📅 5 January 1959
The revolutionary coalition installed Judge Manuel Urrutia as provisional president.
📅 7 January 1959
The Eisenhower administration extended diplomatic recognition to Cuba’s revolutionary government.
📅 7 February 1959
The revolutionary government adopted a Fundamental Law based partly on the 1940 Constitution while concentrating legislative authority in the Council of Ministers.
📅 16 February 1959
Castro formally became head of government, bringing political office into line with his leadership of the victorious Rebel Army.
📅 17 May 1959
The law limited large estates, redistributed land and created a framework for cooperatives and state farms. It struck at concentrated and foreign landownership.
📅 17 July 1959
A confrontation over the revolution’s direction ended with Urrutia’s resignation after Castro publicly denounced his anti-communist position.
📅 7 February 1959
Under the Fundamental Law, the Council of Ministers combined executive and lawmaking powers during the provisional period.
