The revolutionary general strike secures the victory

1 January 1959

A nationwide strike prevented remnants of the old regime from consolidating a military junta.

1 January 1959

Rebel commanders accepted the surrender of the city, where Castro proclaimed the triumph of the revolution.

1 January 1959

Speaking in Santiago, he warned against replacing Batista with another military arrangement and called for continued popular mobilization.

2 January 1959

Guevara’s column entered the capital and took control of La Cabaña fortress.

2 January 1959

Cienfuegos took control of the country’s largest military installation, completing the collapse of Batista’s command in Havana.

2 January 1959

Workers kept transport, communications and major workplaces halted until the military succession collapsed and the Rebel Army controlled the capital.

3 January 1959

A Santiago speech presented military victory as the start of social reconstruction and insisted on vigilance against elite restoration.

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.

8 January 1959

Castro’s Caravan of Freedom reached the capital after a journey from Santiago marked by mass rallies.

8 January 1959

In a nationally broadcast speech, Castro warned that victory did not mean that every problem had been solved.

People in this event