Cold War #288 – Seven Governments, One Puppetmaster (Cuban Revolution #13)

In this raucous and revelatory episode, Cameron and Ray finally reach the man of the hour: Fulgencio Batista. From humble military stenographer to kingmaker of a chaotic Cuba, Batista’s rise is traced through coups, constitutions, and crushing dissent. Cameron performs a blistering freestyle rap tribute to Ray (“Ray Bear Has No Hair”), then the duo dive into Batista’s reign, the boom years of WWII, puppet governments, violent suppression of opposition, and the eerie parallels to authoritarian creep in modern democracies. The episode also explores the cultural fallout of constant violence, Fidel Castro’s formative influences, and the suicide of Eduardo Chibás on live radio—a moment that cemented Castro’s revolutionary zeal. Come for the history, stay for the dick jokes, cos this one’s got everything.

You can listen to Cold War #288 – Seven Governments, One Puppetmaster (Cuban Revolution #13) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Cold War #288 – Seven Governments, One Puppetmaster (Cuban Revolution #13) is an episode from Cam & Ray's Cold War Podcast by Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris.

This episode is 22:25 long.

This episode was published on Jul 10, 2025.

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