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Fidel Castro's Political Strategy: From Moncada to Victory

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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.

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.

The thirtieth anniversary of the bloody U.S.-engineered coup in Chile just past in August 2003. So what is the difference between Allende's Chile and Fidel's Cuba? In this little book on "Fidel Castro's Political Strategy," Chilean writer Marta Harnecker takes up exactly this point, how Fidel always sought to mobilize Cuba's revolutionary people. Castro and the July 26 movement always avoided either sterile electoral reform or a simple coup that focuses on the hated ruler-in this case Batista, the U.S. supported dictator of Cuba in the 1950s. Fidel's strategy was always based on progressively mobilizing and inspiring the Cuban people to take the stage of history, and he and the Cuban people have succeeded in defending Cuba's revolution pretty well also. If the Cuban people were not ready at a moment's notice to defend the revolution, do you think it could have lasted a day-and almost forty-five years later, it's still strong. Also of great value in this book is the magnificent speech, "From Moncado to Victory," which Castro gave as his defense before being hauled off to Batista's prison in 1953. While amazon may list this book as unavailable from time to time, it is always available from booksfromPathfinder--click on "new and used" at the top of this page.