early developments of Cuba

• when did Fidel Castro become president?

  1st January 1959
• What did Castro do in May 1959?

  Introduced programme of agrarian reforms which led to a considerable amount of American-owned property to be seized.

  -didn't generate an immediate hostile US response
• What did the Soviet First Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan do?

  Visited Cuba in February 1960, loved Castro's revolution and arranged $100 million credit with Castro which tied them into an economic and political relationship with Soviet Union
• where did US-Cuban relations start to deteriorate?

  Soviets imported first shipment of Crude oil in April 1960 and when US-owned oil companies refused to refine it Castro nationalised them.

  • The US immediately imposed economic sanctions on Cuba and decreased imports on Cuban sugar by 95%.
• How did US-Cuban relations continue to deteriorate from reducing sugar imports?

  Castro seized $1 billion worth of US assets on Cuba in October 1960. By 1961, the US decided to try and remove Castro and his regime from Cuba.