3. Authorities & decisions: The Cuban Revolution and one-party socialism

Decision-makers, laws and consequences

Fidel Castro’s movement overthrew Fulgencio Batista in January 1959. Castro became prime minister, and the revolutionary government nationalized major industries and consolidated one-party control.

The United States backed the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. The 1962 missile crisis involved decisions by John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Castro, bringing nuclear confrontation close to war.

Institutional consequences

The authorities identified above acted within institutions that determined who could govern, enforce decisions and challenge official power. The resulting changes to political participation, legal status, military control or property administration are part of the historical record of this specific event, rather than evidence that every later government followed the same path.

Legal restrictions, rights & enforcement

Compare who exercised authority, whether opponents could organize independently, how the government handled economic and social demands, and whether neighboring populations were exposed to invasion or coercion. The record above describes this particular case rather than treating every movement with a similar label as identical.