What was the 26th of July Movement in Cuba?

The 26th of July Movement was a revolutionary organization led by Fidel Castro that successfully overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.1

The movement’s name commemorates the failed attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953. Following his release from prison, Castro traveled to Mexico in 1955 to organize a disciplined guerrilla force. In 1956, he and a small band of rebels, including Raúl Castro and Che Guevara, returned to Cuba and established a base in the Sierra Maestra mountains to conduct a guerrilla campaign.12

While the movement initially espoused a reform program focused on land distribution, industrialization, and honest elections, it lacked concrete governing plans upon taking power. Following the victory, the movement was integrated into broader revolutionary structures in 1961, and the state eventually transitioned into the first socialist country in the Americas, aligning itself with the Soviet Union.12