Fulgencio Batista Biography

During his two years of service in the Cuban army from 1921 to 1923, Fulgencio Batista learned typing and shorthand. After brief stints as a teacher, and with the rural police, he transferred back to the army and swiftly rose through the ranks to become sergeant stenographer. In 1933, he was the secretary of a powerful, non-commissioned officers’ group which was at the forefront of a ‘sergeant’s conspiracy’.

Batista forced Grau to resign on January 15, 1934, after just over one hundred days of his presidency. For the next six years, Cuba was ruled by a series of puppet presidents, with Batista pulling the strings from the back.

Throughout all this, his popularity never wavered. In 1940, he contested in the general election with the support from the ‘Democratic Socialist Coalition’. He defeated Grau to become the first President under the new 1940 Constitution.

Historians generally hold his first term in positive light. He ushered in major reforms, expanded the educational system, and fostered economic growth. Cuba took the side of the Allies in the Second World War. The Cuban declaration of war on Germany and Italy came on December 8, 1941, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Upon returning to Cuba in 1952, Batista set up the ‘Progressive Action Party’ and decided to run for the office that year. In the polls before the election, his ‘United Action Coalition’ was trailing far behind the rest. Garnering the support of the army once more, he led a coup against the outgoing President Carlos Prío Socarrás and seized the control of the government as a provisional president. Subsequently, the election was cancelled.

Once in power, Batista revoked most political liberties and prompted certain economic changes that would prove disastrous for Cuba. By the late 1950s, the US corporations owned 90% Cuban mines, 80% public utilities, 50% of its railways, 40% of its sugar production and 25% of its bank deposits.

He gave free rein to organised crime, particularly to American mobsters such as Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. Havana became "a hedonistic playground for the world's elite", “the Latin Las Vegas”, where drugs, gambling, and prostitution were rampant.

Around this time, Batista also lost US support. On January 1, 1959, he, along with 40 supporters and immediate family members, fled to the Dominican Republic. Fidel Castro and his army entered Havana on January 8, 1959.

Various allegations suggest that Batista took as much as $700 million in art collections and cash when fleeing Cuba. The U.S. government refused him entry, so he relocated to Portugal and eventually to Spain, where he was granted asylum.

By establishing a business relationship with the organised crime sector, Fulgencio Batista made millions. The early years of his dictatorship appeared prosperous on the surface, with new casinos opening frequently and the streets being full of Cadillacs. The reality was more severe—15% to 20% of the Cuban workforce was chronically unemployed; an average family earned only $6 a week.

Fulgencio Batista was married twice. Elisa Godínez y Gómez, his first wife (married July 10, 1926), bore him three children, Mirta Caridad, Elisa Aleida, and Fulgencio Rubén. They divorced in October 1945, after almost 20 years of marriage.

Before finalizing his divorce from Elisa, Batista began a relationship with Marta Fernández Miranda. They married on November 28, 1945, and had five children together: four sons, Jorge Luis, Roberto Francisco, Carlos Manuel, and Fulgencio José, and one daughter, Marta María.

Fulgencio Batista was an avid reader and was known to have a personal library of books, covering a wide range of topics from history to philosophy.

Batista was a skilled marksman and enjoyed hunting as a hobby. He often organized hunting trips with friends and colleagues during his time in power.

Despite his reputation as a dictator, Batista was also known for his interest in the arts and culture. He supported various cultural initiatives and projects during his presidency.

Batista was a talented musician and played the piano proficiently. He often entertained guests at his residence with impromptu performances.

Batista was a fitness enthusiast and followed a strict exercise routine to maintain his physical health. He was known to prioritize his physical fitness and often encouraged others to do the same.