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How did Fidel Castro rise to power in Cuba?

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Fidel Castro stands on a makeshift balcony draped with Cuban flags, addressing a crowd in Santa Clara, Cuba, surrounded by supporters and armed revolutionaries. — Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro giving a speech from a makeshift balcony on January 1, 1959, en route to his victorious entry into Havana. Castro was known for his oratory skills.

Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba was a complex process that culminated in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista's government on January 1, 1959. Castro, a law graduate, became involved in Cuban politics after Batista seized power in a 1952 coup, canceling elections. Castro organized a resistance movement, leading unsuccessful attacks against Batista's forces, including a raid on the Moncada Barracks in 1953.1234

After receiving amnesty in 1955, Castro went to Mexico, where he organized a group of Cuban exiles. In December 1956, he landed in Cuba with 81 men aboard the yacht Granma, initiating a guerrilla campaign from the Sierra Maestra mountains. Castro's 26th of July Movement gained support through guerrilla warfare and propaganda, eroding Batista's military and popular backing. By 1958, an arms embargo from the United States further weakened Batista's government, and many Cuban military commanders sympathized with the rebellion. Batista fled Cuba on January 1, 1959, and Castro's supporters marched into Havana, marking the success of the revolution. Castro then assumed authority over Cuba's new government.3542