Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba, 1946-1958

Lillian Guerra is the Waldo W. Neikirk Professor of Cuban and Caribbean History at the University of Florida and the author of Visions of Power in Cuba: Revolution, Redemption, and Resistance, 1959–1971.

“Lillian Guerra’s Heroes, Martyrs, and Political Messiahs in Revolutionary Cuba, 1946–1958 is an important contribution to a growing body of competing narratives about the character of pre-1959 Cuban political culture” — Barry Carr, American Historical Review"This is the story suppressed and smothered over with propaganda by the Castro dictatorship for nearly sixty years. It is written with passionate precision from a personal yet rigorous and thoroughly scholarly perspective."--Roberto González Echevarría, author of Love and the Law in Cervantes  “Outrage, pride, and belief in the need for change” characterized Cuba’s protest politics as its democratic regime imploded in the 1940s. Guerra traces those themes in her illuminating discussion of often-forgotten key aspects of Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship during the 1950s and examines the rise of opposition, then revolutionary violence against his rule, placing Fidel Castro only as one of many in this multifaceted process. She shows as well how Castro crafted his personal victory in the end. Guerra’s impressive research, strong authorial voice, and attention to the views not just of the winners but also the losers, the traitors, and the lowly enrich this riveting account of the making of a revolutionary Cuba."--Jorge I. Domínguez, Harvard University  "Professor Guerra's account of the events leading up to the Cuban Revolution is key to understanding why it occurred and how this history will influence Cuba's future in the post-Castro era."—John Caulfield, Former Chief of the US Interests Section, Havana, Cuba"This fascinating book undoubtedly is the best political history of Cuba’s 1946-1958 period: profound analysis but never boring, great literary readability that prompts continuous readers’ interest, a treasure of documented history that reveals many previously unknown, important facts."--Carmelo Mesa-Lago, author of Voices of Change in Cuba from the Expanding Non-State Sector