Fulgencio Batista

Fulgencio Batista was the President of Cuba for two periods, 1940-44 and 1952-1959. He was head of the Cuban military and effective de facto Cuban leader when not in office from 1933. Batista's return to power via a coup d'tat in 1952 led to the suspension of the Cuban constitution, and sparked unrest in Cuba. Rigged elections and an increasingly corrupt regime with close ties to the United States drew large opposition from a coalition of Cubans from all political backgrounds. He was eventually overthrown by the popular Cuban revolution, based largely in the east of the island, and fled the country on January 1st 1959. The key turing point in the 6 year long struggle was in 1958 when the U.S. ceased selling Batista arms. These arms had been effective in suppressing the rebels and brutally terrorizing agricultural workers who had supported the revolution into submission. A new government took over headed by Manuel Urrutia Lleó and José Miró Cardona, with Fidel Castro as head of the new armed forces.