From being a Spanish colony to being an independent Cuba, supported by the US (1500-1559)

The original inhabitants of Cuba were Indians. Around 1500 Cuba was colonized by the Spaniards and the inhabitants of the Island were for the greater part murdered through very hard labor and European diseases. After they imported African slaves. 

In the years after Havana and Santiago de Cuba developed into important transit harbors for Spanish ships, that were loaded with goods originating from the Latin America continent, on their way to Spain. A nice detail is that Piet Hein in 1628 saw the opportunity to conquer the Spanish silver fleet! 

From 1800, Spain not only loses its power in Europe but in her colonies too. The colonized Latin American countries detach themselves from their motherland Spain. The strategic site of Cuba meanwhile has attracted the attention of the United States and in 1898 they land on Cuba and end the power of Spain. With the assistance of a movement ones started by Jose Marti (1853-1895) the US declares political independence, but keeps marine base Guantanamo Bay for military purposes. From that moment on Cuba is being ruled alternately by military junta's and civil governments. 


The era Castro, from rebel to dictator (1959 till now)

On the 1st January 1959 Fidel Castro takes over from the then dictator Batista. Fidel is, together with Che Guevarra, part of a group revolutionary, that fight against the selling out of Cuban agriculture and Cuba's Industry, to the American mafia. 

At first there was a slight sympathy in the US towards Castro. They knew Batsista was a criminal and Castro at least wasn't a communist. The sympathy changed overnight when Castro nationalized the North American companies the following year. America stopped importing Cuban cane sugar and started a trade stop. Russia took over the sugar and ,against his wishes you could say, Castro ended up in the communist camp. The  Cuban economic dependence that had existed for centuries   with the US, basically got exchanged with economic dependence with the Sovjet Union.

Meanwhile The rich Cuban's moved en masse to the US where they started an anti Castro movement. The pressure of this group lead to the fact that the US tried to regain control in Cuba by invading at Varkensbaai in 1961. This operation failed! This was a big blow for the US, because for the first time in her history she could not put her political stamp onto an  Spanish ex-colony. To prepare for another possible attack from the US Cuba got Russian missiles in 1962. Placing the missiles almost started a 3rd world war. America forced Russia to remove the missiles in exchange to attack Cuba ever again. Economically boycotted by the US but supported by Russia, Cuba build a socialistic society. It became the only country in Latin America and the 3rd world, where nobody died of hunger and everyone is guaranteed medical care. The price for this fair sharing of poverty, is to give up freedom of expression, press freedom, meetings and demonstrations. 

In the 70's and 80's more and more dissatisfaction started to arise with part of Cuba's inhabitants. Consequence was that not just rich people but a lot of young men flee the country hoping to find a better life in the US.

After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, Russia withdrew its support to Cuba. Since then Cuba is maintaining economically by encouraging tourism and allowing small capitalist companies. 

At this point we can only speculate about the future of Cuba. Will Cuba, after Castro dies or leaves, fall in the hands of Cuban exiles, awaiting their moment?
Will Cuba, under pressure of the local opposition, allow more freedom and  accept reforms? Or will the US, after the Castro era. force a hard capitalist line? Most of the Cuban's would prefer a future where the existing social security would be connected to democratic freedom.