Abbreviation PAP Founded 1949 (1949) Split from Liberal Party of Cuba | Leader Fulgencio Batista Dissolved 1959 (1959) Headquarters Havana | |
The Progressive Action Party (Spanish: Partido de Acción Progresista, PAP) was a Cuban political party led by Fulgencio Batista. The party was founded in 1949, after the 1948 general elections, under the name of United Action Party (Spanish: Partido de Acción Unida, PAU). In 1952, certain to lose the election, Batista made a coup d'etat by seizing the Presidency.
The party also ran in the elections of 1954 and 1958, winning always go early withdrawal of opponents, as well as of the strong electoral fraud.
The party was based on a moderate conservatism and economic liberalism on a large, to attract American capital in Cuba. This led to a high level of corruption and poverty plaguing the country. Other bulwark of the party was anti-Communism, not only because of the alignment with the United States but also because most of the members of the 26th of July Movement, guerrilla movement anti-Batista, were Communists, including Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.
The party was dissolved following the Cuban revolution of 1959, which ousted Batista causing it to flee abroad and led to the establishment of the Communist government of Fidel Castro.