o overthrew the present govennment and cancelled the election (Britannica). Although Castro protested Batista’s overtthrow violated the constitution, the court rejected his claim (Britannica). Castro, in an attempt to launch an attack against the military and overthrow Batista, failed in that attempt and was, subsequently, imprisoned in 1953 (Britannica). Upon Castro’s release in 1955, he traveled to Mexico and organized a revolutionary movement (Britannica). When that movement failed in its attempt to overthrow Batista, Castro, his brother, and nine other rebels hid out in the Sierra Maestra Mountains (Britannica). Gathering the support of roughly eight hundred men, Castro’s guerilla campaign overthrew the Batista regime in 1959. “Euphoria is the only word to describe Havana’s mood in the early days of 1959“ (Skidmore, 276). Castro, promising great hope to those desperate for a “new political message“, quickly rose to “heroic status” (276). A brilliant propagandist and charismatic orator, Castro became premier and established a totalitarian government that benefited the working class at the expense of the middle class (CNN). Creating a one-party government to exercised dictatorial control over all aspects of Cuba’s political, economic, and cultural life, Castro quelled any political opposition and began to pursue more radical policies (Britannica). As a result of these policies, Many members of Cuba’s upper and middle classes felt betrayed and, therefore, chose to immigrate to the United States (Britannica).Relations between the United States and Cuba began to deteriorate, as well (History, 1). Instituting the Agrarian Reform Law in 1959, Castro nationalized all 2holdings over a thousand acres and forbid foreign land ownership (1). The UnitedStates, as well as other critics, questioned if Castro’s Agrarian Reform Law was a first step toward communi...
