From his military position, he governed through a series of civilian puppet presidents until 1940, when he was finally elected to the office himself. In the manner of many Caribbean and Central American “strong men” (the euphemism that American politicians and the American press used for tyrants), Batista was elevated to high military command-he served as army chief of staff-rather than elective office. Later that year Céspedes was ousted in a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista. Such was President Gerardo Machado, who was elected in 1925 and overthrown in a coup and replaced by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes in 1933. companies, were characteristically oppressive. Cuban leaders, seeking to maintain their personally profitable relationship with U.S. American companies often exploited cheap Cuban labor, engaged in corrupt practices and encouraged corruption among Cuban government officials. Although the United States officially guaranteed Cuban independence, business ties continued to make Cuba a de facto dependency.
The United States’ intervention in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain, which brought on the Spanish-American War of 1898, was in large part motivated by a desire to protect extensive American business interests on the island. A Day to Remember: April 17,1961: Bay of Pigs Invasion | HistoryNet Close