History Will Absolve Me

History will absolve me (Spanish Original title La historia me absolverá ) is the later title this defense speech that Fidel Castro held a plea when he asked on October 16, 1953 because of which he organized the attack on the Moncada Barracks in court been.

Emergence of the text

Its held on October 16, Castro had to work out a plea with almost no legal reference books. Similarly, it was not possible for him to write down his speech, so he was forced to recite the whole speech by heart. On the basis of his speech, Castro wrote later in prison an expanded to include numerous detailed citations of prominent representatives of the Western history text he then smuggle in parts from prison, print, bypassing the censorship and from the fall of 1954 first as a kind of underground manifesto of the Cuban had spread revolution. Castro had already written several months earlier another programmatic pamphlet sent by mail to him supporting journalists Luis Conte Agüero he sent in December 1953, which she edited in Castro's contract and spread from January 1954. However, the Castro as a " manifesto to the nation " conceived writing under the title message to Cuba, which does not suffer unfolded the hoped Castro width effect.

The published version ends with the now famous words, " Condemn me, it does not matter. History will absolve me. " This final sentence is therefore used for the printed edition as the title. The first edition contained a foreword by the respected intellectuals Jorge Manach, which was no longer used for later editions, after Manach 1960 pro-communist protest against Castro's stance reversal was as previously gone under Batista into exile. The preface contained, among other things, Manach given misinformation in the text if it were a verbatim transcript of the original held in court defense speech.

Content

Castro went on in his speech made ​​no attempt to deny his involvement in the attack on the Moncada barracks or its intentions in respect desselbigen. Rather, his goal was to legitimize the attack by the prosecution of the Batista dictatorship.

He first began to criticize irregularities during the process, and then proceeded to denounce the murder and torture of his captured comrades in arms.

After a description of the procedure in the attack on the Moncada Barracks Castro mentioned the revolution laws that he wanted to spread after a successful attack on the radio. This revolution laws, rather than reformist held revolutionary, would, according to him, the constitution should introduce from 1940 again. In addition, should get allocated by them leased land as a possession under this Act the small farmers. Also saw before the law, a percentage of factory workers to participate in the profits of their farms. The same should apply for lease by farmers. In addition, the bill would have required the revolution confiscation of embezzled money and goods.

Then Castro spoke to the prevailing Cuba ills such as illiteracy and poor living conditions and made both the Batista dictatorship and the corruption responsible for it.

Finally, Castro went on to explain the coup of Batista and thus his rule illegal. For this reason, Castro was thus appointed to in Article 40 of the Constitution enshrined ( in 1940 ) right to resist an illegitimate government. At the same time Castro took in this way that it had not acted in his attack to a prohibited revolt against the constitutional powers of the State, as the regime of Batista was unconstitutional. He also criticized the judiciary, which have nothing against Batista made ​​constitutional violations.

Historical classification

Five days after the unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba July 26, 1953 Castro was surprised and arrested with some comrades from a military patrol.

Even prior to the trial, was indicted in the Castro for organizing and carrying out an armed uprising, about 60 captured rebels were tortured and murdered in the prisons.

The trial against Castro and some of his comrades began on September 21, 1953 and ended on 16 October of the same year. In the course of a total of 29 fighters were sentenced to prison terms of three, ten and thirteen years. Fidel Castro himself was sentenced to a prison term of fifteen years.

After a year and seven months in prison on the Isla de Pinos Fidel Castro was released under pressure from the public on May 15, again in 1955 and went on July 7, into exile in Mexico.

Expenditure ( selection)

• History will absolve me. Red Book, 2009, ISBN 978-3-86789-061-8.
• History will absolve me. Hinder and Deelmann, 1968
• History will absolve me. Published by the Institute for Geosoziologie and Politics, 1965