The Rhetoric Of The Cuban Revolution

Time and history has shown us over and over again the power of words. Great leaders of the world obtain that magnetic pull with words that enable them to reach masses of people throughout the world. It’s all determined by how the speaker or the writer tries to convey his or her message and what they hope to achieve with their words. The Cuban writer, José Martí evidently establishes his political views through his written piece, “Our America”. Martí’s written work is manifested by his political choice of words and distinct approaches that speak to both his fellow Cubans and the higher nations of Spain and the United Sates throughout his essay. Martí saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate the effects of imperialism of other nations in Latin

The Cuban "destiny," according to Castro, is the creation of an independent nation with the conditions of territorial sovereignty, an independent political structure, a national economy, and a differentiated culture 4. These four conditions mentioned by Castro in his manifesto simply reiterate the frustrations of the Cuban people who although were liberated from colonial oppression continued to remain the subjects of foreign sovereignty. Foreign influence and sovereignty this time around in the 20th century was not wielded by the Spanish crown, but rather by the "friendly neighbor" from North America, the United States. Therefore, intimately related to the notion of Cuba’s destiny is the desire to stray away from dependency on any foreign nation for economic purposes. Harleigh Leach, in her essay concerning this particular matter, also defines the essence of the revolution in more economic detail as she states:

The relationship between the United States of America and Latin America nations has been turbulent since the beginning of colonization. The United States had withheld a sense of superiority since its inception. Their view of Pan-Americanism is only shared by them; Canada and most Latin American nations do not share this view. They viewed Latin America’s struggle for independence as a necessity, but did not pledge their assistance until it coincided with American interests and objectives in the area. The author mentions Latin America’s one-crop economy, but they do not emphasize the role the US played in their economies or how much they were involved in their own politics. Recent events, in regards to Cuba, have made certain parts of the chapter

The most popular of Fidel Castro’s documents is La Historia Me Absolvera also known as History Will Absolve Me. This was a speech given by Castro at his trial for leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks. Castro’s speech discussed many of his ideas and beliefs that justified his reasoning to form his revolutionary movement against Fulgencio Batista. History Will Absolve Me, shows the revolutionary ideologies of Castro and how he later revolts to power. Although, his speech was about his thought on the revolutionary movement, it also was to show the foundation of his Moncada attack and what he was trying to achieve. Castro mentions in

The issues addressed by Castro are very important because he is the first to emphasize the role the Dominican Bartolome de Las Casas not only as a reformer but as an “active agent of Spanish imperialism who contributed to the subjugation of the Ameridians under more paternalistic and benevolent conditions than his contemporaries” (pp. 184). This is a side to the work of Las Casas that is rarely highlighted, therefore it is

In chapter six of the novel Born in Blood and Fire by John Charles Chasteen, Chasteen talks about neocolonialism and dependency. The definition of neocolonialism is the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies. In this essay the three topics of political, cultural, and economical contributors and how they affected Latin America will be discussed. The period which will be discussed is encompassed by the neo-colonial period which spanned from 1880 through 1930. During the neo-colonial period the relationship between the core and peripheral countries can be shown through comparing the short, animated program entitled “Trader Mickey” to Born in Blood and Fire.

Things appear different after five hundred years, yet it does not take much examination to realize that everything is the same. We focus on the minute changes, but these major themes of power, history, and the struggle for the control of knowledge are eternal and transcend the everyday. De las Casas wrote to a king to try to prevent a tragedy that he could not. Today the Latin America people face similar fates to their ancestors five hundred years prior. While the outcome is not as bloody, the loss is just as grave. Western knowledge seeks to destroy the last remaining semblances of the vast groupings that make up the term “Latin American culture.” It is not an active action in appearance, but the passive grouping into the West’s categories of race and culture has subtle motives of destruction. People are no longer ruled by kings, they guide themselves under the burdensome weight of Western knowledge and ideas. The existence of options, choices beyond growth and development, establish awareness that there is a way out of this evil. Latin American people were not born in the West, but are continually defined and judged by the system. Under such forces, it appears that the only two choices are to assimilate or bear the burden of being considered inferior. Decolonial thinking provides new pathways that lead to a new age for Latin America, providing the people recognize these pathways and are willing to take the steps to follow

New World liberal intellectuals believed in minimal government direction and unregulated free trade of agricultural and mined goods (63). Representing less than 5% of the total Latin American population, the small, privileged elite of the New World “reaped even greater awards during the early decades of nationhood” than under colonialism and created “theological republics” out of Spanish and Portuguese colonial systems (84). New liberal republics built nations on the backs of “barbarous” Indian and mestizo workers, and trumpeted free trade as a “natural means to wealth” and the secret to European economic success. Sarmiento’s ideology encapsulates liberal Latin America and the racist veins running through it, describing the

Although Afro-Cubans made up nearly half of the Cuban population during Cuba’s colonial period Spanish culture, trends, and biases were the dominant ideology. Thus, due to the dynamics of the Spanish colonial rule in Cuba compounded by a Spanish inherent belief of cultural superiority, Afro-Cubans experienced a long history of repression. Aline Helg, comments on the oppressive nature of the Afro-Cuban existence during the Spanish colonial rule by stating:

Cuba’s colorful history can be documented to before the days of the American Revolution in 1776, but today, American policy directly affects many Cubans’ lifestyles because of a nearly 45-year-old trade embargo that has been placed on the island nation. It is crucial to analyze the development of Cuba and its neighboring island nations in order to discern the reasons for Cuba’s current political situation with the United States. The following paper will discuss the events that shaped Cuba and larger Caribbean nations like Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica; next, a detailed description of Cuba’s turbulent history will help in explaining the Cuban transformation into a

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.

The Spanish-American War was considered short lived and relatively mild in terms of American casualties compared to the many wars that our nation has fought. However, it served as a historical marker that set the imperialistic momentum of our nation. It played a significant role in our nation’s strategic move towards acquiring trade routes and further strengthened our naval power. Throughout my research paper I will touch on what led to the Cuban revolution against Spain, America’s political climate at the time, and why our nation eventually decided to intervene and aid the Cubans in their fight for independence.

The forth aspect of the Afro-Cuban experience which Helg mentions is the formation of the first black political party in the hemisphere, which, as I will address later, was destroyed between 1910-1912. When it is finally destroyed in 1912, official antiblack violence is what destroys it, and Helg shows that as the fifth particularity of the Cuban case. Lastly, Helg discusses the reconciliation of the "democratic ideologies versus racist practices" contradiction in Cuba for her final aspect of uniqueness. This last characteristic which Helg mentions played a huge role in the maintenance of racial hierarchies in Cuba.

Alberto Korda took two photos on March 5, 1960. One of the still frames would immortalize one of the most infamous and controversial ideologues to have ever lived. The image being draped over millions of shirts, posters, and most significantly the Ministry of the Interior building in Cuba. Che Guevara being celebrated by the Castro’s, and his ideals forced upon Cuba by them. The Castro family has held power in Cuba since the 1960’s. Cuba being ruled by Fidel Castro until recently his brother Raul took charge. Both men being disliked by the global public and Fidel Castro recognized as an evil dictator. What is many times overlooked was the fact that Che Guevara was just as pivotal to the sinister Cuban regime. Che had major effects on the abuse of a society, Cuban politics, and the justification of evil.

During the Cold War, relations between Cuba and the United States were icy. Cuba was allied with the USSR, America’s enemy, and was well within their sphere of influence. With events like the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis happening on their soil, Cuba was at the center of the Cold War. Between ideological differences and their alliance with Russia, Cuba became an enemy of America as well. It took the efforts of ten American presidents, six Popes, and countless other actors, but Cuba and America are finally in the process of normalizing relations. There is still work to be done, but the path is clear and the time is right. However, one cannot simply ignore the last fifty years. In that time, millions of lives were affected by the lack of social, economic, and political ties between the U.S. and Cuba. In this paper, I will analyze the last fifty years of U.S. - Cuban relations by looking at the involved actors, their means, and their values and interests through the lenses of two paradigms, realism and constructivism.