14. Cuba and revolutionary state power
Individuals & institutions
Fidel Castro, Cuban Communist Party, Cuba
Events & dates
Castro’s movement overthrew Batista in 1959. The government nationalized property, expanded health and education programs, and suppressed independent opposition. The 1962 missile crisis brought the United States and Soviet Union close to nuclear war.
Consequences & historical significance
Cuba experienced major gains in some public services alongside censorship, political imprisonment and sustained economic constraints.