Attack of the Cuban revolutionary movement against the government of Fulgencio Batista at the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953
The failed 1953 attack on Moncada Barracks marked the start of the Cuban Revolution and gave Castro's movement its enduring name.
Key Facts
- Date of attack
- 26 July 1953
- Target
- Moncada Barracks, Santiago de Cuba
- Simultaneous target
- Carlos M. de Cespedes Barracks, Bayamo
- Movement named after
- Movimiento 26 Julio (M-26-7)
- Batista government toppled
- 1 January 1959
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Fulgencio Batista had established a dictatorship in Cuba, prompting Fidel Castro and a small group of Cuban revolutionaries to organize an armed uprising. They planned a coordinated assault on military installations to spark a broader rebellion against Batista's authoritarian government.
On 26 July 1953, Fidel Castro led an armed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, while a simultaneous assault on the Carlos M. de Cespedes Barracks in Bayamo was directed by Raúl Martínez Ararás. Both attacks failed; the surviving revolutionaries were captured and imprisoned.
The failed assault became the symbolic origin of the Cuban Revolution. Castro named his movement Movimiento 26 Julio (M-26-7) after the date of the attack. This movement ultimately succeeded in overthrowing the Batista dictatorship on 1 January 1959, reshaping Cuba's political direction entirely.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Fidel Castro, Raúl Martínez Ararás.
Side B
1 belligerent
Fulgencio Batista.