History+and+Events

Mike Christopher ​ On January 1st, 1959 Dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by the 26th of July Movement lead by future dictator Fidel Castro. Batista was at one point the leader from 1940 to 1944. He ran twice more and lost both times. He became so furious that on March 10th, 1952 he lead a coup d’état and forcefully took control of Cuba. Cuba later became a communist government under the control of Fidel Castro. As a communist government Cuba had to turn to other communist countries for help because the United States and other countries refused to help. By 1960 the United States cut off all trade with Cuba. Cuba is now the oldest remaining communist government in the western hemisphere.

Mike Christopher In the 17th century many colonists from Martinique and Guadeloupe were attracted to Haiti. These colonists were in search of land needed for extension of sugar plantations. From 1670 to 1690 a drop in tobacco markets reduced the number of settlers on the island. From 1713 to 1787 approximately 30,000 French colonists came to the western part of the island then called Santo-Domingue which is now called Haiti. On August 22, 1791 slaves of the French in Santo-Domingue revolted and sent the colony into a civil war. Within 10 days of the revolt the amount of slaves reached 100,000. They killed 4,000 whites, burned 180 sugar plantations, and hundreds of coffee plantations. The revolt lasted 13 years from 1791 to 1804. It is estimated that the slaves killed 100,000 blacks and 24,000 whites.