The Cuba Libre Story Season 1

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Season 1

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

Air date: 2015-12-11

Episodes: 8

Episodes

E1: Breaking Chains

After four centuries of Spanish colonial rule, Cubans win their independence, but U.S. intervention at the eleventh hour comes with a price.

Air date: 2015-12-11 • ★ 5

E2: War and Sugar

Cuba flourishes thanks to sugar production, but relations with the U.S. deteriorate, leading to the rise of military strongman Fulgencio Batista.

Air date: 2015-12-11 • ★ 5

E3: Ganster's Paradise

A source of illegal rum during Prohibition, Cuba becomes a haven for the Mafia, which seizes control of the country's popular gambling industry.

Air date: 2015-12-11 • ★ 5

E4: A Ragtag Revolution

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.

Air date: 2015-12-11 • ★ 5

E5: Making Heroes

Heroes of the revolution include the Castros, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, but Fidel Castro's brutality and radical leftist reforms divide them.

Air date: 2016-03-11 • ★ 5

E6: Of Soviets and Saviors

When Fidel Castro expropriates U.S. businesses and pursues support from the Soviet Union, the CIA sends assassins, saboteurs and invaders to Cuba.

Air date: 2016-03-11 • ★ 5

E7: Secrets and Sacrifices

Challenges mount in the '80s as Cubans desert their restrictive homeland, cocaine infiltrates the government, and European socialism collapses.

Air date: 2016-03-11 • ★ 5

E8: Moments of Transition

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.

Air date: 2016-03-11 • ★ 5