On July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro led a small group of armed rebels/revolutionaries in an attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. They were easily defeated, and so failed in their immediate goal of surprising the soldiers within and taking arms for the rebel movement. But the day itself is now widely recognized as the beginning of the Cuban revolution. Fidel thereafter named the revolutionaries “Movimiento 26 Julio,” and eventually, as we well know today, the movement succeeded in overthrowing Fulgencio Batista in 1959.
July 26, then, is a significant anniversary for Cuba, and the annual speech given by the President on that day—a greatly anticipated event—is considered his most important speech of the year.
Raúl Castro will speak tomorrow in the the city of Holguin. He has warned Cubans to get used to “not receiving only good news,” and analysts believe his speech will reflect that warning by highlighting the tough economic times and need to work together (each by tightening his belt) through the current downturn.
