Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba by criticizing the corrupt government of Fulgencio Batista and promising economic and social reforms. He launched an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in 1953 but gained support while exiled in Mexico. Castro returned to Cuba in 1956 and eventually overthrew Batista in 1959. However, Castro then transformed Cuba into a communist country, alienating the U.S. and losing domestic support over time due to economic struggles under his authoritarian rule and close relationship with the Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis further eroded popular backing for Castro as it put Cuban citizens directly in harm's way against U.S. opposition to communism.