Cuba in the Caribbean Cold War : Exiles, Revolutionaries and Tyrants, 1952-1959

This book argues that during the Cuban Revolution (1952–1958), Fidel Castro, his allies, and members of the __Movimiento 26 de Julio__ tapped into a larger network of transnational revolutionaries who sought to overthrow the region’s dictatorships. With his research in multiple archives including those in Cuba, Prados offers a new, transnational perspective on conflicts over dictatorship and democracy, which shaped the Caribbean in the decades that followed World War II. The book traces the roots of the ‘Caribbean Legion’, a transnational network of anti-dictatorial revolutionaries, before detailing how Castro and many of his allies in exile exploited this web during the struggle against Fulgencio Batista. Contacts in this network provided the Cuban revolutionaries with crucial military, financial, and diplomatic support from the democratic governments of José Figueres in Costa Rica, and Rómulo Betancourt in Venezuela, entangling the Cuban revolutionaries in a larger regional struggle between democratic regimes and military dictatorships. This transnational involvement shaped the revolutionary regime of 1959 and had far-reaching repercussions for the larger geopolitical dynamics in the region, and for the Cold War as a whole. This book argues that during the Cuban Revolution (1952-1958), Fidel Castro, his allies, and members of the Movimiento 26 de Julio tapped into a larger network of transnational revolutionaries who sought to overthrow the regions dictatorships. With his research in multiple archives including those in Cuba, Prados offers a new, transnational perspective on conflicts over dictatorship and democracy, which shaped the Caribbean in the decades that followed World War II. The book traces the roots of the 'Caribbean Legion, a transnational network of anti-dictatorial revolutionaries, before detailing how Castro and many of his allies in exile exploited this web during the struggle against Fulgencio Batista. Contacts in this network provided the Cuban revolutionaries with crucial military, financial, and diplomatic support from the democratic governments of José Figueres in Costa Rica, and Rómulo Betancourt in Venezuela, entangling the Cuban revolutionaries in a larger regional struggle between democratic regimes and military dictatorships. This transnational involvement shaped the revolutionary regime of 1959 and had far-reaching repercussions for the larger geopolitical dynamics in the region, and for the Cold War as a whole. Nicolás Prados Ortiz de Solórzano is a doctoral candidate in History at the University of Oxford, UK. He is currently investigating the relationship between democracy and transnational revolutionary networks operating in Latin America and the Caribbean from the mid-1940s to the early 1960s "This book argues that during the Cuban Revolution (1952-1958), Fidel Castro, his allies, and members of the Movimiento 26 de Julio tapped into a larger network of transnational revolutionaries who sought to overthrow the region's dictatorships. With his research in multiple archives including those in Cuba, Prados offers a new, transnational perspective on conflicts over dictatorship and democracy, which shaped the Caribbean in the decades that followed World War II. The book traces the roots of the 'Caribbean Legion', a transnational network of anti-dictatorial revolutionaries, before detailing how Castro and many of his allies in exile exploited this web during the struggle against Fulgencio Batista. Contacts in this network provided the Cuban revolutionaries with crucial military, financial, and diplomatic support from the democratic governments of José Figueres in Costa Rica, and Rómulo Betancourt in Venezuela, entangling the Cuban revolutionaries in a larger regional struggle between democratic regimes and military dictatorships. This transnational involvement shaped the revolutionary regime of 1959 and had far-reaching repercussions for the larger geopolitical dynamics in the region, and for the Cold War as a whole." -- Provided by publisher "This book argues that during the Cuban Revolution (1952-1958), Fidel Castro, his allies, and members of the Movimiento 26 de Julio tapped into a larger network of transnational revolutionaries who sought to overthrow the region's dictatorships. With his research in multiple archives including those in Cuba, Prados offers a new, transnational perspective on conflicts over dictatorship and democracy, which shaped the Caribbean in the decades that followed World War II. The book traces the roots of the 'Caribbean Legion', a transnational network of anti-dictatorial revolutionaries, before detailing how Castro and many of his allies in exile exploited this web during the struggle against Fulgencio Batista. Contacts in this network provided the Cuban revolutionaries with crucial military, financial, and diplomatic support from the democratic governments of José Figueres in Costa Rica, and Rómulo Betancourt in Venezuela, entangling the Cuban revolutionaries in a larger regional struggle between democratic regimes and military dictatorships. This transnational involvement shaped the revolutionary regime of 1959 and had far-reaching repercussions for the larger geopolitical dynamics in the region, and for the Cold War as a whole." (4e de couverture) Acknowledgments 7 Contents 8 About the Author 10 Acronyms 11 Chapter 1 Introduction: The Caribbean Legion Revived 12 Abstract 12 The Rise of Caribbean Transnational Networks 17 Historiography and Sources 20 Structure 26 Chapter 2 A Caribbean Cold War, 1947–1955 28 Abstract 28 Origins of the Caribbean Legion 30 Democracy Is Overthrown in Cuba 38 Cuba’s Political Landscape 43 La Transnacional de La Mano Dura 45 Conclusion 51 Chapter 3 The Internationalization of the Cuban Revolution, 1955–1956 53 Abstract 53 The M26/7 in Exile: Tapping into the Caribbean Legion 56 The Complicated Batista–Trujillo Relationship 66 Conclusion 73 Chapter 4 The Caribbean Legion Supplying the Sierra Maestra, 1957–1958 76 Abstract 76 Costa Rican Support for the Guerrilla 79 Venezuela Joins the Rebels 86 Conclusion 95 Chapter 5 Conclusion: The Demise of the Caribbean Legion, 1959–1961 98 Abstract 98 Bibliography 110 Index 117 Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii Introduction: The Caribbean Legion Revived (Nicolás Prados Ortiz de Solórzano)....Pages 1-16 A Caribbean Cold War, 1947–1955 (Nicolás Prados Ortiz de Solórzano)....Pages 17-41 The Internationalization of the Cuban Revolution, 1955–1956 (Nicolás Prados Ortiz de Solórzano)....Pages 43-65 The Caribbean Legion Supplying the Sierra Maestra, 1957–1958 (Nicolás Prados Ortiz de Solórzano)....Pages 67-88 Conclusion: The Demise of the Caribbean Legion, 1959–1961 (Nicolás Prados Ortiz de Solórzano)....Pages 89-100 Back Matter ....Pages 101-113