Though Batista Rose to Power in Cuba, His Reign Was Littered with Corruption and Dishonesty

             Fulgencio Batista Zaldivar was born in Cuba's Oriente Province in 1902 (Sierra 1). In 1921 he joined the army as a private, and in 1932 he became a military tribunal stenographer with the rank of sergeant (Sierra 1). His involvement in the Cuban military foreshadowed his army-dependant rule. He took over the country with the help of gangsters, guns, and violence. Though Batista rose to power in Cuba, his reign was littered with corruption and dishonesty.
             On September 4, 1933, Batista took over the Cuban government in an uprising known as "Revolt of the Sergeants" (Sierra 1). The coup overthrew the liberal government of Gerardo Machado, and marked the beginning of the army's influence as an organized force in the running of the government (Suchlicki 149). "It also signaled Batista's emergence as self-appointed chief of the armed forces, king-maker, and favored U.S. strong man" (Sierra 1). After meeting with Batista in April of 1933, U.S. Ambassador Benjamin Sumner Welles told him, "You're the only individual in Cuba today who represents authority ... I will lay down no specific terms; the matter of your government is a Cuban matter and it is for you to decide what you will do about it" (Sierra 1). Batista saw this as an invitation to rule (Sierra 2).
             On January 14, 1934, Batista forced provisional president Ramon Grau San Martin to resign. He appointed Carlos Mendieta to the presidency (Ward 67). For the next 10 years, Batista ruled Cuba using puppet presidents [Carlos Mendieta (1934-35), Jose A. Barnet (1935-36), Miguel Mariano Gomez (1936), and Federuco Laredo Bru (1936-40)] (Del Aguila 147). This set-up enabled him to continue a thirty-year tradition of corruption (Sierra 2).
             During this time period, Batista formed a renowned friendship and business relationship with gangster Meyer Lanksy, which lasted over three decades (Suchlicki 150). Through Lansky, the Mafia knew t...

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Though Batista Rose to Power in Cuba, His Reign Was Littered with Corruption and Dishonesty . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 16:57, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/61668.html