(Ebook) Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba, 1946-1958 by Lillian Guerra ISBN 9780300175530, 0300175531

(Ebook) Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba, 1946-1958 by Lillian Guerra ISBN 9780300175530, 0300175531

A leading scholar sheds light on the experiences of ordinary Cubans in the unseating of the dictator Fulgencio BatistaIn this important and timely volume, one of today’s foremost experts on Cuban history and politics fills a significant gap in the literature, illuminating how Cuba’s electoral democracy underwent a tumultuous transformation into a military dictatorship. Lillian Guerra draws on her years of research in newly opened archives and on personal interviews to shed light on the men and women of Cuba who participated in mass mobilization and civic activism to establish social movements in their quest for social and racial justice and for more accountable leadership. Driven by a sense of duty towardla patria(the fatherland) and their dedication to heroism and martyrdom, these citizens built a powerful underground revolutionary culture that shaped and witnessed the overthrow of Batista in the late 1950s. Beautifully illustrated with archival photographs, this volume is a stunning addition to Latin American history and politics.