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Many
people left Cuba after the Revolution.
They were mainly members of the middle and upper classes
who were being heavily taxed by the government. Almost
all of the extremely wealthy members of society fled,
as they lost much of their property to the new government.
Others who had sympathized with Batista
feared for their safety. |
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Nearly
everyone who left Cuba came to the United States, with many settling
in Miami and other cities in Florida. Ever since, they have tried
to overthrow Fidel Castro,
so that they can return to Cuba and recover their lost fortunes.
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The
United States government, as an enemy of the Castro government
as well, had supported them in their early activities. These
days, the political importance of Florida, as well as the sway
of large campaign contributions, have given many anti-Castro
groups great political power in the United States. Although
their activities have become less direct, many still actively
work for Fidel Castro's
overthrow. In the years after the Revolution,
many anti-Castro exiles worked with the CIA or alone to bring
about their return to power. |
The
best known event occurred at the Bay
of Pigs. Cuban-Americans lead by the CIA and directly commanded
by Batista's
officers began training to invade Cuba. After an air raid on the
island, the landed their forces at two places, being thoroughly
defeated. They had expected support through a general uprising by
native Cubans, but this never materialized. After that, groups such
as Omega 7 and Alpha 66 came into existence. These terrorist organizations
have bombed buildings, airplanes and factories in Cuba, and have
even carried out assassinations around the world. Many foreign embassies
have been bombed after countries acted against the anti-Castro cause.
Even prominent anti-Castro Cuban-Americans who don't support exactly
the political agendas of these organizations have been assassinated.
Thousands have been killed, and they have not been able to retake
Cuba.
Today,
there is less violence. The anti-Castro groups, such as the Cuban
American National Foundation (CANF), today concentrate
on influencing politics to bring change to Cuba. Most are extremely
right wing and probably would not be willing to pay for the continued
existence of the social progress made by the Revolution,
should they take power. Most people living in Cuba don't like the
prospect of the exiles' return. Most Cubans believe that these wealthy
citizens will continue to provide them with free education, health
care, housing and other essential needs. These groups, which say
they want to bring democracy to Cuba, would not stand much of a
chance of winning an election.
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Related pages: Balseros >>
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