General & Miscellaneous Armed Forces, Cuba - History
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Overview
This book is the work of a journalist/scholar who witnessed at firsthand many of the activities of the Cuban military in recent years. The study begins in colonial times, with the Spanish occupation of the island, and then moves through the wars for independence and the military role in the early years of the new republic. In the 1930s an army sergeant, Fulgencio Batista, rises to power through a coup and runs the country for eleven years. Batista voluntarily departs and Cuba has eight years of turbulent democracy, after which Batista launches a second successful coup.A young politician named Fidel Castro, his brother Raul and an Argentinean adventurer, Ernesto Guevara, land with a small expedition in eastern Cuba. A civil war has begun which lasts two years. The rebels are victorious and it is now Castro's turn in power. He builds one of the most formidable military forces in the hemisphere. He defeats an exile invading force backed by the United States. He fields two armies in Africa and involves Cuba in other military activities on that continent and in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
But the Cold War is now over; Cuba's adventures abroad have ended. The author details how the armed forces today play a key role in domestic developments as Cuba prepares for the post-Castro period.
Book Details
Published
October 1, 2000
Publisher
Ancient Mariners Pr
Pages
441
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780970072115