Republic of Cuba
Cuba, 1902–1959. Draft, not yet reviewed
Cuba gained formal independence on 20 May 1902, as the Republic of Cuba. The Platt Amendment guaranteed the United States the right to intervene in Cuba and placed restrictions on Cuban foreign relations. A new constitution was adopted in 1940, which engineered radical progressive ideas, including the right to labor and health care. The era ended with the outbreak of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
Seat of power: Havana
Rulers
Tomás Estrada Palma
President of Cuba, 1902–1906
He was the first President of Cuba, between May 20, 1902, and September 28, 1906. During his presidency his major accomplishments included improving Cuba's infrastructure, communication, and public health. On February 16, 1903, Estrada Palma signed the Cuban-American Treaty of Relations, agreeing to lease the Guantanamo Bay area to the United States in perpetuity for use as a naval base and coaling station.
Portrait of Tomás Estrada Palma: Morena A. Loper, Public domain, file
José Miguel Gómez
President of Cuba, 1909–1913
He served as President of Cuba from 1909 to 1913. In the War of 1912, the Partido Independiente de Color attempted to establish a separate black republic in Oriente Province, but was suppressed by the Cuban National Army under General Monteagudo, with considerable bloodshed. Political corruption boomed during his presidency and several major scandals occurred.
Portrait of José Miguel Gómez: Brown Bros., NY, Public domain, file
Mario García Menocal
President of Cuba, 1913–1921
He was the 3rd President of Cuba, serving from 1913 to 1921. He became known for his strong support of business and corporations. Menocal authorized Cuba's declaration of war against the German Empire on April 7, 1917, entering World War I a day after the United States.
Portrait of Mario García Menocal: Anonymous. ¿?, Public domain, file
Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso
President of Cuba, 1921–1925
Zayas was inaugurated as president on May 20, 1921. He served only one term, during which he started the process to give the vote to Cuban women and for the first time allowed full freedom of expression and of the press. When he took office in 1921, the country was in bankruptcy, with debts exceeding US$40 million, and sugar prices plummeting from 22 cents to 3 cents per pound.
Portrait of Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso: National Photo Company Collection, Public domain, file
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Gerardo Machado
President of Cuba, 1925–1933
Machado was elected president in 1924 as the leader of the Liberal Party, a moderate reform-oriented party. Despite promising to govern only for one term, he ran for re-election in 1928 and won a non-democratic election where the opposition was repressed. As protests and rebellions became more strident, his administration curtailed free speech and imprisoned, exiled, and murdered his opponents.
Portrait of Gerardo Machado: No machine-readable author provided. Aalamaki~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, file
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Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada
President of Cuba, 1933–1933
In August 1933, Machado left Cuba and Céspedes was offered the position of President. He took office on August 13, 1933. In September 1933, the Sergeants' Revolt, led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista, overthrew Céspedes.
Portrait of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y Quesada: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, file
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Miguel Mariano Gómez
President of Cuba, 1936–1936
He served as the seventh President of Cuba for just over seven months in 1936. Compared to other administrations, there was general peace and tranquillity in Cuba during Gómez's brief presidency. He was inaugurated on May 20, 1936, and served only until December 24, 1936, when he was impeached by Congress.
Portrait of Miguel Mariano Gómez: Miguel Mariano Gomez.jpg: PLEASE COMPLETE AUTHOR INFORMATION; Uploaded by Callelinea derivative work: Trlkly, Public domain, file
Carlos Prío Socarrás
President of Cuba, 1948–1952
He served as the President of Cuba from 1948 until he was deposed by a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista on March 10, 1952. Several public-works projects and the establishment of a National Bank and Tribunal of Accounts count among his successes. However, violence among political factions and reports of theft and self-enrichment in the government ranks marred Prío's term.
Portrait of Carlos Prío Socarrás: Otero, Juan Joaquin, Public domain, file
Fulgencio Batista
President of Cuba, 1952–1959
Facing certain electoral defeat, he led a military coup against President Carlos Prío Socarrás that pre-empted the election. Batista suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked most political liberties, including the right to strike. Batista established tighter censorship of the media, while also utilizing his Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities secret police to carry out wide-scale violence, torture and public executions.
Portrait of Fulgencio Batista: UnknownUnknown, Public domain, file
Culture
- During the Republican period (1902–1959), Cuban architecture saw the construction of prominent public and commercial buildings. Notable examples include El Capitolio, the FOCSA Building and the Habana Hilton (later renamed Habana Libre).
- Between 1915 and 1930, Havana hosted more tourists than any other location in the Caribbean. Cuban drinks such as the daiquiri and mojito became common in the United States during this time, after Prohibition was repealed.
- Cuba in 1950 was the first country in Latin America to broadcast television. Television in Cuba grew dramatically in the 1950s, and by the late 1950s, it had the 9th highest number of TV sets out of any country in the world.
Picture
El Capitolio, in Havana, was commissioned by Cuban president Gerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929.
Image: Nigel Pacquette, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.