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| 1976, Feb |
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| The new constitution was approved in a national referendum. | 1 |
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| 1978 |
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| At the Soviet Union's urging, 11,000 Cuban troops were sent to Ethiopia to help defend the country against a Somalian invasion. | 2 |
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| 1979, July |
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| The FSLN came to power in Nicaragua after years of Cuban assistance. The Cuban government immediately pledged aid to the regime. By June 1982 there were over 2,000 Cuban military advisers in Nicaragua. | 3 |
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| 1980–85 |
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| The Cuban economy grew at an average rate of 7 percent per year, reflecting some economic liberalization and tourism. Castro introduced a free market for agricultural products and housing, allowing a parallel market to emerge. | 4 |
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| 1980, April–Sept |
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| After the Peruvian embassy refused to turn over six refugees, Castro declared that all those who wished to could leave Cuba. Ten thousand Cubans swamped the embassy grounds, seeking asylum. Over the following months, some 125,000 fled Cuba in the Mariel boatlift to Florida. Some of those who left were criminals released from Cuban prisons. | 5 |
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| 1981, Jan |
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| Cuba provided military assistance to the major guerrilla offensive in El Salvador. | 6 |
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| 1986, April 19 |
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| With oil, nickel, and sugar prices plummeting and the economy in deep trouble, Castro announced a partial return to the moral incentives of the late 1960s. The free market was closed, supposedly to combat corruption. | 7 |
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| Dec |
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| At the PCC Congress, Castro announced major economic reforms designed to correct the errors caused by economic liberalization. | 8 |
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