Since its founding on September 28, 1960, under the initiative of the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, the CDRs have kept their revolutionary essence while adapting to the country’s new social and political realities.

Amid a period of tension and counterrevolutionary threats, the CDRs emerged after a mass rally outside the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, where Fidel Castro announced the founding of “a system of collective revolutionary surveillance.”

Despite the explosion of a firecracker that evening by enemies of the Revolution, nearly a million Havana residents responded firmly, sang the National Anthem, and reaffirmed their commitment to the revolutionary process. “they’re playing with the people and they don’t know what it’s like to play with the people,” the Commander-in-Chief proclaimed at the time.

In its first months, the grass-roots organization played a key role in dismantling counterrevolutionary cells serving foreign interests. Over time, its work escalated to vigilance and became an effective instrument for rallying in defense of independence and national sovereignty.

Its social influence placed the CDRs at the forefront of multiple challenges of the Revolution, in neighborhoods, blocks, and communities, working closely with institutions such as Public Health Ministry and Education Ministry to boost nationwide programs.

Over six and a half decades, the CDRs have been present in the most critical and celebratory moments of the nation.

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