The story of Cuba is a very interesting one. Most are familiar with it as a small island in the Caribbean. Those who have not been completely negligent over the last half a century have probably also heard the names Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. These two men were very pivotal players in the history of Cuba and its revolution. Literary and cinematic reenactments are a great method for providing historical knowledge. However, they can be heavily biased and much of the factual evidence can be “silenced” throughout the films and novels. Cuba has always been a region of great interest due to its location in the Caribbean Sea. The nation resisted capitalism for over forty-five years and aside from North Korea, is the last to be …show more content…
The issue in previous years was that the economy was placed low on the list of priorities. However, in the late ‘60s we see that steadying the economy became their main focus. Attempts at economic diversification through industrializing the nation were made at the expense of the agricultural industry. This new push towards technology and modern machinery was consuming nearly a quarter of the national income. The government was caught between a rock and a hard place. It needed the sugar income to pay for expansion, but it had ignored agriculture which was their way to fund. Failure to put emphasis on agriculture led to the decline of sugar harvest in which their output dropped nearly in half over a couple years. Government at the time consisted of a small amount of state officials and administrators which held a monopoly over all major decisions affecting societal and economic issues. The bulk of the population had no voice in the decision-making process. Nor could they remove the officials from their positions. Fidel Castro, among other bureaucrats used the Communist Party to pursue their economic agendas. Anyone questioning their priorities was accused of being anti-revolutionary. Cuba turned to the Soviet Union for their economic and political ideals. Socialism had failed to develop an economy capable of sustaining Cuba. There were problems with the Soviets, whom the Cubans did not always get along with. In 1968, nearly forty members of the Communist Party
During the 1950’s, Cuba was on the brink of revolution. The nation, which had suffered numerous corrupt and oppressive governmental regimes, fell victim to yet another when Fulgencio Batista seized power under a military coup in March of 1952. A cry for a just Cuba, that was economically, politically, and socially free continued to echo throughout the island. In 1959, a group of radical revolutionaries, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, overthrew the Batista dictatorship and put in place the political and social structures that exist in Cuba to this day.
Thesis: The Cuban Revolution pre-1959 was caused by a many political, economic and social factors such as: Cuba’s separation from Spanish rule in 1898, the American interest and influence on Cuba and, the social unrest that Batista’s policies and relationship with the Mob caused, which ultimately led to Castro’s fight and overall succession in 1959.
After it became officially globally acknowledged that Cuba was in fact a communist state and was being led through a dictatorship run by Castro, it did not take long before powerful enemies and essential allies were formed. The act of seizing all foreign land with none or very little compensation was received with great hostility amongst those who lost in their property through this process, and probably the reaction that had the biggest impact on Cuba’s economy was that of the US. Castro’s communistic policies did not of course help calm this resentment and also took part in leading to the establishment of trade embargos with Cuba from the US. This meant that Cuba would now lose a very valuable buyer of their precious sugar, [5] but they did however gain another one, a powerful nation that shared quite similar Marxist ideals and were quick to form an alliance with the Cubans, the USSR.
On January 8th, 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army marched triumphantly into Havana, Cuba, having overthrown corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista the week earlier. It was the fruition of the Cuban Revolution, and the dramatic shift in power was about to radically alter the country’s political, social and economic course forever. The positive and negative effects of the revolution on the Cuban people, however, as well as the condition of Cuba’s economy pre and post-revolution, is subject to heated debate. Castro’s iron-fisted regime was the introduction of communism into the western hemisphere, and now, over fifty years later, the Cuban Revolution continues to be one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century. Despite the criticism levelled at Fidel Castro and his communist regime, however, the Cuban Revolution was necessary in improving the quality of life for the majority of Cuban citizens. The four fundamental categories on which to assess this are healthcare, education, economy and governance. By comparing the country’s overall performance under Fulgencio Batista versus under Fidel Castro in these areas crucial to a fully-functioning nation, it can be shown that the Cuban Revolution was a necessary and positive change in Cuban society which benefitted the majority of citizens.
Current events in Cuba have caught a lot of attention, as we witness a historical shift in
For many Cubans the Batista government was simply a puppet regime with the puppet masters being wealthy Americans. This was because his economic policies favoured foreign investors and did little for the development of domestic industries, which resulted in the wealth of the country being concentrated in the hands of a wealthy whtite minority. Consequently, in the 1950s, this harsh regime caused political resistance to reach to its boiling point. In response to these high levels of frustration, Fidel Castro and a small rebel group led a successful revolutionary army into Havana in 1959. This was the first step on the road to a new era in the lives of many Cubans.
The life of Fidel Castro is forever associated with the story of the Cuban Revolution. In modern times no revolutionary movement is more identified with
After Cuba’s economic separation from the United State after a long history of reliance, Cubans began to receive economic support from the Soviet Union. Many a credit this alliance for improving economic conditions in Cuba, from supplying petroleum and helping to provide state of the art appliance. However, this golden period of economic success was not continues after the Soviet Union fell and withdrew it support. According to the CIA Fact book “the country faced severe economic down turn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former soviet subsidies worth 4-16 billion annually”. Even though the Cuba did reform it’s economy, the positive effects of the reform only lasted a short duration of Cuban history. Thus making the revolution unsuccessful because the goal of a communist country is to create a stable economy through socialism was not
Cuba is one of the few countries in the world that is still under communist rule. The country has had a history of issues with human rights since being under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. Supporters of restoring our diplomatic relations with Cuba might argue that the US sanctions have not been enough in motivating Cuba to abandon their
Cuba at one point was a country in desperate need for help. The lack of economic resources lead the country to be known for Narcotics and brutal violence. Cuba trying to find itself among surrounding countries had hardships to what they are now. The Cuban revolution was one of the main breaking points of Cuba trying to identify themselves. Even though it took over fifty years for them to comply with the US. Cuba and its people went through a lot of violence in their country along with drugs and drug lords. The Revolution changed the status between Cuba and America to a point that America was in fear if a move was made to help. Allies with the United States at the time would cause war. Although a lot of violence and destruction happened in
Cuba before Castro is generally said to have been incredibly poverty-ridden and morally backwards. The unemployment rate was very high. Corruption was widespread throughout the government, especially in Havana. In combination with all of this, Cubans were highly oppressed by the government. The dictator at the time, Fulgencio Batista was a dictator backed by the U.S. who used brutality to keep the Cuban people under control. He was forced to use drastic measures to maintain his country. Fidel Castro was a lawyer from the University of Havana who tried to take down Batista through the legal system, which failed. He then turned to more covert tactics. Castro later leads a band a rebels, the “26 July” army, and overthrows dictator Fulgencio Batista, who was backed by the United States government. By doing this, he becomes the leader of the first Communist state located in the Western hemisphere. He wants to deconstruct the capitalist government that was in place and build his regime in the image of the Soviet Union. Relations with the United States quickly disintegrate and Castro strives for a better relationship with the USSR. He also wanted to secure a spot or Cuba in the International Communist Movement (ICM). He did not consider himself Communist but he needed help with Cuba. He then decided to turn communist because the United States would not offer help. Russia, on the other hand, would.
Castro’s involvement with the foreign and domestic politics during the early Cold War period greatly influenced the outcome of the Cuban Revolution. Without the actions taken by foreign powers like the United States and Russia, some events on the domestic front may have had very different results. It is important to understand how every nation’s foreign policies can influence more than just one other nation, and this was especially true for Cuba. It was this mix and chain of events which produced the communist Cuba that we are familiar with today.
The forces that define Cuba today are in many ways the same ones that have defined it for centuries. The ethos of monism, or the tendency to centralize power and to use it to represent pluralistic, divergent or dissenting impulses, was established early in Cuba's colonial history. A small Spanish elite group used centralized power to rule for what they viewed as the common good. This common good usually coincided with their interest, and public office was often seen as both proprietary and legitimate source of private gain. Political monopolies were reinforced by economic ones, all of which served to limit accountability, social mobility, an expectation of fair play and economic development (Ellis, 2007).
Before the successful revolution in 1959, Cuba had suffered from bad government and corruption of power for nearly the whole first half of the 21st century. Then in 1952 Fulgencio Batista overruled the Cuban government by force and created a one party dictatorship. Batista’s cruel political strategies left the country in turmoil, causing Cubans everywhere to live in harsh conditions under a totalitarian state. One of the many citizens unsatisfied with Batista’s right wing ways was a young Communist politician named Fidel Castro. After failing to convince the court that Batista had violated the Cuban Constitution, he decided a violent Communist Revolution was the only necessary option to overthrow Batista. Dictatorship was an option because after the failed Moncada Barracks attack, the 26th of July Movement and finally the defeat of Batista in 1959,
In 1940 to 1944, communist Fulgencio Batista withheld power as the president of Cuba and then from 1952 to 1959, United States backed dictator until fleeing Cuba because of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement. Socialist Fidel Castro governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Fidel Castro’s intent was to provide Cuba with an honest democratic government by diminishing the corrupt way in which the country was run, the large role the United States played in the running of Cuba as well as the poor treatment & the living conditions of the lower class.