LEADER 04047nam 22006374a 450 001 9910458019403321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a0-8135-3707-X 010 $a1-283-59871-X 010 $a9786613911162 010 $a0-8135-4100-X 024 7 $a10.36019/9780813541006 035 $a(CKB)1000000000396991 035 $a(EBL)1021846 035 $a(OCoLC)77539032 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000159612 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11146987 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000159612 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10181579 035 $a(PQKB)10624474 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC1021846 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse23293 035 $a(DE-B1597)563319 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780813541006 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL1021846 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10150133 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL391116 035 $a(OCoLC)1163878678 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000396991 100 $a20050419g20069999 ub 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aFulgencio Batista$b[electronic resource] /$fFrank Argote-Freyre 210 $aNew Brunswick, N.J. $cRutgers University Press$dc2006- 215 $a1 online resource (419 p.) 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-8135-3701-0 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $g[v. 1].$tFrom revolutionary to strongman -- 330 $aPawn of the U.S. government. Right-hand man to the mob. Iron-fisted dictator. For decades, public understanding of the pre-Revolutionary Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista has been limited to these stereotypes. While on some level they all contain an element of truth, these superficial characterizations barely scratch the surface of the complex and compelling career of this important political figure. Second only to Fidel Castro, Batista is the most controversial leader in modern Cuban history. And yet, until now, there has been no objective biography written about him. Existing biographical literature is predominantly polemical and either borders on hero worship or launches a series of attacks aimed at denigrating his entire legacy. In this book, the first of two volumes, Frank Argote-Freyre provides a full and balanced portrait of this historically shadowed figure. He describes Batista's rise to power as part of a revolutionary movement and the intrigues and dangers that surrounded him. Drawing on an extensive review of Cuban newspapers, government records, memos, oral history interviews, and a selection of Batista's personal documents, Argote-Freyre moves beyond simplistic caricatures to uncover the real man-one with strengths and weaknesses and with a career marked by accomplishments as well as failures. This volume focuses on Batista's role as a revolutionary leader from 1933 to 1934 and his image as a "strongman" in the years between 1934 and 1939. Argote-Freyre also uses Batista as an interpretive prism to review an entire era that is usually ignored by scholars-the Republican period of Cuban history. Bringing together global and local events, he considers the significance and relationship of the worldwide economic depression, the beginnings of World War II, and in Cuba, the Revolution of 1933, the expansion of the middle class, and the gradual development of democratic institutions. Fulgencio Batista and most of Cuba's past prior to the Revolution of 1959 has been lost in the historical mists. Cuba had a rich and fascinating history before the Marxist Revolution and the reign of Fidel Castro. This captivating and long-overdue book uncovers it. 606 $aPresidents$zCuba$vBiography 607 $aCuba$xHistory$y1933-1959 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aPresidents 676 $a972.9106/3 700 $aArgote-Freyre$b Frank$01004128 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910458019403321 996 $aFulgencio Batista$92306227 997 $aUNINA