The Cuban Revolution

Cuba in the 1950s was ruled by Fulgencio Batista, who had taken power in a coup, and its economy was largely in American hands. The revolution brought the Cold War into North America and led three years later to the Missile Crisis, the closest the world has come to nuclear war. Cuba achieved health care and literacy on a level with wealthy countries, and did so under an embargo — while political opposition was suppressed and hundreds of thousands left. Both belong in the account, and the argument about how they weigh against each other is not settled.