On this day, January 3, in 1961

The US officially severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, an event that had been approaching since the Cuban Revolution two years earlier. Back in the late 1800's, American corporations began to search for new markets and investments abroad. Cuba was one of the countries recognized as a capitalist goldmine and was eventually transformed into one at the expense of Cuba's own economy. In 1959, when Fidel Castro reclaimed full control over the Cuban government and economy, he began to openly speak out against America's exploitation of the country and its people. The US was enraged by this new regime and the conflict became clear: In order for the Revolution to carry out the radical reforms it had been promising since 1953, the business interests of the US had to be disregarded, and a clash was inevitable.