This timeline will take you to the end of the Obama administration. To see what changes were brought about by the Trump administration click here.
Eisenhower era
The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cuba on 14 March 1958 during the armed conflict between rebels led by Fidel Castro and the Fulgencio Batista regime. The arms embargo had more of an impact on Batista than the rebels. After the Castro socialist government came to power on 1 January 1959, Castro made overtures to the United States, but was rebuffed by the Eisenhower administration, which by March began making plans to help overthrow him.
In May, 1960, the Cuban government began to openly purchase regular armaments from the Soviet Union, citing the US arms embargo. In July, 1960, the United States reduced the Cuban import quota of brown sugar to 700,000 tons, under the ''Sugar Act of 1948'' and the Soviet Union responded by agreeing to purchase the sugar instead.
In October 1960, a key incident occurred in which a private American oil refinery in Cuba refused to refine a shipment of Soviet crude oil, and the Cuban government responded by nationalizing all three Cuban refineries, which were all American-owned. This prompted the Eisenhower administration to launch the first trade embargo—a prohibition against selling all products to Cuba except food and medicine. The Cuban regime responded with nationalization of all American businesses and most American privately owned properties on the island. No compensation was given for the seizures, and a number of diplomats were expelled from Cuba.
The second wave of nationalizations prompted the Eisenhower administration, in one of its last actions, to sever all diplomatic relations with Cuba, in January 1961. The U.S. partial trade embargo with Cuba was continued, under the ''Trading with the Enemy Act 1917''.
Kennedy era: The Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuba's declaration of Marxism
After the Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961, the Cuban government declared that it now considered itself Marxist and socialist, and aligned with the Soviet Union. On September 4, 1961, partly in response, Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act, a Cold War Act (among many other measures) which prohibited aid to Cuba and authorized the President to impose a complete trade embargo against Cuba.
President John F. Kennedy extended measures by Executive Order, first widening the scope of the trade restrictions on February 8, 1962 (announced on February 3 and again on March 23, 1962). These measures expanded the embargo to include all imports of products containing Cuban goods, even if the final products had been made or assembled outside Cuba.
The Cuban Missile Crisis Following the Cuban Missile Crisis (October, 1962), Kennedy imposed travel restrictions on February 8, 1963, and the Cuban Assets Control Regulations were issued on July 8, 1963, again under the Trading with the Enemy Act in response to Cubans hosting Soviet nuclear weapons. Under these restrictions, Cuban assets in the U.S. were frozen and the existing restrictions were consolidated.
The restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba lapsed on March 19, 1977 the regulation was renewable every six months, but President Jimmy Carter did not renew it and the regulation on spending U.S. dollars in Cuba was lifted shortly afterwards. President Ronald Reagan reinstated the trade embargo on April 19, 1982.
The current regulation does not prohibit travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba per se, but it makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license. But Obama issued an executive order allowing the purchase of and return to the US of $400 in goods of which $100 can be rum and cigars.
Helms–Burton Act
The embargo was reinforced in October 1992 under what is known as the Helms–Burton Act which penalizes foreign companies that do business in Cuba by preventing them from doing business in the U.S. The European Union resented the Helms Burton Act because it felt that the U.S. was dictating how other nations ought to conduct their trade and challenged it on that basis. The EU eventually dropped its challenge in favor of negotiating a solution. After Cuba shot down two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, killing three Americans and a U.S. resident, a bi-partisan coalition in the United States Congress approved the Helms-Burton Act.
In response to pressure from some American farmers and agribusiness, the embargo was relaxed and passed by the Congress in October 2000 and signed by President Bill Clinton. The relaxation allowed the sale of agricultural goods and medicine to Cuba for humanitarian reasons.
George Bush era
The George W. Bush Administration sought ways to tighten the embargo, reinstating the travel ban. President Bush issued an Executive Orders restricting travel to Cuba by Cuban-Americans to one visit every three years and limited remittances to $300 a year. In 2004, President Bush signed an Executive Order banning vessels from traveling to Cuba from U.S. ports.
Obama era
President Obama eased the travel restrictions of the Bush Administration without addressing the broader sanctions program. In March 2009, he signed the Omnibus Appropriations Act authorizing an easing of travel restrictions and the following month amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), ending restrictions on Cuban-Americans and business travelers to Cuba and authorizing up to $3,000 in remittances by Cuban-Americans. President Obama also authorized U.S. telecommunications network providers to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities between the United States and Cuba. In January 2011, President Obama eased CACR restrictions on people-to-people exchanges between the United States and Cuba, and restored a Clinton-era provision allowing remittances by non-Cuban-Americans. Although the President has broad authority to modify the CACR by authorizing general licenses, especially for humanitarian purposes, the Helms-Burton law prevents the President from lifting core sanctions unless its conditions have been met.
Click here to read about the changes taking place under Trump.
Eisenhower era
The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cuba on 14 March 1958 during the armed conflict between rebels led by Fidel Castro and the Fulgencio Batista regime. The arms embargo had more of an impact on Batista than the rebels. After the Castro socialist government came to power on 1 January 1959, Castro made overtures to the United States, but was rebuffed by the Eisenhower administration, which by March began making plans to help overthrow him.
In May, 1960, the Cuban government began to openly purchase regular armaments from the Soviet Union, citing the US arms embargo. In July, 1960, the United States reduced the Cuban import quota of brown sugar to 700,000 tons, under the ''Sugar Act of 1948'' and the Soviet Union responded by agreeing to purchase the sugar instead.
In October 1960, a key incident occurred in which a private American oil refinery in Cuba refused to refine a shipment of Soviet crude oil, and the Cuban government responded by nationalizing all three Cuban refineries, which were all American-owned. This prompted the Eisenhower administration to launch the first trade embargo—a prohibition against selling all products to Cuba except food and medicine. The Cuban regime responded with nationalization of all American businesses and most American privately owned properties on the island. No compensation was given for the seizures, and a number of diplomats were expelled from Cuba.
The second wave of nationalizations prompted the Eisenhower administration, in one of its last actions, to sever all diplomatic relations with Cuba, in January 1961. The U.S. partial trade embargo with Cuba was continued, under the ''Trading with the Enemy Act 1917''.
Kennedy era: The Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuba's declaration of Marxism
After the Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961, the Cuban government declared that it now considered itself Marxist and socialist, and aligned with the Soviet Union. On September 4, 1961, partly in response, Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act, a Cold War Act (among many other measures) which prohibited aid to Cuba and authorized the President to impose a complete trade embargo against Cuba.
President John F. Kennedy extended measures by Executive Order, first widening the scope of the trade restrictions on February 8, 1962 (announced on February 3 and again on March 23, 1962). These measures expanded the embargo to include all imports of products containing Cuban goods, even if the final products had been made or assembled outside Cuba.
The Cuban Missile Crisis Following the Cuban Missile Crisis (October, 1962), Kennedy imposed travel restrictions on February 8, 1963, and the Cuban Assets Control Regulations were issued on July 8, 1963, again under the Trading with the Enemy Act in response to Cubans hosting Soviet nuclear weapons. Under these restrictions, Cuban assets in the U.S. were frozen and the existing restrictions were consolidated.
The restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba lapsed on March 19, 1977 the regulation was renewable every six months, but President Jimmy Carter did not renew it and the regulation on spending U.S. dollars in Cuba was lifted shortly afterwards. President Ronald Reagan reinstated the trade embargo on April 19, 1982.
The current regulation does not prohibit travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba per se, but it makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have transactions (spend money or receive gifts) in Cuba under most circumstances without a US government Office of Foreign Assets Control issued license. But Obama issued an executive order allowing the purchase of and return to the US of $400 in goods of which $100 can be rum and cigars.
Helms–Burton Act
The embargo was reinforced in October 1992 under what is known as the Helms–Burton Act which penalizes foreign companies that do business in Cuba by preventing them from doing business in the U.S. The European Union resented the Helms Burton Act because it felt that the U.S. was dictating how other nations ought to conduct their trade and challenged it on that basis. The EU eventually dropped its challenge in favor of negotiating a solution. After Cuba shot down two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, killing three Americans and a U.S. resident, a bi-partisan coalition in the United States Congress approved the Helms-Burton Act.
In response to pressure from some American farmers and agribusiness, the embargo was relaxed and passed by the Congress in October 2000 and signed by President Bill Clinton. The relaxation allowed the sale of agricultural goods and medicine to Cuba for humanitarian reasons.
George Bush era
The George W. Bush Administration sought ways to tighten the embargo, reinstating the travel ban. President Bush issued an Executive Orders restricting travel to Cuba by Cuban-Americans to one visit every three years and limited remittances to $300 a year. In 2004, President Bush signed an Executive Order banning vessels from traveling to Cuba from U.S. ports.
Obama era
President Obama eased the travel restrictions of the Bush Administration without addressing the broader sanctions program. In March 2009, he signed the Omnibus Appropriations Act authorizing an easing of travel restrictions and the following month amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), ending restrictions on Cuban-Americans and business travelers to Cuba and authorizing up to $3,000 in remittances by Cuban-Americans. President Obama also authorized U.S. telecommunications network providers to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities between the United States and Cuba. In January 2011, President Obama eased CACR restrictions on people-to-people exchanges between the United States and Cuba, and restored a Clinton-era provision allowing remittances by non-Cuban-Americans. Although the President has broad authority to modify the CACR by authorizing general licenses, especially for humanitarian purposes, the Helms-Burton law prevents the President from lifting core sanctions unless its conditions have been met.
Click here to read about the changes taking place under Trump.
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