The Revolution of Fidel Castro

Although The Agüero Sisters takes place more than thirty years after Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba, many of the economic and social situations that the characters wrestle with date back to the revolution. For instance, it is for primarily political reasons that huge numbers of Cubans like Heberto Cruz and Constancia Agüero Cruz left Cuba once Castro was in power.

Castro, then a young lawyer, took control of Cuba in February 1959 by initiating guerrilla warfare against Fulgencio Batista, the dictator who had seized power in 1952 and who was known for his arrogance and corruption. Although Batista enjoyed the support of the United States for much of his rule, by the time that Castro defeated him Batista had begun to alienate his American supporters, so Castro's takeover was not met with too much resistance by the U.S. government. Although...