Central America · Interventions and the long 20th century
Republic of Cuba
1902–1959
The Republic of Cuba was proclaimed on 20 May 1902, when the US ended its first military occupation and Tomás Estrada Palma became the first president; the capital was Havana. Independence was heavily constrained by the Platt Amendment (in force 1901–1934), which granted the United States the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to lease a naval base at Guantánamo Bay (which the US still holds).
- Existed
- 1902–1959
- Shown on the map
- 1905–1907, 1911–1959 (2 periods)
- Peak area
- 124k km²
- Region
- Central America
Overview
The Republic of Cuba was proclaimed on 20 May 1902, when the US ended its first military occupation and Tomás Estrada Palma became the first president; the capital was Havana. Independence was heavily constrained by the Platt Amendment (in force 1901–1934), which granted the United States the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to lease a naval base at Guantánamo Bay (which the US still holds). US forces occupied Cuba again in 1906–1909. The economy was dominated by sugar and closely tied to American capital and markets.
Decline and legacy
Cuban politics were turbulent and frequently corrupt. The revolution of 1933 overthrew the dictator Gerardo Machado and brought the army sergeant Fulgencio Batista to power behind the scenes; Batista was elected president (1940–1944) under a notably progressive 1940 constitution, then seized power outright in a 1952 coup and ruled as a dictator. His regime — marked by corruption, repression, and entanglement with US business and organized crime — was overthrown by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, ending the republic on 1 January 1959.
Common questions
- What was the Republic of Cuba?
- The Republic of Cuba was proclaimed on 20 May 1902, when the US ended its first military occupation and Tomás Estrada Palma became the first president; the capital was Havana. Independence was heavily constrained by the Platt Amendment (in force 1901–1934), which granted the United States the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to lease a naval base at Guantánamo Bay (which the US still holds).
- When did the Republic of Cuba exist?
- The Republic of Cuba existed 1902–1959. On this map it is drawn 1905–1907, 1911–1959.
- How large was the Republic of Cuba?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Republic of Cuba covered about 124,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- How did the Republic of Cuba end?
- Cuban politics were turbulent and frequently corrupt. The revolution of 1933 overthrew the dictator Gerardo Machado and brought the army sergeant Fulgencio Batista to power behind the scenes; Batista was elected president (1940–1944) under a notably progressive 1940 constitution, then seized power outright in a 1952 coup and ruled as a dictator.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity and for the key figures and events as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, EBSCO Research Starters and academic sources. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Cuba en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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