Between 1952 and 1959, in the course of struggle between the government of Fulgencio Batista and the revolutionary forces, the vital issue of who would hold political power was definitively settled. The revolutionary movement began immediately after the military coup of 1952 and expanded to include diverse organizations and opposition groups, both those that believed in armed struggle and those that opposed it in favor of other forms of resistance. Building on structures that could accommodate

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... arious opposition sectors, the July 26 Revolutionary Movement (MR 26-7) emerged as the key instrument of the success of the insurgent movement. Despite tactical differences among the various insurrectional groups, all shared one unifying objective: overthrow of the regime. This study examines the evolution, integration, and tactics of the national liberation movement in the province of Matanzas. Two fundamental hypotheses guide the work: Popular rebellion developed within the complex fabric of society by its own methods, and the MR 26-7 appropriated those methods as part of its tactics to overthrow the Batista regime. I seek to assess the development of the popular revolts, their manner of coalescing, and their method of operation against the Batista government. I also review the impact that national events had on the development of insurgency in the provinces. Cuban historiography has left untouched many of the key issues of this period. Foreign historians likewise have failed to deal with the local, regional, and provincial history of the revolution.