Throughout the 1940s and '50s, the Caribbean island of Cuba had been a playground for the United States. Cuban land and industry were almost entirely owned by U.S. corporations. But after years of guerrilla fighting against the dictatorship of Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, revolutionary forces headed by Fidel Castro entered Havana in January 1959.

More than 500 people were tried and executed in Cuba, after appearing before the revolutionary judges. Thousands fled to exile in the United States. But to most Cubans, Castro was a hero.
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