Case study: Castro and revolutionary Cuba
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Flip to reveal answersWho was Fidel Castro and which region/years does he cover for Paper 2?
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Question
Who was Fidel Castro and which region/years does he cover for Paper 2?
Answer
Leader of Cuba (region: the Americas), in power 1959–2008; a one-party socialist authoritarian state.
Question
What was the 26th of July Movement?
Answer
Castro's revolutionary group, named after his 1953 Moncada attack, which led the guerrilla war against Batista.
Question
How did Castro come to power?
Answer
Guerrilla war from the Sierra Maestra overthrew the US-backed dictator Batista; he took Havana on 1 January 1959.
Question
What were the CDRs?
Answer
Committees for the Defence of the Revolution — neighbourhood watch groups that policed Cubans and reported 'counter-revolutionaries'.
Question
How did Castro deal with opponents after 1959?
Answer
Revolutionary tribunals executed Batista officials; opponents were jailed or exiled; no legal opposition was allowed.
Question
What was the Bay of Pigs (1961)?
Answer
A failed US-backed invasion by Cuban exiles; its defeat strengthened Castro, who then declared the Revolution socialist.
Question
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)?
Answer
A US–USSR standoff over Soviet missiles in Cuba; it locked Cuba firmly into the Soviet bloc.
Question
What were Castro's main social successes?
Answer
The 1961 literacy campaign and free universal healthcare, which sharply cut illiteracy and infant mortality.
Question
Describe Cuba's economic policy under Castro.
Answer
Nationalisation of US firms, land reform, and a centrally-planned economy dependent on Soviet subsidies.
Question
What happened to Cuba's economy after 1991?
Answer
Soviet subsidies ended, causing the severe 'Special Period' of economic hardship.
Question
Aims vs results of the Cuban Revolution?
Answer
Aimed to end US domination and poverty; achieved literacy/healthcare gains but shifted dependence to the USSR and kept one-party rule.
Question
Which leaders pair well with Castro in Paper 2 and why?
Answer
Mao (Asia) or Stalin (Europe) for communist consolidation; Hitler/Mussolini (Europe) for contrast — all from a different region.
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Case studies (authoritarian leaders)
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