When Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl and a ragged band of followers attacked the barracks at Moncada in 1953, they may not have known they were taking the first step to one of the most significant revolutions of all time. With the promise of economic equality for all, the rebellion grew until 1959, when Cuban President Fulgencio Batista fled the country and victorious rebels filled the streets of Havana. Castro established a communist regime, building close ties with the Soviet Union, and stubbornly defied every attempt the United States could think of to remove him from power.
Ever since that time, Cuba has either been a festering sore of totalitarianism in an increasingly democratic world or a beacon of hope for all anti-imperialists, depending on your point of view.
