The Cuban revolution tore through Cuba from July 1953 until January 1959. This movement was powered by Fidel Castro's revolutionary rise against the military dictatorship of the Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. The rebellion was led by three key figures: Fidel Castro, Che Guavara and Camilo Cienfuegos. Although he is the lesser known of the three, Cienfuegos’ contributions to the rebellion during the revolution left a lasting impact on modern Cuba. After joining the rebellion, Cienfuegos quickly became a powerful and respected leader. During the rebellion, Cienfuegos commanded soldiers in the largest battle of the Cuban revolution, and in the midst of the uprising, Cienfuegos was presented as various personas, and perceived in several different roles, each stemming from contrasting perceptions. Nevertheless, the contributions of this leader throughout the revolution are still entrenched in modern day Cuba and celebrated by its’ people.
Cienfuegos’ intentions in joining the rebellion were to restore his country by rebuilding the economy, introducing a new form of communist government and getting rid of the Batista dictatorship. After spending time in Mexico with Castro, it became clear to him that joining the rebellion was the only way to prevent the total collapse of Cuba and to ensure the independence of its people and its government from America. Cienfuegos’ feared that under the influence of the United States, Cuba would evolve to become like contemporary American society. This fear was initiated by Cienfuegos’ experiences when he had travelled to America in the early 1950s to seek work. During his travels, he became disillusioned with American society, their ideals and their politics (Minster, 2019). To achieve his goals of liberation, Cienfuegos joined the revolution, unknowing of the influence and impact that he would have during the revolution and modern Cuba.
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Camilo Cienfuegos was born on February 6, 1932 in Havana, Cuba. He was born into an immigrant working-class family of Spanish anarchists; he firmly believed in the libertarian tenets of anarchism (Minster, 2019). As a teenager, he was involved in protests against the Cuban government and their policies. As the economic and social situation in Cuba worsened, his involvement in the struggle against president Fulgencio Batista increased. In 1955, Cienfuegos was shot in the leg by Batista's soldiers during a protest and then attacked by thugs with steel bars wrapped in newspapers. According to Cienfuegos, that was the moment in which he decided he would fight to free Cuba from Batista’s dictatorship. “In my way of thinking, there is only one dignified road toward ending the present situation…to follow the cause of Fidel” (Franqui, 2002). His inspiration for joining the rebellion was a moment he experienced after being shot and attacked, “they carried me to the student clinic, where I experienced one of the greatest emotions of my life, when more than a hundred people gathered there in the entrance broke into cheers and applause when they carried me up, and I felt such an emotion, I felt about to cry, and I yelled out, ‘Viva Cuba!’. I was most sure then that, whatever the cost, Cuba had to be free” (Franqui, 2002). In the mid-1950s Camilo travelled to New York and, later, Mexico where he joined Fidel Castro's ‘26 July Movement’, landing in Cuba in December 1956. By 1957 he had been awarded the title ‘Comandante’ in the Cuban rebellion. The impacts of his actions as a leader are still echoed in today’s Cuba.
When offered the opportunity to join the rebellion, Camilo eagerly joined and was one of 82 soldiers packed into the 12-passenger yacht, Granma, which departed from Mexico on November 25, 1956, and arrived a week later in Cuba. The Cuban Army discovered the rebels and killed most of them, however, a small group of survivors hid and was later able to regroup. The 19 survivor rebels spent multiple weeks in the Sierra Maestra mountains. As one of the survivors of the Granma group, Cienfuegos had a certain prestige with Fidel Castro. This relationship continued as Cienfuegos was seen to be a close friend to Castro. “Vas bien, Fidel” (“You're doing fine, Fidel”). This famous statement was uttered by Cienfuegos during a revolutionary rally in 1959 after Fidel Castro asked him if his speech was going well (Minster, 2019). By the mid-1957, Cienfuegos had been promoted to comandante and had his own command. In 1958, the success of the rebel initiative was on the rise, and Cienfuegos was ordered to lead one of three columns to attack Santa Clara (another column was led by Ché Guevara) (Karol, K. S., 1970). One squad was ambushed and wiped out, but Guevara and Cienfuegos ultimately converged on Santa Clara in a campaign that you later be known as the Battle of Yaguajay. On December 30th 1958 his column, along with Che Guevara’s troops, successfully captured the capital of Santa Clara. Consequently, on December 3st, the USA’s proxy dictator, Fulgencio Batista, fled Cuba. This battle was a great feat and victory for the Cuban rebellion in the pursuit of liberation.
On the 19th of December 1958, Cienfuegos's force, reached the garrison at Yaguajay (near Fomento) in December 1958 and besieged it. Cienfuegos’ column was originally made up of only approximately 60 men (out of Castro’s 230), however, as they were marching through the countryside, they were joined by peasants and farm workers. The total number of soldiers is estimated at 400 (Minster, 2019). This group directly attacked the local army’s garrison. There were approximately 250 soldiers inside under the command of Cuban-Chinese captain Abon Ly. Cienfuegos continuously attacked the garrison but was repeatedly driven back. He attempted to put together a makeshift tank out of a tractor and some iron plates, but was unsuccessful. Ly believed that support would be sent so that they could quash this onslaught, however, help never came. Eventually, the garrison ran out of food and ammunition and surrendered on December 30. The next day, the revolutionaries captured Santa Clara. The combined forces of Cienfuegos, Guevara, and local revolutionaries under William Alexander Morgan captured the city and claimed it in the name of the revolution. Several monuments have been built in remembrance of this event. For example, a museum in Cienfuegos' honor (the Museo Nacional Camilo Cienfuegos) was built in Yaguajay. This battle is perceived as the final step in the fall of the Batista dictatorship (Pérez-Stable M, 1993). During and prior to this event, the Batista government was pushing to ruin the image and credibility of the rebellion and therefore Camilo Cienfuegos.
To the rebellion (and those supporting their cause) Camilo Cienfuegos was a hero. This was expressed through the respect and power that Cienfuegos held in the rebellion and within Cuba. He was described as ‘the real hero of the day’. He was the youngest, the most handsome. He was loyal to Fidel, but he followed Che and other Marxists (Fanqui, 1981).
In January 1959, Cienfuegos was acclaimed by millions of Cubans during the triumphal entry of the ‘barbudos’ into Havana. From the perspective of the public, he was a true leader and hero that had liberated them from the oppressive dictatorship. Cienfuegos was very popular among the people and after the revolution, was the third most powerful person in Cuba. However, the rebellion and Cienfuegos was not as popular with other parties that opposed him.
From the perspective of Batista, Cienfuegos represented a threat to his control over Cuba. His presence also troubled America because he threatened their diplomatic power and relations to Cuba through the proxy diplomat Batista. These attitudes were furthered when in 1958, the rebellion began to coordinate sporadic raids. These attacks coupled with considerable destruction of property (during raids and as signs of protest), seriously began to disrupt the Cuban economy. “Sugar mills and plantations were burned, bombings in Havana depressed the tourist trade, and rebel activity in Oriente province hampered the mining industry” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019). In response to these attacks, the United States imposed an arms embargo on Cuba in mid-March that suspended the delivery of nearly 2,000 Garand rifles to the Cuban government. Batista was relying on this income of weapons to hold off the rebels and maintain military control over the public. After the battle of Yaguajay in December of 1958, Batista was forced to flee Cuba in fear of what Cienfuegos and Che Guevara (and the columns of soldiers they had under their command) would do to him. Therefore, Batista perspective of Cienfuegos was that of an obstacle. Throughout the duration of the rebellion, this attitude developed into one of fear, including in his fleeing of Cuba.
After the revolution ended in 1959, Cienfuegos was the third most powerful man in Cuba after Fidel and Raúl Castro. In 1959, he was promoted to the leader of the Cuban armed forces. In this position, he assisted the new Castro regime as it changed the Cuban government. In the same year, during a march in Havana, the then 27-year-old Cienfuegos, - the ‘Third Man’ of the revolution, a new libertarian ‘leader’ - was acclaimed by millions of Cubans. In his last public speech prior to his disappearance, Cienfuegos stated, “Even if it brings the sky down on our heads, agrarian reform is on!” (Sierra, 2010). This represented his endorsement of the ‘new Cuba’. To announce the death of Cienfuegos death, Fidel Castro stated in his speech to the people of Cuba on November 1, 1959, “There are many Camilos among our people!”. After the revolution, Cienfuegos’ contributions were celebrated and commemorated, a tradition still occurring today.
In modern Cuba, Cienfuegos legacy continues. The anniversary of Camilo Cienfuegos death is commemorated every year on October 28th. On this day, the children of Cuba throw flowers into the sea as 'a flower for Camilo' (Sierra, 2010). In 2009, on the 50th anniversary of his death, Camilo’s face was added to the ‘Plaza de la Revolución’ beside that of Ché Guevara, along with his famous quote: “Vas bien, Fidel ” (“You’re doing fine, Fidel”). Camilo is also featured on Cuban currency, he is depicted on the 20 peso bills. Camilo was a key figure in the Cuban revolution and his legacy is celebrated today as it will be in 100 years time.
In conclusion, through his participation in the rebellion (specifically his leadership and role in the Battle of Yaguajay), Camilo Cienfuegos has left a major impact on Cuba. Although he is the lesser known of the significant three powerhouses of the rebellion (Fidel Castro, Che Guavara and Camilo Cienfuegos) in the eyes of non-Cuban history, his struggles and achievements against oppression are still celebrated in modern Cuba. Without Cienfuegos, modern Cuba would be different socially, politically and economically. Therefore, he achieved his goals of liberating Cuba and creating a better socioeconomic and political landscape for future generations.
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