Cuban Nationalists: Map & History

Provisional government

At Castro's command, the politically moderate lawyer Manuel Urrutia Lleó was proclaimed provisional president, but Castro announced falsely that Urrutia had been selected by "popular election". Most of Urrutia's cabinet were MR-26-7 members. Entering Havana, Castro proclaimed himself Representative of the Rebel Armed Forces of the Presidency, setting up home and office in the penthouse of the Havana Hilton Hotel. Castro exercised a great deal of influence over Urrutia's regime, now ruling by decree. He ensured the government implemented policies to cut corruption and fight illiteracy, and that it attempted to remove Batistanos from positions of power by dismissing Congress and barring all those elected in the rigged elections of 1954 and 1958 from future office.

Reception and legacy

One of the most controversial political leaders of his era, Castro inspired and dismayed people around the world during his lifetime. He ruled a single-party authoritarian regime in Cuba where political opposition was not permitted. Censorship of information was extensive, and independent journalism was repressed.

Despite its small size and limited economic weight, Castro's Cuba gained a large role in world affairs. The Castro government relied heavily on its appeals to nationalistic sentiment, in particular the widespread hostility to the US government. According to Balfour, Castro's domestic popularity stemmed from the fact that he symbolized "a long-cherished hope of national liberation and social justice" for much of the population.