@historytodayincolour: On 26 July 1953, just before dawn, Fidel Castro and a group of about 160 young rebels launched an audacious attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba — the second-largest military garrison in the country. Their mission was bold: seize the barracks, arm the people, and spark a national uprising to overthrow Fulgencio Batista, the U.S.-backed dictator who had taken power the year before in a military coup. Batista had canceled elections, silenced opposition, and handed over Cuban resources to foreign corporations, deepening inequality and corruption. Castro and his rebels — many of them students, teachers, and workers — believed change would only come through armed resistance. But the attack quickly unraveled. The element of surprise was lost, communications failed, and Batista’s soldiers responded with overwhelming force. Many rebels were killed on the spot or captured and later tortured and executed without trial. Fidel and his brother Raúl managed to escape, but were caught days later. At his trial, Fidel used the courtroom as a platform for revolution. His self-defense turned into a scathing indictment of the regime, and a passionate call for justice, land reform, education, and dignity for the Cuban people. He ended with the words that would become legendary: “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.” He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was released under amnesty in 1955. From exile in Mexico, he regrouped with survivors and new allies — including Che Guevara — and founded the 26th of July Movement, named after that failed assault. Six years later, in January 1959, Fidel Castro would return — not as a prisoner, but as the leader of a victorious revolution that had toppled Batista. The Moncada attack failed militarily, but its impact was seismic. It marked the beginning of the Cuban Revolution, and transformed Fidel Castro from an unknown lawyer into the symbol of resistance. From a bloody defeat came one of the most significant revolutions of the 20th century. Source of picture: CNBC #History, #colorisedhistory, #historyincolor, #todayinhistory, #historytodayincolour

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Saturday 26 July 2025 11:09:02 GMT