Fidel Castro's Political Strategy: From Moncada to Victory

The Cuban revolutionary experience is something fighters for fundamental social change can benefit from to this day. Fidel Castro began to organize a movement of revolutionaries gathered around a leadership core of militants educated in Marxism years before the revolutionary war that overthrew the dictator Batista was begun. The revolutionaries came to be the uncontested leaders of a broad front of the bulk of the political forces that opposed the U.S.-backed tyrant. When the Cuban equivalents of "our own" Democrat-Republican capitalist hack politicians tried to snatch the leadership away, from Miami no less, they were outmaneuvered by the July 26th Movement and the Rebel Army, and their principled politics and armed struggle. This book, written by a Chilean-Cuban journalist, is a rich mine for the those who choose to resist imperialism's drive towards a New Depression, more and more wars, and fascist barbarism. Most especially, this book is for those who oppose the Empire from inside, which is where the decisive battles will take place. The inclusion of Fidel's masterful defense speech at his trial for insurrection, a classic example for stating the need for revolution-"History Will Absolve Me"-rounds this book out perfectly. Like Fidel said in Chile in 1970 (strongly similar to today's Venezuela), use these revolutionary experiences applied to your own country creatively and intelligently, and you'll win. Provided you have his same confidence in the ability of "average", "ordinary" working people to change themselves and the world through revolutionary struggle.

Gives the facts on why the Cuban resistance won, when so many in the Latin America of that epoch did not. Good summary of Castro's conscious drive to unity of workers and farmers, refusal of any political cosying-up to ruling figures... he really had/has unshakeable confidence in the capacity of ordinary people to fight and win. His 1953 courtroom speech, History Will Absolve Me, is included in the book -- a stirring, sensitive condemnation of the brutality of the dictatorship. Very concrete, educational, seeking to reach the ears of the people to explain why they can move into action on their own behalf.