Ruthless, self-interested, corrupt, these words very accurately describe the egotistical Mr. Batista and his past crooked regime. It is with good riddance that I see him exile to the Dominican Republic. The corruption in Cuba is over and I take credit. However who am I? What have I accomplished? Much, I have accomplished much in my time rebelling against Batista, stemming from the early fifties. Most likely you are unfamiliar with my previous work and the build up it took to reach my now-known position as prime minister. I shall begin telling you how it became about that I served in prison. It was just a year after Batista’s second coup that I led, among my fellow revolutionaries, and attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago on the 26th of July in 1953. The attack was small and unsuccessful and all of us were slaughtered or captured. I myself was captured and wasn’t released until 1955. However it is prudent to mention the reason I initially joined the revolutionaries. It was during the 1952 elections that I was a lawyer running for a spot in parliament, and thanks to political connections from my wife’s family, the outlook was positive. However the corrupt Batista promptly canceled the elections so he could remain in office and this is when I began to see the severity of the state of corruption in my country. Now to refer back to the previously mentioned jail sentence I served, I was released in 1955 and by that time, Batista, in the wake of our attacks, had terrorized opposition and canceled the 1954 elections to remain in power.
At the time I was released in 1955 student riots against Batista had become common and a huge issue for Batista. These demonstrations were dealt with violently by Batista as he became increasingly reliant on his police being violent and frightening the people from rebelling. It became such an unstable situation that these minor student protests warranted death sentences, and eventually the University of Havana was closed in 1956 and wasn’t to be released until I had a large revolutionary victory in 1959. Batista was corrupt and it now was apparent to all. The inability of the military to finish off myself and army amidst guerilla warfare in Sierra Maestra led to unrest and an attempted purge of the government by other military offices, which was repressed, resulting in many dead and jailed commanders. Amidst this turmoil, I returned to Cuba enlightened with new tactics from a brilliant man from Mexico named Ernesto “Che” Guevara, he helped shape my political beliefs and together we developed a brilliant plan to overthrow the government based on guerillas warfare. I returned with 81 insurgents, including Che, attacking the Cuban City Manzanillo and the attack was repressed however my brother Raul, Che and myself escaped to the Sierra Maestra. After my return, the inability of the military to finish off myself and my army amidst guerilla warfare in Sierra Maestra led to unrest and an attempted purge of the government by other military offices, which was repressed, resulting in many dead and jailed commanders. Batista was growing further unpopular and I gained the support of the Soviet Union. I spread the revolution through cities and villages, and I set up a second government, which would serve as the basis for my actions and dealings with the people in the different dispersed reaction groups.
Beginning in 1958 I mounted many victories highlighted by my “26th of July Movement” which gained me the support of 45 different groups from the used to be distant middle class. This helped me gain control of key areas in Cuba. Amidst large desertion and successful attacks that my army takes credit for, coupled complete US desertion and the dirty US creating an arms embargo with Batista in 1958, which had been his main supplier for weaponry and military aircraft and vehicles, Batista accepted defeat, abdicated, and exiled to the Dominican Republic in January of 1959. I had successfully concluded a revolutionary takeover. It was a worldwide success resulting in many happy people pouring into the street to celebrate, it was noticed even by the New York Times. I set up a new government with Jose Miro Cardona as my prime minister and the US immediately recognized our new regime. I had placed myself at the rank of military chief but after an abrupt resignation by Cardona I assumed he role of Prime Minister. Now in full control I launched many reforms to reshape Cuba into a more respectable form and end the repulsive American authority and influence in my country. I have proceeded to nationalize plantations and factories through far-reaching reforms and I hope American companies are feeling the negative effects. I have raised tariffs on their goods and made it hard for them to survive, something they’re not used to with their past agreements with Batista that led them to economic dominance in my country. American owned multinational corporations have always tried to advance their own interests in my country, ignoring my country’s interests and now they almost are forced to leave. They will receive no more preferred treatment and luxuries. Now it is May and I have just launched my first Agrarian Reform Law, which has limited landholdings and forbade foreign ownership of land. Life is sweet, and Cuba rules, a beautiful end to colonization and hegemony in my country
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