Rebellion and Marxism 1947-1950

In June 1947, Castro learned of a planned expedition to invade the Dominican Republic and overthrow the right-wing military junta of Rafael Trujillo, a U.S. ally.[20] Being President of the University Committee for Democracy in the Dominican Republic, Castro joined the expedition.[21] Launched from Cuba, the invasion began on July 29, 1947; it consisted of around 1,200 men, mostly exiled Dominicans or Cubans. However, Grau's government arrested many of those involved before they set sail; Castro evaded arrest.[22] Returning to Havana, Castro took a leading role in the student protests against the killing of a high school pupil by government bodyguards.[23] The protests, accompanied by crackdown on those considered communists, led to violent clashes between protesters and police in February 1948, in which Castro was badly beaten.[24] At this point his public speeches took on a distinctively leftist slant, condemning the social and economic inequalities of Cuba, something in contrast to his former public criticisms, which had centered around condemning corruption and U.S. imperialism.[24]

In April 1948 Castro traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, with a Cuban student group sponsored by President Juan Perón's Argentine government. There, the assassination of popular leftist leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala led to widespread rioting and clashes between the governing Conservatives – backed by the army – and leftist Liberals. Castro joined the Liberal cause by stealing guns from a police station, but subsequent police investigations concluded that he had not been involved in any killings.[25] Returning to Cuba, Castro became a prominent figure in protests against government attempts to raise bus fares.[26] That year, he married Mirta Díaz Balart, a student from a wealthy family through whom he was exposed to the lifestyle of the Cuban elite. The relationship was a love match, disapproved of by both families. Mirta's father gave them tens of thousands of dollars to spend in a