The Cuba Libre Story

Synopsis

Recounts the tumultuous history of Cuba, a nation of foreign conquest, freedom fighters and Cold War political machinations.

First Air Date: 2015-12-11

Last Air Date: 2016-03-11

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 8

Networks: ZDFinfo

Their island nation has been invaded, ransacked and enslaved - but the people of Cuba have never been conquered.

Ep. 1: Breaking Chains (2015-12-11)

After four centuries of Spanish colonial rule, Cubans win their independence, but U.S. intervention at the eleventh hour comes with a price.
Ep. 2: War and Sugar (2015-12-11)

Cuba flourishes thanks to sugar production, but relations with the U.S. deteriorate, leading to the rise of military strongman Fulgencio Batista.
Ep. 3: Ganster's Paradise (2015-12-11)

A source of illegal rum during Prohibition, Cuba becomes a haven for the Mafia, which seizes control of the country's popular gambling industry.
Ep. 4: A Ragtag Revolution (2015-12-11)

On New Year's Day 1959, rebel guerillas led by the Castro brothers and Che Guevara succeed in toppling the corrupt, dictatorial rule of Batista.
Ep. 5: Making Heroes (2016-03-11)

Heroes of the revolution include the Castros, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, but Fidel Castro's brutality and radical leftist reforms divide them.
Ep. 6: Of Soviets and Saviors (2016-03-11)

When Fidel Castro expropriates U.S. businesses and pursues support from the Soviet Union, the CIA sends assassins, saboteurs and invaders to Cuba.
Ep. 7: Secrets and Sacrifices (2016-03-11)

Challenges mount in the '80s as Cubans desert their restrictive homeland, cocaine infiltrates the government, and European socialism collapses.
Ep. 8: Moments of Transition (2016-03-11)

In the post-Soviet world, the Castros find mutual support in Venezuela, but the Cold War's conclusion brings the country's isolationism to an end.