In the period of the U.S. prohibition (1919-1933) the Cuban nightlife flourished based on booze-, casino- and gambling-tourism. With the big depression of the thirties this period came to an end and the country was left in economical and political chaos. A general strike forced the president to resign, an army sergeant named Ulgencio Batista stepped in the vacuum and came in power. In 1940 Batista was legally elected under many promises of establishing a democratic government. During the following decades several governments and presidents did not fulfill this promise and the country suffered from mismanagement and corruption.