushchev advised them to consult Cuban communists, who reported that Castro was a representative of the "haute bourgeoisie" and working for the Central Intelligence Agency. It was not until Khrushchev's deputy Anastas Mikoyan's trip to Cuba in February 1960 & the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion the Soviets were convinced that Castro was a communist.

[unr]

I’m surprised there was only a brief, oblique reference to casinos . Gambling interests, read organized crime, exerted considerable influence in Cuban politics throughout the ‘40s and ‘’50s. Hell, everyone from Carlos Marcello to Jack Ruby was running around down there.
But, and there’s always a but, the loss of Cuba spurred the meteoric growth of Las Vegas.

[HistoryHustle]

Amazing to see this channel going strong with quality content. The Cold War was never much of interest to me, but this channel showed me so many interesting details that I keep coming back at it. Thanks and keep up the great work!

[restitutororbis]

Great Video, guys. I have, however, a couple of comments about certain aspects related to the Spanish language (I'm a native speaker):
1) The word 'verano' means 'summer', not 'spring'.
2) The 'g' in the name 'Fulgencio' is a voiceless velar fricative. It's pronounced approximately like the 'h' in 'have' or like the 'ch' in the Scottish pronounciation of the word 'loch'. The same with the name 'Eulogio'.
3) The 'u' in the name 'Guevara' is silent. It's used in this case to change the pronounciation of the 'g': instead of the Scottish 'loch', it is something similar to the English word 'get'.
4) The stress in the name 'Urrutia' is on the the syllable 'rru' instead of 'tia'.
5) The surname 'Guiterrez' is not correctly spelt. It is actually 'Gutiérrez'.

I know, Spanish spelling can be a little bit tricky. 😜

[randomnerd]

So happy that u guys are covering Latin Amerca's role in the cold war, I remembered your Guatemala video & being excited that you guys are covering Latin America in the cold war. The Cuban revolution might be not only the most influential event of the cold war in Latin America but also the most influential event in Latin American history. So much of the US' policy on LA can be traced back to the Cuban revolution & I hope events like The Brazil 64 coup or the 1973 coup of Allende are covered on this channel as both are products of US fear during that time with both Goulart & Allende having ties to Fidel.

[JTA]

The hat, beard & cigar was easily recognized for years. Talk about branding

[stray-wolf]

This dude is quickly becoming one of my favourite people to watch on YouTube. Love this channel.

[aasemahsan]

1:47 Fulgencio Batista takes power following coup
2:52 Fidel Castro's early protests
5:17 Failed coup & it's aftermaths
Fidel, Raul & many other rebels imprisoned (given amnesty after 23 months)
8:09 *26th of July movement*
Castros flee to Mexico (Che Guevara joined the movement here)
9:11 Castro's ideologies
11:13 Gruelling voyage of the rebels from Mexico to Cuba
Pais's ebellion crushed in Cuba
15:33 American reaction
16:54 *Sierra Maestra Manifesto*
19:34*Operation Verano*
Kidnapping of foreign civilians
23:35 Castro continues his attacks
Batista cedes power & gives it to General Cantillo
26:23 Castro takes Santiago & Guevara takes Havana
Urrutia given presidency (nominal)
27:24 Measures taken by Castro
Oppression of Batista supporters
Guevara given power
Castro becomes Prime Minister
Castro's 11 day trip to the US
30:20 Further reforms
Decreasing salary of high officials
Increasing salary of lower officials
Decreasing bills of electricity, gas etc.
*Agrarian reforms*
31:43 Dissents in Cuba & Castro's subsequent resignation (rejoined swiftly)
Urrutia's resignation after public protests
34:21 Oppression of media & opponents
Formation of Cuban Communist Party
35:21 Exodus of many Cubans
Anti-Castro groups
Strain in relationship with America
37:24 Cuba-Soviet alignment & end of diplomatic relations with the US

[nerdasaurus]

Excellent video, this came at the perfect time for me as I have been reading Che Guevara's autobiographical accounts of the Cuban revolution. Amazing work as always

[petterbirgersson]

A small remark: Verano means "summer" not "spring".

[creatoruser]

A ship exploding in Havana harbor causes the blaming of the wrong country for it? Where have I heard that before?

[kuriyamatidusflossy]

You are a true treasure sir....What a great channel!! I watched & listened without blinking my eye 👍👏👏🙏 ....Salute you from Turkiye !!

[garyfrombrooklyn]

"Go fix that" lol I love that way of putting it. Will you be doing Missile Crisis as well as the Bay of Pigs? I’m forming a playlist 😊

[Numba]

I'm very much looking forward to future episodes about Cuba! This was another excellent learning experience for me. Thank you!
Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you, friends! ✝️ :)

[rursus]

Good to see a video that treat the topic in a balanced way, without apologizing nor glorifying, nor vilifying. Children should learn the history of the 20th century, which is too centered around the rise of Fascism and WW2, worthy topics indeed, but the Cold War is at least as important on understanding the current situation in the world.

[Zircillius]

54:1 is an incredibly high upvote-to-downvote ratio for such a divisive subject lol. Great work!

[mitchjervis]

Finally! The video I've been waiting for ever since the election of JFK and The Falklands War from the Argentine perspective.

[mikeytrains]

A good deal of my family was affected by the Cuban Revolution, so I appreciate seeing it covered so well by this channel

[ophthalmophobicnpc]

Wow, its finally here. I had been wondering for months when we would see the next video on the Cuban Revolution.

[vevfd]

The photo you use at 8:10 shows the young journalist René Lévesque interviewing Castro. Lévesque would go on to become Québec's premier and be the driving force behind that provinces independence movement.