Gerardo Machado y Morales
5th President of Cuba
In office 20 May 1925 – 24 August 1933
Vice President	Carlos de la Rosa
Preceded by	Alfredo Zayas
Succeeded by	Ramón Grau San Martín
Born	28 September 1871 Camajuaní, Cuba
Died	29 March 1939 Miami Beach, Florida USA
Nationality	Cuban
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse	Elvira Machado Nodal
Children	Laudelina (Nena), Angela Elvira and Berta Machado y Machado

Gerardo Machado, Time, 1933

Gerardo Machado y Morales (September 28, 1871, Camajuani – March 29, 1939, Miami Beach, Florida) was a Cuban general of the Cuban War of Independence and the 5th president of Cuba (1925-1933). The President of Cuba (formally President of the Council of State of Cuba) is the Head of state of Cuba. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The President of Cuba (formally President of the Council of State of Cuba) is the Head of state of Cuba. Alfredo de Zayas y Alfonso (February 21 1861 in Havana, Cuba - April 11 1934 was a Cuban lawyer poet and Political figure. Dr Ramón Grau San Martin ( September 13, 1887 in La Palma, Pinar del Rio, Cuba - July 28, 1969 in Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Camajuaní is a municipality and port city in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Camajuaní is a municipality and port city in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Cuba, the largest of the Caribbean islands was first inhabited by Indigenous peoples known as the Taíno and Ciboney. The President of Cuba (formally President of the Council of State of Cuba) is the Head of state of Cuba. He was from the central provinces and poor background, he was said to have been a cattle rustler before he joined the fight for independence. A butcher in his youth, he had only three fingers on his left hand. He married his cousin, Elvira Machado Nodal (1868-1968)and they had three daughters; Laudelina (Nena), Angela Elvira and Berta [1].

War experience

He was one of the youngest Cuban generals of the 1895 to 1898 Cuban War of Independence [2]. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Only two other War of Independence generals were younger: Calixto Enamorado (1874-1951) [3] and Enrique Loynaz del Castillo (1871-1963) [4], [5]. Gerardo Machado fought in the middle provinces [6] along with José Miguel Gómez (1858-1921) who also was president on the Liberal Party ticket and José de Jesus Monteagudo who would later defeat the disorganized black separatist forces of Evaristo Estenoz and Pedro Ivonet win the 1912 Race War [7] and cruelly crush this rebellion [8]. José Miguel Gómez ( July 6, 1858 - June 13, 1921) was a Cuban General in the Cuban War of Independence Race war is a slang term referring to developing hostilities between ethnic groups divided on the basis of racial group

Machado, said to the party's War leader in Las Villas province, fought on the defeated Liberal side in the 1917 "Little War of February 1917” La Chambelona (Chambelona War), with José Miguel Gómez, Alfredo Zayas and with Enrique Loynaz del Castillo. José Miguel Gómez ( July 6, 1858 - June 13, 1921) was a Cuban General in the Cuban War of Independence Alfredo de Zayas y Alfonso (February 21 1861 in Havana, Cuba - April 11 1934 was a Cuban lawyer poet and Political figure. Calixto Enamorado fought on the Conservative side. After the initial victories of the Liberals, things turned worse. Yet Machado continued to fight even after the Liberals lost to the machine guns of Colonel Rosendo Collazo at Caicaje [9] once the hacienda of Santiago Saura Orraque [10] and Juan Manuel Perez de la Cruz [11] on 8th of March until his cause was unsustainable and surrendered [12].

President Mario García Menocal had clearly won. Mario García Menocal (December 17 1866 in Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, Cuba - September 7, 1941 in Santiago de Cuba Technically there was no US intervention in this war [13] and Cuban Army Offices notably Julio Sanguilí, in Santiago [14], regained control. Since in this war the Liberals were said to be pro-German, US President Woodrow Wilson, worried about Mexico and Pancho Villa, and the loss of able general, Menocal's friend and Cuba hand Frederick Funston had one less distraction on his hands. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa Frederick N Funston (11 September 1865 &ndash 19 February 1917 also known as Fred Funston, was a General in the United States Army, best known for his Menocal declared war on Germany April 7 of that same year. John J. Pershing, less tactful than Funston, in the Cuban circumstance, would be sent first to Mexico and then Europe. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB ( September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army

Political life

A political figure, he served in the Liberal Party Administration of José Miguel Gómez [15]. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person José Miguel Gómez ( July 6, 1858 - June 13, 1921) was a Cuban General in the Cuban War of Independence Allied with his predecessor outgoing president Alfredo Zayas and running as a Liberal Party candidate, he defeated Mario García Menocal of the Conservative Party by an overwhelming majority to become Cuba's 5th president. Alfredo de Zayas y Alfonso (February 21 1861 in Havana, Cuba - April 11 1934 was a Cuban lawyer poet and Political figure. The Liberal Party of Cuba ( Partido Liberal de Cuba) is an illegal liberal party in Cuba. Mario García Menocal (December 17 1866 in Jagüey Grande, Matanzas, Cuba - September 7, 1941 in Santiago de Cuba He took office as President of Cuba on May 20, 1925 and left office on August 12, 1933. The President of Cuba (formally President of the Council of State of Cuba) is the Head of state of Cuba. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Elected at the time of a fall in world sugar prices, he was a Cuban industrialist and member of the political elite of the Liberal Party. Machado was an economic reformer who tried to wean Cuba off of its heavy reliance on the sugar industry and resultant dependency on the United States. His presidency saw the passage of the Vejeda Act of 1926, a failed attempt to raise sugar prices by cutting production, and the Customs-Tariff Law of 1927, a successful attempt to encourage the diversification of Cuban industry.

Machado was determined to modernize Cuba [16], he constructed the Central Highway [17]. Politically he was less adroit, he determined to make Cuba the "Switzerland of the Americas" and became despotic and forced his way into a second term. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation By this time Machado had become an equal opportunity tyrant as documented by Walker Evans [18] and had made many enemies of the political left (except for a period of truce with the Cuban Communist Party), the center and the right. For the off-road and NASCAR driver see Walker Evans (racer. Walker Evans ( November 3, 1903 &ndash April 10, The Communist Party of Cuba ( Spanish: Partido Comunista de Cuba, PCC is currently the governing political party in Cuba. He also abused and censored the press [19], [20]. The struggles against Machado have influenced both film [21] and literature. However, to place the matter in international context, during Machado’s rule Mussolini controlled Italy [22], and Hitler was busy in Germany; there was Depression in the US. It was in these turbulent times when Machado ruled that Cuban links to the Stalinist Communist International were made for the first time by Fabio Grobart [23]. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow Fabio Grobart (also Antonio Blanco was born in Bialystok, Poland August 30 1905 his birth name was Abraham Grobart aka Abraham Simjovitch [24].

Although Machado is said to have ordered the murder of defecting communist Julio Antonio Mella in Mexico this murder is generally conceded to have been carried out by the Stalinist faction of the Communist International who were in a death struggle with the followers of Leon Trotsky. Julio Antonio Mella ( 25 March 1903 – 10 January 1929) was a founder of the "internationalized" The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij The actual assassination was done by an action group that included notorious communist assassin Vittorio Vidali. In Sociology and Anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. Vittorio Vidali (1900 &mdash 1983 also known as Vittorio Vidale, Enea Sormenti, Jacobo Hurwitz Zender, Carlos Contreras, " Comandante Trotsky was eventually also murdered in that country by communist assassin Ramón Mercader. Jaume Ramón Mercader del Río Hernández ( February 7 1914 &ndash October 18 1978) was a Catalan Communist who became

Machado loses power

Gerardo & Elvira Machado's crypt

In Cuba, Machado engaged in a long struggle with diverse insurgent groups which varied from the green shirts of the ABC to Blas Hernandez, to the conservative veterans of the Cuban War of Independence to the radical Antonio Guiteras group, and clung on for several years. Antonio Guiteras y Holmes ( 22 November 1906 in Philadelphia, United States – 8 May 1935 in Matanzas, As Cuba was hit with severe poverty during the Great Depression, discontent increased which was met by death squad tactics by Machado, swelling the numbers of such insurgents. Thousands were massacred by Machado's government and insurgent groups responded with terrorist campaigns against government officials and buildings. Machado turned almost all Cubans, from the richest to the poorest, into his dedicated enemies. He was finally toppled in the 1933 by US influence, Sumner Welles [25], old Cuban War of Independence Veterans, Army Officers and Civic Leaders in a general strike [26] (Alba, 1968). Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Benjamin Sumner Welles ( October 14, 1892 &ndash September 24, 1961) was an American government official and diplomat His regime's collapse was followed by a revolution led by dissident students, labor activists, and non-commissioned military officers, that left the power in the hands of Fulgencio Batista. General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (fulˈxensjo βaˈtista i salˈdiβar January 16, 1901 &ndash August 6, 1973) was a Cuban He died in Miami Beach and is buried in Miami at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum) . Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum is one of the oldest cemeteries in Miami, Florida. [27] [28].

References

Memoirs and papers

Machado y Morales, Gerardo (written in 1936 published in 1957 and later) Ocho años de lucha – memorias. Ediciones Universales, [29] and Ediciones Historicas Cubanas. Miami ISBN 0-89729-328-2 ISBN 0-89729-328-2

A collection Gerardo Machado’s papers have been digitized by the Cuban Heritage Collection Digitizing Project of the University of Miami [30].

General references

• Alba, Víctor 1968 Politics and the labor movement in Latin America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California . ASIN B0006BNYGK
• Duarte Oropesa, José (1989) Historiología Cubana. Ediciones Universal Miami ISBN 84-399-2580-8
• Carrillo, Justo 1985 Cuba 1933: Estudiantes, Yanquis y Soldados. University of Miami Iberian Studies Institute ISBN 0-935501-00-2 Transaction Publishers (January 1994) ISBN 1-56000-690-0
• Masó, Calixto (1998) Historia de Cuba 3rd edition. Ediciones Universal, Miami. ISBN 0-89729-875-6
• Perez, Louis A. Jr. "Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution. " Third Edition. New York/Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2006
• Perez-Stable, Marifeli (1999); The Cuban Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Riera Hernández, Mario. 1953. Cincuenta y dos años de política: Oriente, 1900-1952. La Habana.
• Riera, Mario. 1955. Cuba política, 1899-1955. La Habana: Impresora Modelo, S. A.
• Riera Hernández, Mario. 1968. Cuba libre: 1895-1958. Miami: Colonial Press of Miami, Inc.
• Riera Hernández, Mario. 1974. Cuba repúblicana: 1899-1958. Miami: Editorial AIP.
• Thomas, Hugh (1998) Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom. Da Capo Press; Updated edition (April, 1998) ISBN 0-306-80827-7
• Perez-Stable, Marifeli (1999); The Cuban Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Otero, Juan Joaquin (1954). Libro De Cuba, Una Enciclopedia Ilustrada Que Abarca Las Artes, Las Letras, Las Ciencias, La Economia, La Politica, La Historia, La Docencia, Y ElProgreso General De La Nacion Cubana - Edicion Conmemorative del Cincuentenario de la Republica de Cuba, 1902-1952.   (Spanish)

Chambelona

• Cano Vázquez, F. 1953: La Revolución de la Chambelona. Revista Bohemia. La Habana, May 1st 1953. 45 (19) 82-86, 184, 188.
• González, Reynaldo 1978 Nosotros los liberales nos comimos la lechona. Editorial de Ciencias Sociales. Havana
• Waldemar, León Caicaje: Batalla Final de una Revuelta. Bohemia pp. 100-103, 113
• Montaner, Carlos Alberto 1982 Cuba: claves para una conciencia en crisis. [31]
• Montaner, Carlos Alberto 1999 Viaje al Corazón de Cuba. Planes and Janés [32]
• Morales y Morales, Vidal 1959 (printed 1962) Sobre la guerra civil de 1917. Documentos del Siglo XX, Boletín del Archivo Nacional. Volume 58 pp. 178-256.
• Parker, William Belmont 1919 Cubans of Today Putnam's Sons, New York,
• Portell Vila, Herminio La Chambelona en Oriente. Bohemia pp. 12-13, 112-125.
• Primelles, L- 1955 Crónica cubana, 1915-1918: La reelección de Menocal y la Revolución de 1917. La danza de los millones - Editorial Lex, Havana.