On this day in 1959, U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country following the victory of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement (M-26-7) at the Battle of Santa Clara, marking the successful conclusion of the Cuban Revolution.

The 26th of July Movement takes its name from the date of with a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953, however, the movement bearing this name was not formally organized until the attackers were released from prison in 1955. Public resistance continued sporadically until November 1956, when 80 members of the M-26-7 returned from exile.

Soon after landing on the island, a separate revolutionary group, the “Directorio Revoluncionari Estudiantil” (DRE), unsuccessfully attempted an attack on the Presidential Palace in Havana.

Throughout 1957, armed resistance from groups such as the DRE and M-26-7 would escalate. After a failed offensive by the government against rebels in the summer of 1958, the rebels launched a major counter-offensive.

On December 28th, 1958, after a fraudulent election in favor of Batista, revolutionary forces reached the city of Santa Clara. Seizing equipment from an armored train intended to transport government reinforcements, the rebels quickly captured the city, prompting Batista to panic and flee to the Dominican Republic with a personal fortune of more than $300 million.

In the following days, revolutionary forces entered Havana with no resistance, and Castro established a provisional government. The 26th of July Movement later reformed along Marxist–Leninist lines, becoming the Communist Party of Cuba in October 1965.

Batista later settled in fascist Spain, dying there in 1973 at the age of 72.

The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto “Ché” Guevara

Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War by Ernesto “Ché” Guevara

History Will Absolve Me by Fidel Castro

To the U.N. General Assembly, The Problem of Cuba and its Revolutionary Policy by Fidel Castro

r/Communism Cuba and Fidel Castro Megathread

r/Communism Another Cuba and Fidel Megathread

lecture from Michael Parenti about Cuba

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  • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    5 days ago

    Talking about how depressing Soviet housing is. And besides the fact that it’s housing people, has anyone who has made the criticism ever been inside of a tiny 1 bedroom condo of the “pretty” glass and steel condo buildings? Besides being small the shape is actually deranged. Canada hasn’t produced a single livable apartment in like 35 years. It’s actually fucking crazy, it does feel like as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed the west decided it could stop pretending it ever cared about people.

    • Rojo27 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      5 days ago

      Besides being small the shape is actually deranged.

      In my 2 years looking for an apartment I’ve come to realize that this is a huge problem. Its especially upsetting when you see apartments that have clearly been gut renovated and the way the space is redesigned is an absolute nightmare to work with.

      • hexaflexagonbear [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        5 days ago

        For condos developers are constantly redrawing floorplans, and also design around external aesthetics of the building and of course optimizing the number of units and how they’re marketed. They want technically to increase the square footage and the add a “den”. I think those together is why you end up with funky shapes, random carved out spaces.