1959 the Cuban revolution: Fidel Castro came to power promising democracy and freedom. Now, after 50 years of repression and hardship, he's finally fading from the scene. Is there a new revolution in store for Cuba?

• Author: Depalma, Anthony
• Position: TIMES PAST

It was the last day of 1958, and many of the richest and most powerful people in Havana had gathered at the Riviera Hotel to welcome in the new year. The orchestra blared Afro-Cuban music, and the champagne flowed freely. But the mood was somber.

Far from the glamorous capital, a bearded 32-year-old lawyer-turned-revolutionary named Fidel Castro and a few hundred of his followers were gaining ground in a long guerrilla war against Cuba's corrupt dictator, Fulgencio Batista. In fact, much of Cuba was boiling with rebellion.

Just before midnight, an American businessman at the Riviera said that on his way to the party he had seen a long line of cars heading toward the airstrip at Batista's army headquarters in Havana. Two guests at his table happened to be reporters for The New York Times, who immediately realized that Batista was preparing to flee, along with his family and key supporters. By the time they got to a telephone (cell phones were decades from being invented), several DC-4's were taking off for the Dominican Republic, where Batista and his entourage went into exile.

Castro and his rebels marched into Havana a few days later and were welcomed as conquering heroes by cheering crowds. Of course, those lining the streets had no way of knowing then that Castro and his revolution would soon rob Cubans of the most basic human rights and political freedoms, sink the Cuban economy, and rupture relations with Cuba's neighbor to the north, the United States.

WHO IS FIDEL CASTRO?

When Castro arrived in Havana, the Times reported, he "received a delirious welcome from the city's populace." Later that day, as he addressed the huge crowd, someone released white doves as a sign of peace and one landed on Castro's shoulder. Many Cubans took that as a sign that he was destined to lead them to a better future.

In fact, they knew little about him or what he stood for. He was the son of a wealthy planter from the eastern province of Oriente, where most of the fighting had taken place. He had been active in student politics at the University of Havana and went on to become a lawyer and a candidate for the Cuban Congress in 1952. But when Batista canceled the elections and declared himself President, Castro decided to take up arms and overthrow the government.

Although Batista openly accused Castro and his followers of being under the influence of Communists, Castro promised to restore Cuba's constitution and hold free elections. He did not talk about Communism or radical economic theories. "You can be sure we have no animosity toward the United States and the American people," he told a reporter.

Many Cubans of all classes supported Castro because they wanted to get rid of Batista and the corruption that surrounded him; they were not looking for a radical change in their political or economic systems. And Cubans in the poorer countryside believed Castro would improve their lives.

But the Cuban revolution was not fundamentally a revolt by the poor. Before the revolution, Cuba was considered one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. It had a well-developed educational and health system, and Havana was a popular tourist spot, especially for Americans, with ferry service to Florida, which was only...