The main event that preceded the Cuban Revolution of 1959 was the assault on the Moncada barracks, in Santiago de Cuba, on July 26, 1953. The action led by the then student Fidel Castro Its objective was to enter the barracks and pick up the weapons that were there to distribute among the population and initiate an action to remove General Fulgência Batista.
Commemorative stamp of the assault on the Moncada barracks in 1953. With this action, Fidel Castro began the process that would culminate in the Cuban Revolution in 1959.*
The assault on the barracks took place during the carnival in Santiago de Cuba, which takes place at the end of July, and planned to take over two buildings adjacent to the Moncada barracks. One was the Palace of Justice, whose troops were commanded by Raul Castro. The other was a military hospital also occupied by troops led by Abel Santamaria. A third group would carry out the assault on the main target and was commanded by Fidel Castro. However, the action failed. Fidel Castro's disguise was uncovered, triggering the reaction of the troops who were garrisoning the barracks. Quickly the rebels were defeated and later arrested.
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During his trial, Fidel Castro made his own defense, arguing about the need to overthrow the dictator Batista in order to improve living conditions on the island. This defense became known as “History will absolve me”, due to the fact that this sentence was said at the end of the defense.
In 1955, political prisoners were amnesty, and Fidel Castro's group headed to Mexico, creating the embryo of the guerrilla that would overthrow Batista in 1959, called July 26th Movement. It was in this exile that Fidel met Che Guevara and convinced him to participate in the process that would result in the Cuban Revolution.
Because it started the Revolution, the date of the assault on the Moncada barracks is known as the National Rebellion Day, a holiday stipulated by the Cuban government to commemorate one of the first attempts to end Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship.
* Image credits: MarkauMark and Shutterstock.com
By Tales Pinto
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PINTO, Tales of the Saints. "Assault on the Moncada barracks and the Cuban Revolution"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/assalto-ao-quartel-moncada-revolucao-cubana.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.