The 26th of July Movement (Spanish: Movimiento 26 de Julio) was the revolutionary movement led by Fidel Castro that overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba in 1959. Its name commemorates an attack on the Santiago de Cuba army barracks on July 26, 1953. The movement began formally in 1955 when Castro went to Mexico to form a disciplined guerrilla force. The leaders of the movement remaining in Cuba to carry out sabotage and political activities were Frank País, Armando Hart, and Enrique Oltuski. At this time the movement espoused a reform program that included distribution of land to peasants, nationalization of public services, industrialization, honest elections, and mass education.
Prominent leaders of the 26th of July Movement included Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Raúl Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos, Frank País, and Juan Almeida Bosque.
by Dancing with Fire April 9, 2013