IB History Cuban Revolution and Its Impact on the Americas Key Definitions

The revolutionary organization founded by Fidel Castro in 1955, named after the date of the failed Moncada Barracks attack. It led the guerrilla campaign against Batista from the Sierra Maestra mountains.

A US foreign aid programme launched by President Kennedy in 1961, pledging $20 billion over ten years to promote economic development, social reform and democratic governance in Latin America. It aimed to reduce the appeal of communism by addressing poverty and inequality, but achieved limited results due to political conditions attached to aid and entrenched structural problems.

A failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba in April 1961 by Cuban exiles attempting to overthrow Castro. Its failure strengthened Castro's position domestically and pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union.

A sudden, illegal overthrow of a government, often carried out by the military. The term comes from French, meaning 'blow of state.'

A 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the US and Soviet Union over Soviet nuclear missiles placed in Cuba. It ended with the Soviets withdrawing the missiles in exchange for a US pledge not to invade Cuba.

A coordinated attempt to reduce a state's international influence by limiting recognition, official relations, trade, participation in organisations, or access to negotiations.

A revolutionary strategy developed by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and theorised by Régis Debray in the 1960s. It held that a small armed guerrilla group (the foco) operating in rural areas could create the conditions for a broader revolution without waiting for a mass political movement to develop first. The theory drew on the Cuban example but failed in most other contexts, most visibly in Bolivia in 1967, where Guevara was captured and executed.

A committee or council that rules a country, usually after seizing power by force. The term is most commonly associated with military rulers of Latin American countries.

Castro's manifesto outlining five revolutionary laws for Cuba, developed during his trial after the failed 1953 Moncada Barracks attack. It promised land reform, profit-sharing, education reform, and nationalization of utilities.

A comprehensive ban on US trade with Cuba, imposed by the Kennedy administration in February 1962 in response to Cuba's nationalisation of American-owned assets and its alignment with the Soviet Union. The embargo prohibited US exports to Cuba and barred Cuban goods, especially sugar, from US markets. It became one of the longest-running trade embargoes in modern history.