Cuba: An American History

When goods or services are nationalized, they are transferred from private owners to the government. Nationalization of key industries and commodities is a cornerstone of socialist, communist, or mixed economies. Nationalization of US-owned industries operating in Cuba was a key point of tension between the US and Cuba during the Cuban Revolution and at other points in Cuban history. For instance, Cuba nationalized US-owned and operated oil refineries in 1960. Although the companies were paid for their assets by the Cuban government, the companies were not happy with the terms offered and pleaded for US intervention. Similar dynamics played out elsewhere in Latin America, as when the US instigated a coup in Guatemala against President Arbenz when he tried to appropriate land from the United Fruit Company.

The Cuban Liberation Army, also known as the Mambí Army, is the name given to the army that fought against Spanish occupation and for the abolition of enslavement. The Liberation Army first fought in the Ten Years’ War (1868-1878) against Spain. It also fought in the Little War (1879-1880), the War of 1895 (1895-1898), and the Spanish-American War (1898). Many of the soldiers and leaders in the Liberation Army were Black Cubans, some of whom were formerly enslaved people. Antonio Maceo was a key officer in the Liberation Army.

The Revolutionary Directorate was the anti-Batista organization created by University of Havana students in 1954 and led by José Antonio Echeverría. The Revolutionary Directorate felt that the best way to overthrow the Batista government was to assassinate leaders within the Batista administration. They attempted to assassinate Batista in the Presidential Palace in 1957 but failed, and many members of the movement were killed, including their leader, Echeverría. The remaining members of the Revolutionary Directorate joined Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement.