Presidential election. Although he felt the elections were often rigged to satisfy American demands, he supported Ortodoxo candidate Chibas in a losing effort against Autentico member, Soccaras. After Chibas' suicide in 1951 Castro was prepared to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. Before he could do this, however, Fulgencio Batista had established a dictatorship in a bloodless coup. This experience led to Castro to reject change through electoral method, and he began to advocate violent protest.
             Castro joined one of many underground organizations working to dispatch Batista from power. Batista used his secret police to torture and kill rebels. On July 26, 1953 Castro led an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Chile. He and 150 revolutionaries planned to defeat 1000 soldiers, take weapons, and announce the start of a guerilla
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