Fulgencio Batista: From Revolutionary to Strongman

by Frank Argote-Freyre

Pawn of the U.S. government. Right-hand man to the mob. Iron-fisted dictator. For decades, public understanding of the pre-Revolutionary Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista has been limited to these stereotypes. While on some level they all contain an element of truth, these superficial characterizations barely scratch the surface of the complex and compelling career of this important political figure. Second only to Fidel Castro, Batista is the most controversial leader in modern Cuban history. And yet, until now, there has been no objective biography written about him. Existing biographical literature is predominantly polemical and either borders on hero worship or launches a series of attacks aimed at denigrating his entire legacy. In this book, the first of two volumes, Frank Argote-Freyre provides a full and balanced portrait of this historically shadowed figure. He describes Batista's rise to power as part of a revolutionary movement and the intrigues and dangers that surrounded him. Drawing on an extensive review of Cuban newspapers, government records, memos, oral history interviews, and a selection of Batista's personal documents, Argote-Freyre moves beyond simplistic caricatures to uncover the real man-one with strengths and weaknesses and with a career marked by accomplishments as well as failures. This volume focuses on Batista's role as a revolutionary leader from 1933 to 1934 and his image as a "strongman" in the years between 1934 and 1939. Argote-Freyre also uses Batista as an interpretive prism to review an entire era that is usually ignored by scholars-the Republican period of Cuban history. Bringing together global and local events, he considers the significance and relationship of the worldwide economic depression, the beginnings of World War II, and in Cuba, the Revolution of 1933, the expansion of the middle class, and the gradual development of democratic institutions. Fulgencio Batista and most of Cuba's past prior to the Revolution of 1959 has been lost in the historical mists. Cuba had a rich and fascinating history before the Marxist Revolution and the reign of Fidel Castro. This captivating and long-overdue book uncovers it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics

416 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2006

Reviews

[Krystalrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical book about the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Batista was a dictator in Cuban, he worked closely with American politicians and mafia connected criminals to further his personal agenda. The author does a great job detailing the state Cuba was in before Fidel Castros successful revolution in 1959.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This two part biography of Batista attempts to paint the dictator in a new light. The author is very pro-Batista but does raise some interesting and new perspectives on the man. This first book is about Batista's early years up through the point where he is elected president. It does an excellent job of showing US influences on internal Cuban politics. The various presidents that were Batista's puppets show the level of corruption that runs not only through Cuba but throughout all of Latin America. The narrative account does a great job of shedding light on how Cuba looked in the precastro years and in this case shows how trans-formative the years before Batista really were. It was a time where Cuba was finding its national image and forming itself as a nation. The book is very well written and provides an interesting account on Cuba during this time period. In short highly recommend.

[Lucy Shiels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of the relatively unknown, when compared to Castro, Cuban revolutionary leader offers a critical look at his first forays into revolutionary activities and his leadership of the Cuban military and the government up until his presidential victory in 1940. Some parts of it are largely narrative but I think this is more is bring context to the reader and because there is largely a limit to the sources on Batista for the historian to use. However, Argote-Freyre offers a new approach to looking at the character of Batista and his importance in Cuban history. For those who are just looking for a quick biography on Batista and some context to the pre-Castro Cuba this is a book I would definately recommend.