-
Oct 28, 1492
Columbus discovers Cuba
Christopher Columbus followed the directions given to him by native peoples and traveled to Cuba. By the time he landed on its shores he was certain that it was the large island which the native peoples referred to as Colba. -
Mar 12, 1511
Colonized by the Spanish under the leadership of Diego de Velazquez
Velázquez sailed to the New World during the second voyage of Christopher Columbus. Columbus’ eldest son, Diego Columbus, later gave Velázquez the responsability of the conquest of Cuba under the title of governor. Velázquez departed for Cuba in 1511. -
May 25, 1526
African slaves were brought to Cuba
The slave trade to Cuba began earlier and lasted longer than in the rest of the Americas/ Caribbean. The trade in Cuba lasted until the late 1870s. This affected the heritage in Cuba, a good portion of Cubas population was African American. -
Aug 23, 1539
Spain takes over Cuba
King Charles I of Spain gave De Soto the task to conquer the land of Florida in the name of Spain. De Soto sailed from Spain for Cuba in April of 1539. Where he was also the govenor. -
British take Havana
The British had an eye on Havana. Almost 200 years later, in an early fog-filled morning of March 1762, a British fleet sailed from Portsmouth to capture the Cuban capital. -
Treaty of Paris: Havana is returned to Cuba
For Spain, the cost of losing Havana was terrible; in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Florida to Britain in exchange for the return of Cuba. -
Period: to
Ten Years War
The war ended in a stalemate. Both sides signed the Treaty of Zanjón. The agreement established that slaves who fought on either side were freed, but slavery was not abolished and Cuba remained under Spanish rule. -
Slavery abolished
the Spanish officially abolished slavery by royal decree in Cuba; it looked good on paper, but, cultural and racial suppression continued. Prejudice did not die easily, with racists against the idea of a racially mixed society. -
Period: to
Second War of Independence
Cubans found it more usefull to sell their products as competitive prices. Spain and Britan did not like this but Cuba fought back and became independent. -
US defeats Spain
The United states victory in the war produced a peace treaty the said that the spanish can't have claims on Cuba. -
U.S Declares war on Spain
The United States declared war on Spain. This was a short war, it ended on December 10, 1898. The war eneded with the Treaty of Paris. That meant that Spain lost control of its overseas empires. This included Cuba , Guam and other islands. This is important to cuba because later on they become their own country. -
Cuba Becomes Independent
With the help of Tomas Estrada Palma as President, the Platt Amendment keeps Cuba under U.S. protection and the U.S. can still intervene in Cuba's affairs. -
Period: to
Estrada Resigns
When Estrada resigns as Presedent, the U.S. then occupies Cuba. The result of this was a rebelion led by Jose Miguel Gomez. -
Return to Cuba
U.S. forces return to Cuba to try to put an end to the protests of black citizens. -
The Dictator: Gerado Machado
Gerado Machado obtains power and puts vigourous measures in place such as fowarding mining, agriculture and public works, this leads to a dictatorship. -
Socialism
The first socialist party is fonded in Cuba, forming the base of the communist party. -
U.S. Removal
The U.S. completely abandons its rights to intervene with any of Cubas personal affairs. -
Fidel Castro leads Revolution and fails
Fidel Castro helped lead the Cuban Revolution, they launched a failed attack, during which many militants were killed and Castro was arrested. -
Castro & Che Gevara lead revolution
Guevara was virtually second-in-command of the large group of revolutionaries that had gathered around Castro in the Sierra Maestra. -
US withdraws military aid to Batista
The US was fearful that Castros ultimate goals might include attacks on U.S. investments and properties in Cuba so they withdrew military aid from Cuba -
Fidel lead revolution & overthrows president Batista
Batista and a number of his supporters fled Cuba. Tens of thousands of Cubans celebrated the end of the dictator’s regime. Castro’s supporters moved quickly to establish their power. -
Cuba openly aligns itself with the Soviet Union & their communist policies
Cuba aligned itself with the Soviet Union and their Communist policies. A Cuban Communist State was set up with full Russian backing. Fidel Castro allowed the USSR to deploy nuclear missiles on the island. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Direct confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two came closest to nuclear conflict. The crisis featured calculations and miscalculations as well as direct communications and miscommunications between the two, -
Soviet Union Collapses
The Soviet Union split into fifteen separate countries. Its collapse because of the west as a victory for freedom, a triumph of democracy, and evidence of the superiority of capitalism over socialism. -
Fidel Castro temporarily hands over control to his brother, Raul
Raul Castro was the first vice president of the country, and as such, the designated successor to his brother. Castro said stress had forced him into surgery and that he would be in bed for several weeks after the operation.
