[Music]
after decades of hostility embargoes and
travel bans can these two nations figure
out how to play nice welcome to
watchmojo.com down ten crucial facts you
should know about Cuban US relations
number 10 how was Cuba formed the island
of Cuba was colonized by Spain
shortly after Christopher Columbus
reached the Americas and remained a
Spanish colony until after 1898
spanish-american war that war was in
turn caused by the Americans decision to
intervene in the Cuban War of
Independence which began in 1895 thanks
in large part to the shadowy sinking of
the USS Maine Navy ship near Havana and
fantastical propaganda and yellow
journalism put forth by news men like
Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph
Hearst ultimately Spain initiated the
peace process when it was clear they
were to be defeated and on December 10th
1898 the US and Spain each signed the
Treaty of Paris this Agreement gave the
Americans control of Puerto Rico Guam
and the Philippine Islands indefinitely
and of Cuba temporarily by 1902 Cuba was
ready to administer itself and control
was passed to a native government number
9 how did the current Cuban government
come to power after leading a revolt in
1933 to remove the established
government rule hence EO Batista himself
came to power as president of Cuba
backed by the democratic socialist
coalition known for his progressive
policies he remained in the post for
four years in 1952 he decided again to
run for the presidency and facing the
prospect of defeat staged a military
coup which allowed his return to power
over the next seven years
Batista ignored his previously reformist
policies and instead became a de facto
dictator seeking to amass personal
wealth allowing organized crime to
flourish and transforming the country
into a police state that saw the
execution
of an estimated 20,000 people over his
tenure shortly after Batista seized
power young rebels like Fidel Castro and
his brother Raul initiated a plan to
overthrow him eventually gaining the
support of Ernesto Che Guevara while
their plans during the Cuban Revolution
failed at the end of 1958 the United
States told Batista they could no longer
support him and suggested he flee the
country which he did Fidel Castro then
took over as Prime Minister installing
his own man as president number eight
what is the political party of Cuba
Fidel Castro has been a huge part of
Cuban politics since he helped oust
Batista in 1959 his legacy as a
politician and revolutionary is firmly
entrenched in Cuban history as he’s
taken on many positions in the almost 50
years he served in office acting as
prime minister from 1959 to 1976 and as
president from 1976 till 2008 he’s known
for converting Cuba into the first
communist state in the West during his
reign he reformed Cuban society by
providing free health care and education
to Cubans by promising employment to all
citizens and by overseeing the
nationalization of enterprises and
assets that were previously owned by
foreign entities primarily the US
however with an American trade embargo
in place the Cuban economy struggled
Fidel Castro was succeeded as president
of Cuba by his brother Raul in 2008
number 7 what led the u.s. to break ties
with Cuba the Cuban Revolution proved to
be a defining moment in relations
between the United States and Cuba
Castro was offended that the Americans
had supported Batista through the
revolution the Americans on the other
hand were worried that Castro’s
communist ideology would spread to other
Latin American countries that coupled
with the Cubans relationship with the
USSR engendered mistrust with the US as
the country was locked in the cold war
with the Soviets a war that had no
full-scale fighting but which lasted
decades and involved psychological
warfare and an arms race and so on
October 19th 1960
Eisenhower administration placed an
embargo on exports to Cuba
with the exception of food and medicine
this restriction was expanded within a
few years to include all imports the
u.s. aimed to use this embargo as a tool
to force the Cubans towards
democratization and to improve their
human rights record number six why did
the u.s. attack Cuba because of their
leery nassif the direction in which
Castro was leading the country u.s.
President Dwight D Eisenhower approved a
plan to overthrow the Cuban government
with thirteen million dollars allocated
to the CIA to fund the operation when
John F Kennedy took office in January
1961 he was informed of the plan and
gave his approval for the mission to
move forward on April 17 1961 the
Americans attacked the Bay of Pigs
although the Americans initially
overwhelmed the Cubans in number
fighting lasted two days with Cuban
forces eventually overtaking the
paramilitaries and sending them back to
the United States it was an
embarrassment for the Kennedy
administration and led to several
in-depth investigations number five who
were the Cubans allies Castro modeled
his Cuba and brand of communism after
that of the Soviet Union he formed even
closer ties to the USSR after the u.s.
put in place the trade embargo instead
of facing economic ruin Cuba forged
trade ties with the Soviets in addition
both Castro and Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev feared that the US would
invade Cuba after their failed attempt
at the Bay of Pigs that coupled with the
fact that the Americans had placed
ballistic missiles in both Italy and
Turkey led to the Cuban Missile Crisis
which began on October 14th 1962 the
Soviets deployed nuclear weapons to Cuba
to deter the Americans from invading the
closest the Cold War ever came to
escalating to all-out nuclear war this
conflict forced discussions between
Kennedy and Khrushchev throughout
October finally an agreement was reached
wherein the Soviets and the US would
each dismantle their weapons and the
Americans would agree never to invade
Cuba without incitement
number four what is Cuba’s current state
in the following years Cuba relied
heavily on the Soviet Union in terms of
Economic Development with trade between
the two totaling upwards of eight point
five billion dollars in 1989 however
this trade decreased by over 90 percent
in the early 90s as the Soviet Union
tried to prop up its own struggling
economy the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in 1991 immediately shook the
Cuban economy leading to a period of
great strife referred to as the special
period which saw drastic changes in
lifestyle diet industry and more sweep
the country eventually Cuba formed
greater economic ties with other Latin
American countries notably Bolivia and
Venezuela the country has also built up
its tourism industry significantly using
the proceeds from that sector to bounce
back
despite travel restrictions on some
countries number three why did the u.s.
suddenly change its policy on Cuba in a
move that was a long time coming on
December 17 2014 President Barack Obama
announced his plan to normalize
relations between the u.s. and Cuba
signifying a major first step in
bridging the gap between the nations the
two countries had been engaged in secret
talks that occurred in places like
Canada and the Vatican for a year
previous with the Pope having direct
involvement in the meetings referred to
as the Cuban thaw this historic and
sweeping policy change was scheduled to
include the lifting of the trade embargo
as well as the slackening of travel and
immigration restrictions these moves
were set to impact Cuban society in a
huge way number 2 how did the u.s. react
to this announcement the White House
announcement led to a quick division in
opinions between the two major political
parties in the United States the
Republicans and the Democrats the more
vocal opinions were drawn from 2016 US
presidential contenders who viewed the
subject as a potential platform upon
which they could base their campaigns as
for the thousands of Cuban exiles
residing in the United States after
having fled the country since the sick
these opinions were also divided but
angry debates within the community
sparked protests and the generation gap
was evident between older Cubans who
left the country and mistrust the Castro
government and the younger generation
that was born in the United States
number one how will this end in his
final State of the Union address
President Obama stated that the u.s. was
ending a painfully out-of-date policy
the two countries then embarked on a
series of high-level discussions in an
effort to advance towards reciprocal
trade and travel agreements after 50
years of silence and mistrust on both
sides officials are now inching toward
rebuilding the estranged relationship to
create a collaborative and prosperous
future did these facts surprise you to
vote for which new story is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
[Music]
after decades of hostility embargoes and
travel bans can these two nations figure
out how to play nice welcome to
watchmojo.com down ten crucial facts you
should know about Cuban US relations
number 10 how was Cuba formed the island
of Cuba was colonized by Spain
shortly after Christopher Columbus
reached the Americas and remained a
Spanish colony until after 1898
spanish-american war that war was in
turn caused by the Americans decision to
intervene in the Cuban War of
Independence which began in 1895 thanks
in large part to the shadowy sinking of
the USS Maine Navy ship near Havana and
fantastical propaganda and yellow
journalism put forth by news men like
Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph
Hearst ultimately Spain initiated the
peace process when it was clear they
were to be defeated and on December 10th
1898 the US and Spain each signed the
Treaty of Paris this Agreement gave the
Americans control of Puerto Rico Guam
and the Philippine Islands indefinitely
and of Cuba temporarily by 1902 Cuba was
ready to administer itself and control
was passed to a native government number
9 how did the current Cuban government
come to power after leading a revolt in
1933 to remove the established
government rule hence EO Batista himself
came to power as president of Cuba
backed by the democratic socialist
coalition known for his progressive
policies he remained in the post for
four years in 1952 he decided again to
run for the presidency and facing the
prospect of defeat staged a military
coup which allowed his return to power
over the next seven years
Batista ignored his previously reformist
policies and instead became a de facto
dictator seeking to amass personal
wealth allowing organized crime to
flourish and transforming the country
into a police state that saw the
execution
of an estimated 20,000 people over his
tenure shortly after Batista seized
power young rebels like Fidel Castro and
his brother Raul initiated a plan to
overthrow him eventually gaining the
support of Ernesto Che Guevara while
their plans during the Cuban Revolution
failed at the end of 1958 the United
States told Batista they could no longer
support him and suggested he flee the
country which he did Fidel Castro then
took over as Prime Minister installing
his own man as president number eight
what is the political party of Cuba
Fidel Castro has been a huge part of
Cuban politics since he helped oust
Batista in 1959 his legacy as a
politician and revolutionary is firmly
entrenched in Cuban history as he’s
taken on many positions in the almost 50
years he served in office acting as
prime minister from 1959 to 1976 and as
president from 1976 till 2008 he’s known
for converting Cuba into the first
communist state in the West during his
reign he reformed Cuban society by
providing free health care and education
to Cubans by promising employment to all
citizens and by overseeing the
nationalization of enterprises and
assets that were previously owned by
foreign entities primarily the US
however with an American trade embargo
in place the Cuban economy struggled
Fidel Castro was succeeded as president
of Cuba by his brother Raul in 2008
number 7 what led the u.s. to break ties
with Cuba the Cuban Revolution proved to
be a defining moment in relations
between the United States and Cuba
Castro was offended that the Americans
had supported Batista through the
revolution the Americans on the other
hand were worried that Castro’s
communist ideology would spread to other
Latin American countries that coupled
with the Cubans relationship with the
USSR engendered mistrust with the US as
the country was locked in the cold war
with the Soviets a war that had no
full-scale fighting but which lasted
decades and involved psychological
warfare and an arms race and so on
October 19th 1960
Eisenhower administration placed an
embargo on exports to Cuba
with the exception of food and medicine
this restriction was expanded within a
few years to include all imports the
u.s. aimed to use this embargo as a tool
to force the Cubans towards
democratization and to improve their
human rights record number six why did
the u.s. attack Cuba because of their
leery nassif the direction in which
Castro was leading the country u.s.
President Dwight D Eisenhower approved a
plan to overthrow the Cuban government
with thirteen million dollars allocated
to the CIA to fund the operation when
John F Kennedy took office in January
1961 he was informed of the plan and
gave his approval for the mission to
move forward on April 17 1961 the
Americans attacked the Bay of Pigs
although the Americans initially
overwhelmed the Cubans in number
fighting lasted two days with Cuban
forces eventually overtaking the
paramilitaries and sending them back to
the United States it was an
embarrassment for the Kennedy
administration and led to several
in-depth investigations number five who
were the Cubans allies Castro modeled
his Cuba and brand of communism after
that of the Soviet Union he formed even
closer ties to the USSR after the u.s.
put in place the trade embargo instead
of facing economic ruin Cuba forged
trade ties with the Soviets in addition
both Castro and Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev feared that the US would
invade Cuba after their failed attempt
at the Bay of Pigs that coupled with the
fact that the Americans had placed
ballistic missiles in both Italy and
Turkey led to the Cuban Missile Crisis
which began on October 14th 1962 the
Soviets deployed nuclear weapons to Cuba
to deter the Americans from invading the
closest the Cold War ever came to
escalating to all-out nuclear war this
conflict forced discussions between
Kennedy and Khrushchev throughout
October finally an agreement was reached
wherein the Soviets and the US would
each dismantle their weapons and the
Americans would agree never to invade
Cuba without incitement
number four what is Cuba’s current state
in the following years Cuba relied
heavily on the Soviet Union in terms of
Economic Development with trade between
the two totaling upwards of eight point
five billion dollars in 1989 however
this trade decreased by over 90 percent
in the early 90s as the Soviet Union
tried to prop up its own struggling
economy the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in 1991 immediately shook the
Cuban economy leading to a period of
great strife referred to as the special
period which saw drastic changes in
lifestyle diet industry and more sweep
the country eventually Cuba formed
greater economic ties with other Latin
American countries notably Bolivia and
Venezuela the country has also built up
its tourism industry significantly using
the proceeds from that sector to bounce
back
despite travel restrictions on some
countries number three why did the u.s.
suddenly change its policy on Cuba in a
move that was a long time coming on
December 17 2014 President Barack Obama
announced his plan to normalize
relations between the u.s. and Cuba
signifying a major first step in
bridging the gap between the nations the
two countries had been engaged in secret
talks that occurred in places like
Canada and the Vatican for a year
previous with the Pope having direct
involvement in the meetings referred to
as the Cuban thaw this historic and
sweeping policy change was scheduled to
include the lifting of the trade embargo
as well as the slackening of travel and
immigration restrictions these moves
were set to impact Cuban society in a
huge way number 2 how did the u.s. react
to this announcement the White House
announcement led to a quick division in
opinions between the two major political
parties in the United States the
Republicans and the Democrats the more
vocal opinions were drawn from 2016 US
presidential contenders who viewed the
subject as a potential platform upon
which they could base their campaigns as
for the thousands of Cuban exiles
residing in the United States after
having fled the country since the sick
these opinions were also divided but
angry debates within the community
sparked protests and the generation gap
was evident between older Cubans who
left the country and mistrust the Castro
government and the younger generation
that was born in the United States
number one how will this end in his
final State of the Union address
President Obama stated that the u.s. was
ending a painfully out-of-date policy
the two countries then embarked on a
series of high-level discussions in an
effort to advance towards reciprocal
trade and travel agreements after 50
years of silence and mistrust on both
sides officials are now inching toward
rebuilding the estranged relationship to
create a collaborative and prosperous
future did these facts surprise you to
vote for which new story is covered next
head over to watchmojo.com slash suggest
and be sure to hit that subscribe button
for more newsworthy top 10s published
every week
[Music]
Please follow and like us: