Fulgencio Batista

General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was the de facto leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1940 and the country's de jure President from 1940 to 1944 and again, after a coup, from 1952 to 1959.

Youth and first rule

Batista was born in Banes, Cuba in 1901 and considered socially mulatto (mixed African and Spanish blood, with additional admixture of Filipino and Amerindian). Said to be the son of Mambi (Cuban Wars of Independence fighter) Belisario Batista, he joined the army in 1921. Sergeant Batista led the 1933 "Sergeants' Revolt" which replaced the Provisional Government of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who had previously ousted Gerardo Machado. Ramón Grau was made president and Batista became the Army Chief of Staff and effectively controlled the presidency. One should note in passing that Fidel and Raul Castro were born in Biran (from a malevolent Taino dog deity Opiel-Guao-Biran) which is relatively near Banes. The Batista and Castro families had social contact. Batista is known to have given Fidel Castro a large wedding present, and Raul is commonly believed to be the son of a senior Batista officer.

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During this period Batista violently suppressed a number of attempts to defeat his control. These attempts include the squashing of a rising in ancient Atares fort (Havana) by Blas Hernández, a rural guerrilla who had fought Machado. Many of those who surrendered were executed. Others attempts include, the attack on the Hotel Nacional where Cuban former army officers of the Cuban Olympic rifle team put up stiff resistance until they were defeated. Here again Batista troops executed a good number of the surrendered. The irony is that many of these officers had helped overthrow Machado. There were many other, often minor and almost unrecorded attempted revolts against Batista. These too were bloodily suppressed. These minor revolts included one in Guamá, a place in the Sierra Maestra south of Guisa, where the followers of an anti-Batista Guerrilla leader known as ?Gamboa? (apparently a member, or former member, of the Antonio Guiteras anti-Machado guerrillas) were defeated and dispersed.

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Grau was president for just over 100 days before being replaced with Carlos Mendieta y Montefur (11 months), then Jose Barnet y Vinajeras (5 months), and then Miguel Gomez y Arias (7 months) before Federico Laredo Brú managed to rule from December 1936 to October 1940.

Related Topics:
Carlos Mendieta y Montefur - Jose Barnet y Vinajeras - Miguel Gomez y Arias - Federico Laredo Brú - 1936 - 1940

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In October, Batista was popularly elected as President of Cuba. During his tenure, he drafted the 1940 constitution (later approved by President Grau,) widely regarded as a progressive document with regards to labor, unemployment, and social security, and implemented several liberal economic reforms. In 1944, Batista was forbidden by law to seek re-election by term limits and was succeeded by Grau. Batista retired in Florida, before returning in 1952.

Related Topics:
Cuba - Progressive - Liberal - 1944 - Florida - 1952

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