THREE DAYS IN MARCH. THE EVENTS IN 1952 THAT MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA

Cuba's political life en 1952 was a sorrowful melodrama Carlos Prío had introduced reforms and gangsterism had diminished; his administration was better definitely than Ramón Grau San Martín's, his predecessor. People, however, were looking at politicians with little if any respect. Eduardo Chibás had demolished whatever stability was left of Cuba's fragile political life. Then, on march 10, 1952, an unexpected Batista Coup d'État shocked the country; its suddenness stymied any attempts of resistance. Some Cubans felt an impotent rage; others an instantaneous numbness, followed by a cold apathy; a few showed absolute indifference. There was no public outrage; at most only regret and annoyance. The toppled Auténtico rulers -after eight years of misgovernment- lacked the moral authority needed to plea for national support. This is the story of the Three Days in March when Cuba began to disintegrate. Raúl Eduardo Chao received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University at age 25 and after a brief stint in industry spent 18 years in academe, as full professor and Department Chairman at the Universities of Puerto Rico and Detroit. In 1986 he founded a very successful management consultancy assisting companies and government agencies to develop positive work environments and process improvement techniques as the means to secure improvements in productivity and quality. The Systema Group had as clients many Fortune 100 companies and Federal and State organizations, both in the US and abroad. As its Chairman, Chao has written a dozen books and numerous articles in newspapers and reviewed journals. He and his wife Olga live in Coral Gables, Florida and spend long periods of time in Paris.