Machado y Morales, Gerardo

Machado y Morales, Gerardo (1871-1939), president and dictator of Cuba (1925-1933). He served as a general in the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain (1895-1898) and later became a prominent businessman. He was elected head of the Liberal party in 1920 and in 1924 was elected president of Cuba having promised numerous reforms. Re-elected in 1928, he tried unsuccessfully to improve the economy through public works projects financed by foreign loans. He became increasingly dictatorial, consolidating his position through political persecution. The collapse of the New York Stock Exchange in 1929 and the ensuing economic crisis fuelled his growing unpopularity. An abortive revolt led by opposition leaders in 1931 was brutally suppressed, beginning a reign of terror. In August 1933, a general strike, loss of army support, and pressure from the United States administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt drove Machado into exile.