250px|thumb|right| Eduardo Chibás
Eduardo René Chibás Ribas (August 26, 1907 – August 16, 1951) was a Cuban politician who used radio to broadcast his political views to the public. He primarily denounced corruption and gangsterism rampant during the governments of Ramón Grau and Carlos Prío which preceded the Batista era. He believed corruption was the most important problem Cuba faced.
Born in Santiago de Cuba to Eduardo Justo Chibás Guerra and Gloria Ribas-Rocafull y Agramonte, Chibás' strong nationalism is considered to be an inspiration for the Cuban Revolution.
In 1947 he formed the Orthodox Party, a strongly anti-imperialist group, which had the goal of exposing government corruption and bringing about revolutionary change through constitutional means. Chibás lost the 1948 election for president, finishing in third place. He was an extremely strong critic of that election's winner, Carlos Prío Socarrás. He was considered a favorite in the 1952 presidential election, but committed suicide a year before Fulgencio Batista seized control of the Cuban government.
Politics
Early political career
Chíbas' political forays started at the University of Havana. After a trip to Europe in 1925, during which he met several other prominent activists, including Ramón Grau, Chíbas became involved in anti-Machado radical protest groups. In 1927, he helped found the Student Directorate, and was briefly jailed in 1931. Though Chibás was never formally involved in the radical ABC group, he ensured that the Directorate maintained close contact with the group, in hopes of "enhancing the organization's prestige." He moved to Washington, D.C. shortly after, where he learned the impact radio could have on individuals. However, he later denounced violence in favor of prudent politics. Broadcasting to a nationwide audience every week, Chibas gave fiery speeches denouncing shady politics. By 1948, he was the leader of the Partido Ortodoxo and denounced his former friend Ramón Grau in a presidential run. Chibás took a pro-Cuba, strongly nationalistic stance throughout his campaign—dubbed a call for "revolution" by some of his contemporaries. Five years later, he declared "If I die, it will be for the revolution" to a taxi driver rushing him to the hospital. These sorts of radical nationalist sentiments have drawn comparisons between Castro and Chibás. Castro was undoubtedly familiar with Chibás' Orthodox Party, which pushed strong revolutionary ideals. There are numerous cases of rousing rhetoric from Castro that verify those assumptions. Before his attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953, Castro referenced Chibás, in front of a group of revolutionaries largely inspired by the outspoken leader. It was later revealed that Castro had carried a tape of Chibás' final broadcast into battle, and planned on broadcasting it over the airwaves upon victory. And finally, Castro gave a speech at Chibás' grave following his successful seizure of power:
"Today is like a culmination of the whole story, the story of the revolution and the events of 26 July, which are so closely linked with the tale of this tomb, with the memory of the man who lies here, with his ideology, feelings and preaching, because I should say here that without the preaching of Chibás, without what he did, without the civic conscience and rebellion he awakened in the Cuban young people, the events of 26 July would not have been possible." Yet some have argued that the two disliked and mistrusted each other.
The leaders clashed in terms of politics. Castro's embracement of communism directly conflicted with Chibás' outspoken disdain for such a system. Over time, Castro referenced Chibás less, and eventually cancelled the annual parade on the anniversary of his death.
See also
- Radiocentro CMQ Building
- López Serrano Building
- Colegio de Belén, Havana