lang: en
Summary
In late February to early March 1935, Cuban public school teachers and students initiated a strike that grew into a general strike demanding constitutional guarantees, military subordination to civil authority, and the overthrow of President Carlos Mendieta. The strike was brutally suppressed by the government, but the repression led to internal dissent and Mendieta’s resignation in December 1935. However, General Fulgencio Batista remained in power and replaced Mendieta with a puppet president.
Background
After the 1933 general strike overthrew President Machado, Fulgencio Batista organized a coup in January 1934 that removed Antonio Guiteras and installed moderate Carlos Mendieta as president. Under Mendieta and Batista, much of Machado’s repressive political structure was reinstated, including corrupt officials and increased repression. This environment of unrest sparked the 1935 general strike, which initially began with teachers and students demanding increased school funding but quickly escalated to call for the overthrow of Mendieta and Batista.
What happened
The strike began in late February 1935 when public school teachers and students unexpectedly walked out, initially for increased government funding for schools. [source: nv-database] By February 25, 4,000 teachers and 100,000 students were on strike, soon joined by University of Havana students who organized a strike committee and called for a general strike demanding full constitutional guarantees, military subordination to civil authority, and withdrawal of troops from schools. [source: nv-database] University faculty, labor unions, government employees, Menocalistas, the ABC revolutionary group, and cabinet members joined, bringing total participation to 500,000 people. [source: nv-database] The Coordinadora Nacional de Organizaciones Campesinas (CNOC) and the Communist Party were initially reluctant but eventually supported the strike. [source: nv-database] President Mendieta and Batista responded ferociously: they suspended the constitution, declared martial law in Havana, took over the University of Havana, abducted and assassinated many strike leaders, created special courts to convict strikers, dismissed government employees, vandalized union headquarters and burned archives, and brought in strikebreakers to keep Havana running. [source: nv-database] These actions crushed the strike. [source: nv-database] However, the intense suppression backfired, creating widespread dissention within Mendieta’s government, and in December 1935 he was forced to resign the presidency. [source: nv-database] Batista remained in power and replaced Mendieta with another puppet president. [source: nv-database]
Key people & organizations
- Carlos Mendieta
- Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar
- Antonio Guiteras
- Menocalistas
- Autentico group
- ABC revolutionary group
- Coordinadora Nacional de Organizaciones Campesinas (CNOC)
- Communist Party
Tactics used
The campaign began with a student and teacher walkout that escalated into a general strike, drawing on the power of mass noncooperation to pressure the government. The strike’s growth through coalition-building with labor unions, political groups, and government employees amplified its impact. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: partial.
The strike achieved the overthrow of President Mendieta, but none of its other goals were met, and Batista remained in power, replacing Mendieta with a puppet president. The government’s brutal repression ended the strike, but the resulting internal dissent forced Mendieta’s resignation. [source: nv-database]
Lessons
- A general strike can force regime change even when the immediate campaign is crushed, if the repression creates enough internal dissent within the government.
- Building broad coalitions across social classes and political groups can dramatically increase the scale and pressure of a strike.
- Timing and organization are critical; launching a general strike prematurely without sufficient preparation can lead to severe repression and defeat.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py