Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the dictator of Cuba in the years leading up to the Cuban Revolution. Before becoming a dictator, he had served as the democratically elected president of the country. Coming from a family of humble means, his early years were marked by hardships. After his mother’s death when he was 14, he left home and worked as a laborer in cane fields, docks, and railroads. In April 1921, he enlisted in the army, serving as a corporal for two years. He joined the Guardia Rural (rural police) in 1923, and later returned to the army, holding the position of secretary to a regimental colonel. In 1933, he instigated the Sergeants' Revolt, which coordinated with several other factions in a coup that overthrew the Gerardo Machado government. With support from both the U.S. government and the old Communist Party of Cuba, Batista was elected president in 1940. Despite implementing major social reforms and populist policies during his presidency, he failed to get his chosen successor elected in 1944 and left Cuba for the U.S. He orchestrated another coup in 1952 and seized power. For the next seven years, he led a corrupt and repressive regime until he was ousted by Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement.