Davis Keene
Ms. Whyte
History 10 Period 6 Acc
5/31/17
It was an event that changed the course of socialism on a global scale. It was the unfortunate result of Fidel Castro abusing his power. It was the single most important event in Cuba’s history thus far. The Cuban Revolution, which began in 1953 and ended in 1961, was led by revolutionist Fidel Castro and the "26th of July Movement" to overthrow current dictator Fulgencio Batista. After gaining control of Cuba and setting up a communist party, Castro began a set of land reforms and nationalized all foreign-born private companies. This then led to the U.S. embargo of Cuba, and communist nations around the world rallied at the thought of another instance of communism in Latin America.
…show more content…
Fernando becomes worried when the “government announced that citizens can no longer have any holdings… Look at this. Me, a banker, hiding money underneath my home because I can’t trust my own bank... [not only are] we limited to how much money we can legally have, we can’t even own shares in corporations!” (Gonzales 43)”. Although the banking crisis in Cuba at the time was a threat to many people’s earnings, there is no accountability that money was hid underneath the floorboards of many homes to prevent the wealth from being distributed. Fernando’s character is a metaphor for the working class, who were nervous that they would give up the savings that they rightfully earned through their labor. By introducing Fernando as the “voice of capitalism”, the change and continuity element of the book becomes present. It takes literary elements and archetypes and combines them with the perspective of those living during the Cuban revolution, creating characters that insinuate different aspects of the revolution as a whole.
The Communist Revolution of Cuba didn’t just impact the working class, but rather also affected the youth living in Cuba as well. Many children fought in the brigades to avoid capital punishment. One such account tells the story of Jose Agustin, who wrote an autobiography of his experiences in the brigades titled “Diario de brigadista, Cuba 1961”. It was in this book that Jose talked about his daily
Cuban history, like many other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean which have experienced colonial subjugation and imperial interference, is highlighted by tumultuous rebellions. Ever since the revolt of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes in 1868, who took up arms with his slaves to liberate Cuba from Spain’s colonial grasp, the existence of insurrectionists and adamant government opposition in Cuba has flourished. Social revolution and a strong will and practice of nationalism has indelibly characterized Cuban history. Nevertheless, the outcomes of particular movements and struggles for social justice have consistently frustrated revolutionary and radical leaders. Government regimes throughout
From April 15 to October 31 in 1980, over 125,000 Cuban migrants arrived in the United States. Family members from America ferried relatives and institutionalized Cubans from the Cuban port of Mariel, in what was soon coined the Mariel Boatlift. Mirta Ojito, one of these ‘Marielitos’, as they soon were termed, grew up to write “Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus”. In this text, the author provides a historic account of events leading up to the Mariel Boatlift, narratives from important figures surrounding the event, and a personal narrative describing the struggle of her family to gain freedom from the socialist dictatorship of Fidel Castro. Throughout the story of the years preceding the boatlift and the influence that living in Cuba held on her life, Ojito describes the positive and negative elements of the both the political climate and personal life on the communist island which led to her eventual emigration to the United States.
Cuba is merely one example of a society. Juan Cabrera is simply an ordinary example of an individual. What The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera by J. Joaquin Fraxedas bring to light is the extraordinary effects of stepping outside the comfort zone of following the expectations of those that lead our governments. Although the situation was unlike our own it highlights what could very well could have
Brittmarie Janson Perez, author of Political Facets of Salsa, writes, “Late at night, in a discotheque in a Latin American country whose political system is dominated by the military and is not particularly known for its respect for human rights, a crowd is dancing salsa, a generic term covering Caribbean dance music” (149). This has been and continues to be a very commonly accurate depiction of many Latin American countries. Since Cuba was founded in October 1492, its government and politics has been characterized by brutality, corruption and instability. Nonetheless, involvement from foreign nations and its deeply engrained Spanish roots has without a doubt had a significant impact on the transformation of what Cuba is today. In this paper, I will explore the pros and cons of the 1959 Cuban Revolution through the examination of the historical context of politics and how it impacted the social atmosphere.
Fulgencio Batista was elected President of Cuba between 1940 and 1940. In 1952 Batista declared that constitutional guarantees and the right to strike will be suspended. He became a dictator with absolute power over Cuba. Batista turned the Cuban capital of Havana into one of the largest gambling cities in the world. Batista reorganised the Cuba’s treasury so that political representatives and himself can take freely from the riches. Under Batista’s rule, education and health care wasn’t free to the general public. The Cuban public were not satisfied with Batista and how he was ruling Cuba, the people didn’t have a say in decisions in government, were treated unfairly with high taxes, selling/giving the peoples land to American business owners.
Young upper middle class boys in Cuba had many freedoms due to the culture norms and lack of laws that allowed their behavior. President Batista held power before the revolution, and under his rule few laws regulated the life of upper middle class children. When Fidel Castro led Cuba into revolution, he focused more on reforms and did not pay much attention to young boys, allowing them to continue on in a similar way as before. When Castro’s reforms began to affect the upper middle class way of life, children began to see direct effects of Castro’s revolution. Carlos Eire wrote ‘Waiting for Snow in Havana’ about his first hand experiences as a young upper middle class boy during Castro’s rise to power. In the high society world of Cuba
writer is shows a bit of distrust in the words of the new leader. The writer assesses the
The readings for this week consisted of the second half of Conceiving Cuba by Elise Andaya (2014). This half of the book focused on abortion, gendered work and surviving through migration (Andaya, 2014). Overall, Andaya (2014) focuses less on reproductive health and women than one would expect, and instead provides more of a critique of the shortcomings of the socialist revolution in Cuba. These critiques get in the way of Andaya’s (2014) narrative and ultimately detract from the discussion of reproductive health in Cuba.
The book The red Umbrella, written by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, is set during the Cuban Revolution mostly in two towns, Puerto Mijares and Grand Island Nebraska. The author of this book made a careful choice in where the setting will take place because it has great importance in the meaning of this book (GOGB NEW #2). In this story you will read about a family that faced many hardships during the revolution. The family had to make some very hard and life-changing decisions. The family sent their children away in hopes that they can have a better life. Frankie and Lucy, the two children, had to lean a whole new language and take care of each other because their parents are not in this new country that they had traveled to. Frankie and Lucy were
The time of the Cuban Revolution was a great deal of turmoil, not just in Cuba but in almost every corner of the world. It was 1945, shortly after the end of World War Two, the Cold War was taking off between the United States and the Soviet Union. Cuba, in the middle of its own war, was caught up in the international politics of the Cold War. The interaction between international and domestic politics played a major role in the outcome of the revolution. The result of the revolution paved the way for the era of Fidel Castro.
The Cuban revolution had great domestic and international influences and reshaped Cuba’s relationship with the world, especially with United States, which continues an embargo against Cuba as of this very day. Immediately after the revolution, Cuban government started a program of nationalization and political consolidation, which ultimately transformed Cuba’s economy and society.
When developing this proposal I wanted to look at the everyday life and struggles of women during and after the Cuban Revolution. Looking at a lot of the sources available from the Cuban Revolution it is clear to see that women played a crucial role in the revolution. But most of the secondary sources that I have found surround three specific women, Haydée Santamaría, Celia Sanchez and Vilma Espín. These revolutionaries played a crucial role in shaping the outcome of the Cuban Revolution while also advancing feminism and gender equality. By looking specifically at these women I developed the central question: how Haydée Santamaría, Celia Sanchez and Vilma Espin, able to shape the future of women’s lives in Cuba? Some other questions that helped
The Cuban revolution was the spark that ignited the flame of communism in Cuba. The developing nation gained independence only as recently as 1898, and was already filled with an atmosphere of distrust and resentment towards the United States. In July of 1953, a revolution began in Cuba between the United States backed President Batista and Fidel Castro. Fidel and his brother Raul Castro lead a series of guerilla warfare battles against the forces of President Batista. “I am Fidel Castro and we have come to liberate Cuba,” stated Fidel Castro. In January of 1959, Fidel Castro became the President of Cuba. With the regime of Fidel Castro, Cuba would fall to communism.
The time of the Cuban Revolution was a great deal of turmoil, not just in Cuba but in almost every corner of the world. It was 1945, shortly after the end of World War Two, and the Cold War was taking off between the United States and the Soviet Union. Cuba, in the middle of its own war, was caught up in the international politics of the Cold War. The interaction between international and domestic politics played a major role in the outcome of the revolution. The result of the revolution left Fidel Castro in charge of Cuba.
The Cuban Revolution was a necessary act that attempted to improve the lives of the cuban population through many horrific events. The Cuban Revolution, which began in the early 1950’s, was an overthrow of a corrupt government. Throughout Fidel Castro’s multiple attempts to improve the horrific conditions of the Cuban population, the Revolution became a long and tragic journey beginning with the 26th of July Movement, to The Bay of Pigs invasion, to The Cuban Missile Crisis.