Traces Cuba's history from its earliest days as a Spanish colony, detailing such events as the Ten Years' War and its aftermath, the rise and fall of Batista, the Cold War, the Special Period, and U.S.-Cuban relations.

Timeline of historical events -- 1. Cuba and its people -- 2. Early Cuba : colonialism, sugar and nationalism : Cuba to 1868 -- 3. The wars for independence and U.S. occupation : 1868 to 1902 -- 4. U.S. dominance, the failure of reform and the rise of Batista : 1902 to 1952 -- 5. The fall of Batista : 1952 to 1959 -- 6. Revolution and Cold War : 1959 to 1970 -- 7. Economic change, institutionalization and Cold War : 1970 to the end of the Cold War -- 8. Post-Cold War Cuba and the future -- Notable people in the history of Cuba.