The Cuban Revolution was a significant event in Cuba's history that shaped the way the country is led to this day. The revolution was fronted by Fidel Castro, along with his younger brother Raul Castro and revolutionary Che Guevara. The peak of the revolution came on January 1, 1959, when dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown and the rebels took power.
The early stages of the Cuban Revolution were difficult for the rebels; many attacks were unsuccessful and many fighters were killed or captured and tortured. The Castro brothers escaped harm and, once released from prison, they underwent military training in Mexico.
In December of 1956, Castro and 82 others landed in Cuba aboard the ship Granma; they were quickly overpowered by Batista's troops, but a group of the revolution's most important leaders – the Castro brothers, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, among others – managed to escape into the mountains, where they had to rely on peasants for support in finding each other.
Anti-Batista groups began to rise in Cuba's cities and towns, and the country was officially immersed in a state of chaos. In May 1958, Batista launched a massive military operation in the mountains, where the revolutionaries were hiding. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the rebels inflicted casualties on the army and even drove them back. Groups led by the rebel leaders took on massive army units and Batista's army proved not to be prepared for guerrilla-style warfare. The dictator's forces suffered heavy losses due to both death, injuries and abandonment.
Batista finally surrendered in 1959, fleeing to Spain, and his government was overthrown. The revolutionaries marched through and took over towns and cities throughout Cuba and Castro's forces occupied the capital city, Havana, thus bringing the overthrow to a victorious end. A cease-fire was called upon news of Batista's exile, thus allowing Castro to take over the rest of the territories. The new president was announced and we all know how things continued from there.