# Canonical recap data for Castro Takes Power in Cuba (1959)
# Source: https://recap.at/1959/cuban-revolution-victory
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: cuban-revolution-victory
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1959/cuban-revolution-victory"
title: Castro Takes Power in Cuba
aliases:
- Cuban Revolution
- Fall of Batista
- Triumph of the Revolution
- January 1, 1959
subtitle: Fidel Castro's triumph over Batista established the Western Hemisphere's first communist state and redrew Cold War geopolitics for six decades.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1959-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1959
decade: 1950
country:
name: Cuba
slug: cuba
summaryShort: Alessandro Elias Castro Villeda is a Honduran soccer player who plays as a midfielder for VfR Mannheim in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden in Germany.
summaryLong: Alessandro Elias Castro Villeda is a Honduran soccer player who plays as a midfielder for VfR Mannheim in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden in Germany.
lede: On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro's revolutionary forces entered Havana after toppling Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, ending a brutal seven-year conflict that killed thousands. The victory transformed Cuba from a U.S.-aligned authoritarian state into the Western Hemisphere's first socialist nation, reshaping Cold War politics for decades.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/4617/38714677860_58130f9868_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"After Raul: What Next for Cuba’s Political Economy?\" by InterAmericanDialogue is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/."
importance: 87
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Duration of conflict
  value: 7 years (1952–1959)
- label: Distance from U.S. mainland
  value: 90 miles
- label: Estimated deaths in conflict
  value: Over 1,000
- label: Batista's exile destination
  value: Dominican Republic
- label: Castro's initial position
  value: Prime Minister (January 1959)
- label: Year of U.S. embargo
  value: "1962"
- label: Key rebel leader (besides Castro)
  value: Che Guevara
timeline:
- date: 1952-03-10
  title: Batista seizes power
  description: General Fulgencio Batista stages a coup d'état, overthrowing President Carlos Prío and establishing a military dictatorship.
- date: 1953-07-26
  title: Moncada Barracks attack
  description: Fidel Castro leads an assault on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The attack fails; Castro is captured and imprisoned.
- date: 1955-05-15
  title: Castro released from prison
  description: Batista grants amnesty to political prisoners, including Castro. Castro immediately begins organizing revolutionary activities.
- date: 1956-12-02
  title: Granma expedition
  description: Castro and 81 rebels, including Che Guevara, land in Oriente Province aboard the yacht Granma to initiate armed insurgency.
- date: 1957-05-28
  title: Battle of El Uvero
  description: Rebel forces score first significant military victory against Batista's army in the Sierra Maestra mountains.
- date: 1958-12-29
  title: Santa Clara falls
  description: Che Guevara captures the city of Santa Clara after a decisive three-day battle, effectively severing Cuba in two.
- date: 1959-01-01
  title: Batista flees Cuba
  description: President Fulgencio Batista abandons Havana and flees to the Dominican Republic as rebel forces advance on the capital.
- date: 1959-01-02
  title: Castro declares victory in Havana
  description: Fidel Castro enters Havana and declares the revolutionary triumph. He assumes role of Prime Minister under figurehead President Manuel Urrutia.
- date: 1959-02-16
  title: Castro becomes Prime Minister officially
  description: Castro formally assumes office as Prime Minister of Cuba, consolidating control of the government.
- date: 1961-04-17
  title: Bay of Pigs invasion
  description: U.S.-backed Cuban exiles attempt to invade Cuba to overthrow Castro. The invasion fails within three days, cementing Castro's grip on power.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Castro"
  title: Alessandro Castro
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Castro's takeover triggered the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, a half-century U.S. embargo, and forced migration waves that reshaped Miami and American foreign policy. It created the Cold War's most consequential flashpoint in the Western Hemisphere and proved that communist revolution could take root 90 miles from Florida.
categories:
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- revolution
- regime_change
- coup
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
- governance
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Fidel Castro seizes power in Cuba, toppling Batista and establishing the hemisphere's first socialist state.
wikidataQid: Q54166034
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20250225103924/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Castro"
  capturedAt: 2025-02-25
  label: Alessandro Castro
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Castro"
