Cuba: Part 2 (S2.06B)

In this episode of 80 Days: an exploration podcast,  we return to Cuba to bring its story from the Castro Revolution, right up to the modern day. As US-Cuba relations have been in the news this week, it's impossible to keep up with all the twists and turns, but we do our best. If you haven't already listened to Part 1 of this episode, we recommend listening to that first to see how we got here. Cuba is an island in the Caribbean Ocean, just 90 miles south of the US state of Florida. Cuba is home to over 11 million inhabitants. Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1902, but soon fell under US influence and became a playground for the rich and powerful; this was particularly true following the 1952 coup that brought Fulgencia Batista to power. Following a turbulent revolution which spanned almost the entire 1950s, the Communist Party of Cuba, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, took control of the country in 1965. Although poverty is widespread, modern Cuba has an outstanding health care and education system and relations with the US are currently beginning to thaw after a protracted embargo that has been in place since the 1960s. Since Cuba has an awful lot of history, particularly in the 20th Century, we decided to split this episode into two parts: this is the second part. Your hosts are Luke Kelly @thelukejkelly in Hong Kong, Mark Boyle @markboyle86 in the UK, Joe Byrne @anbeirneach in Switzerland and - as a new voice for regular listeners - we're joined in this episode by  Erin Barclay in the USA. (Theme music by Thomas O’Boyle). *Topic List* [02:20] Who is Fidel Castro? [06:36] Castro starts his "July 26" Movement [09:10] Exile in Mexico, meeting Che and the Voyage of the Granma [12:28] Revolution! [14:50] The ousting of Batista, victory for Castro [17:38] Break [18:12] Divisions within the revolution on the question of communism [20:15] Courting the US, and the 'communist closet' [24:20] Che's role in the world [26:11] Refugees and Operation Peter Pan [27:15] The Bay of Pigs invasion attempt [35:26] US Trade Embargo begins [36:57] The Cuban Missile Crisis - Armageddon averted [44:00] Che leaves the stage [46:03] 'Castro really liked milk', and other assassination attemps [49:45] Cuba in the Soviet economic sphere - old cars [51:42] "Los Frikis" punks [52:42] Mariel Boat Lift [54:03] Soviet Union falls, and the 'special period' [56:20] Medicine and oil [58:31] Elian Gonzalez case [60:21] Spies and political refugees [61:07] Thawing of US-Cuba relations under Raul Castro [64:10] What does the Pope have to do with this? [65:30] Death of Fidel [68:51] Trump's evolving policies towards Cuba [71:16] Sports! Baseball! [73:00] Afro-Cuban traditions [75:30] Some Cuban lunch