In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista, a brutal dictator — and became one himself. He promised democracy, but never held free elections. He denied being a communist — until it was too late to stop him.

With Che Guevara by his side, he built a regime of surveillance, censorship, and televised executions. Millions fled. Others stayed — and were silenced. US historian Lillian Guerra, exiled writer and journalist Amir Valle from Cuba, and DW journalist Jaime González Arguedas reveal how a fight for freedom became a dictatorship. From the Bay of Pigs to the Missile Crisis, from revolutionary hope to economic collapse. Was it ever about the people — or just about power?

 

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