 Complete the following phrase:  In the years following its independence, the Cuban republic saw significant economic development, but also political corruption and a succession of despotic leaders, culminating in the overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista by the 26th of July Movement, led by Fidel Castro, during the 19531959 Cuban Revolution. The new government aligned with the Soviet Union and embraced communism. In the early 1960s, Castros regime withstood invasion April 1961, faced nuclear Armageddon October 1962, and experienced a civil war October 1960 that included Dominican support for regime opponents. Following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968, Castro publicly declared Cubas support. His speech marked the start of Cubas complete absorption into the Eastern Bloc. By the mid-1970s, little would remain of Cubas political or economic system. During the Cold War, Cuba also supported Soviet policy in Afghanistan, Poland, Angola, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. The Soviet- 