The Positive Impact of the 26th of July Movement

By

Winston Simmons

The Positive Impact of the 26th of July Movement The 26th of July Movement in Cuba, formed in 1953; had a positive impact on the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Today Monday July 26th 2021, marks the 68th anniversary of the glorious Cuban Movement in 1953 that sounded the death knell against the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, the tyrannical and wicked leader of Cuba. Batista was backed and supported by the United States whose, imperialistic policies and ambitions were used to control the social and political economy of the Cuban people. The attack against this corrupt dictatorship began on July 26th by a small group of dedicated Cuban revolutionaries, led by a young leader named Fidel Castro who; had been an activist-student at the University of Havana.

The focus of the revolutionaries’ attack was on the Moncada Barracks, a citadel of neo-colonialism and US imperialism, that was located in the city of Santiago de Cuba which; was the nerve-center of oppression that Batista and his goons, utilized to terrorize and punish his fellow countrymen and women.

Was the attack on the Moncada Successful?

Fidel and his compatriots’ attack and objectives on the Moncada Barracks on 26th of July 1953, was to start a revolution against the corrupt dictatorship of the Batista regime. However, Fidel Castro and his comrades were not immediately successful during this attack. Fidel Castro was captured and sentenced to jail for 15 years and some of his compatriots were even murdered by Batista and his henchmen. The attack on the Moncada Barracks was a strategic move that would eventually prove that the Batista dictatorship was not immortal, even though Fidel and his comrades did not succeed on their first attempt. However, Castro’s credibility with the masses of the Cuban people was very high, which resulted in him being released after two years. A mass campaign was organized by the people that would lead to his amnesty, after a two-year imprisonment along with his comrades.

The 26th of July Movement was later re-organized in Mexico in 1955 by a group of 82 exiled revolutionaries including Fidel Castro, his brother Raul Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos, Huber Matos and Ernesto Che Guevara. Their second attempt and task were to form a disciplined guerilla force to overthrow the dictatorship government of Fulgencio Batista, who they eventually defeated on the second attack. The 26th of July Movement joined with other groups to form the United Party of The Cuban Socialist Revolution, which in turn became the Communist Party of Cuba, in 1965.

What were some of the historical and socio-economic crises that led to this Movement’s development?

Batista in 1933 created a group of enlisted sergeants from the Cuban army which was used as a springboard to grab state power. It was called the “sergeants’ coup” of 1933; he would rule Cuba from behind the scenes for a while and subsequently made himself President in 1940. In his early Administration, his Policies were relatively progressive and pro-worker and thus, was supported by the Cuban Communist party and labor unions.

Batista did give up power in 1944 and went to live in the United States for a while; on his return to Cuba, he ran for President again in 1952. When he realized that he would lose the election, he organized an armed coup d’état. Batista became extremely corrupt and violent; he clearly worked for and catered to the interests of the wealthy Cubans and the Meyer Lansky wing of the U.S. mobsters who, ran the casinos in Havana. A significant amount of political opponents were killed and, the poor Cuban masses were left mercilessly to the wicked devices of the Batista dictatorship and the Mayer Lansky wing of the U.S. mobsters who also ran prostitution brothels. The men and women that would light the spark to create a significant progressive change, not only in Cuba but across the world in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean; would be the 26th of July Movement in Cuba.

We must preserve the glorious history of these brave Cuban men and women by continuing the just fight against the ‘vampire’ of colonialism, neocolonialism and US imperialism. We must continue our struggle in our respective countries boldly and in the tradition of our heroic fighters like the comrades of the 26th of July Movement. We should be motivated also by the freedom fighters in our respective countries across the world. Freedom fighters like the Maroons Paul Bogle and Nanny of Jamaica, Simon Bolivar and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Winnie Mandela and Chris Hani of South Africa, Maurice Bishop of Grenada, Fidel Castro and Jose Marti of Cuba and all those who continue our struggles and quest for freedom and national liberation. Let us not fold our hands or cease our efforts in complacency.

Comrades, let us raise our ‘banners’ high and honor our comrades who have paid the ultimate price for all people who are struggling across the world for justice, peace and equality.

Victory will be ours! Our struggles continue.