To What Extent Did The Cuban Revolution In 1959 Mark A Turning Point Essay

Cuba “held an economical potential that attracted American business interests and a strategic significance for any Central American canal” (Goldfield, Abbott and Anderson, p 638). Cuban rebellion “erupted again in 1895 in a classic guerrilla war… [and] American economic interests were seriously affected” (book pg638). The Spaniards started confining the locals to concentration camps “where tens of thousands died of starvation and disease” (book pg 638). This gained a lot of publicity throughout America as journalist’s were reporting the harsh treatment, which helped persuade our nation to intervene. Furthermore, this led to growing tension between Spain and

Another reason forimplementing the embargo on Cuba concerns the corrupt communist government andUS hopes of promoting a transition to a democratic system. On February 3, 1962,President Kennedy was confident that “Castro was moving toward theestablishment of a to! talitarian regime in alliance with the Soviet Union”(DeVarona 7). This raised a huge national defense issue since Cuba is only 90miles from US soil. The US government claims that the transition from communismto democracy will help Cuba flourish, as other democratic countries in thewestern hemisphere have. (“Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of1996”).

Tp what extent was the Spanish-American War a turning point in the development of American foreign policy?

The United States embargo of Cuba has its roots planted in 1960, 53 years ago, when “the United States Congress authorized President Eisenhower to cut off the yearly quota of sugar to be imported from Cuba under the Sugar act of 1948… by 95 percent” (Hass 1998, 37). This was done in response to a growing

When Fidel Castro took over Cuba by means of a revolution, he quickly established his government as the first openly Communist government in the western hemisphere. He petitioned the Soviet Union for aid, which was cheerfully given him. These events went against our current policies, as well as the Monroe Doctrine, which established us as the police force of the western hemisphere. Ninety miles away from the greatest bastion of Capitalism was now residing its greatest foe. This tense situation was brought to a boiling point by the arrival of

The U.S. and Cuba have had a decades long contentious relationship ever since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Yet, strangely enough, one of the leading figures in the Cuban Revolution was a young American who grew up in Toledo, Ohio. William Alexander Morgan drifted from one odd job to another in the U.S. and even served prison time for desertion from the U.S. Army. Somehow Morgan ended up smuggling guns to the Cuban rebels, led by a young Fidel Castro, in the late 1950s. Eventually, Morgan joined the rebels in the armed struggle for democracy in Cuba. His fearless leadership and heroic efforts allowed him to rapidly rise to the rank of Comandante and was affectionately referred to by the rebels as the “Americano.” Why would an American with

It is well-known that US foreign policy during the Bush years was very assertive in consolidating American hegemony at the world stage. This approach is exemplified in the Bush doctrine, which, according to Charles Krauthammer, was based on unilateralism, the war on terror, the doctrine of pre-emptive war and the American mission to spread democracy throughout the world. Influenced by this context, the US policy towards Cuba during that period was particularly hostile, with the widening and deepening of the policy of pressures. As a matter of fact, during the years of the younger Bush’s administration, US-Cuba relations experienced one of its worst periods. Interestingly, Harper’s Cuba policy during his first three years that coincided with his Republican counterpart (2006-2008) and the beginning of the Obama’s mandate (2009) was characterized by an unusual anti-Cuban rhetoric that seemed

American attitudes towards Latin America can be summed up as an extension of larger global directives, and the exclusion of foreign powers in the region. This was highlighted especially during the Cold War as US involvement was essentially in competition with the USSR. Latin America was therefore a mere pawn in the larger context of US-Soviet competition for global dominance. The actions and methods used are also characterized by the lack of an international authority, or an atmosphere of inter-state anarchy, which shaped their calculations in the endeavor to increase their influence over Latin America. When one analyzes the situation, it seems only rational that the United States treated its southern neighbors so, due to the geographical

Cuba is the country best known for being at the center of the Cold War conflict between the U.S. and Russia because of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union’s strategy, and the anticipated U.S. response to the Russian strategy, is described in an October 19, 1962 telegram from Andrei Gromyko, Russia’s Foreign Minister, to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [Virtual Archive]. The Central Committee was the highest organization within communist Russia. Gromyko seems to have written the telegram to inform the Central Committee that the Russian strategy in aligning itself with Cuba seemed to be working. In the telegram Gromyko expressed his belief that “a USA military adventure against Cuba is almost impossible to imagine” because of “assurances given to us that the USA has no plans for in Cuba (which undeniably commits them in many respects)” (Gromyko). Instead, Gromyko believed that the U.S. efforts would be to try weakening Cuba by obstructing its economy, thinking that over the long term Russia would not be able to continue supporting Cuba with foreign aid in order to offset U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba (Gromyko).

     It was after Castro took power that the United States changed its way in which it dealt with Cuba dramatically. The United States decided it would

“First, I want to say that there will not be, under any conditions, an intervention in Cuba by the United States Armed Forces. This government will do everything it possibly can, I think it can meet its responsibilities, to make sure that there are no Americans involved in any actions inside Cuba… The basic issue in Cuba is not one between the United States and Cuba. It is between the Cubans themselves.” These words were spoken by President John F. Kennedy at a press conference on April 12, 1961, just five days before the Bay of Pigs invasion took place. Little did the American public know that in five short days, the United States would support an attempted invasion on the Cuban shore—unsuccessfully. The $46

The Cuban Revolution was an event that sparked change among Latin America. This change was a first of its kind, since the Western Hemisphere had primarily been democratic. Relations with other countries close by and far, improved or declined rapidly depending on the government and its ideals. Latin America countries had internal struggles which they would decide to follow Cuba or stay in favorable relations with the United States. Countries such as Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia seem to have been the most impacted by the Cuban Revolution.

Throughout history sovereignty has been known to be at the mercy of a nation’s ruler, king, or dictator. As we have come to recognize, especially in the United States, sovereignty should unconditionally belong to the people to freely determine their own destiny. For 58 years Cuba’s sovereignty has been firm, yet respected. A diverse nation and people, yet divided, where equal rights and responsibilities are at odds due to their political views. (Peterson, 1991) A nation where the government grants its people limited rights rather than the people granting their government limited powers. For 55 years, it has been a nation that is granted limited opportunities due to an imposed embargo; therefore, limiting opportunities to its people. (Leogrande, 2015)

which he proposed that if the United States agreed not to attack Cuba, “the necessity for

The door is now open to the possibility that both the United States and Cuba could benefit from restoring ties. This could be possible if Cuba and the Castro government are open to minimizing controls of their economy, including foreign trade, banking and business investments and tourism. The US will also need to take the right approach to engage Cuba and offer education and partnerships to help grow the Cuban economy, while supporting and respecting the Cuban-Americans who have a personal stake in their home country’s development. Some would argue that United States restrictions and sanctions on Cuba for the last 50 years, kept the US and other allies safe. This is not something that will only benefit the United States and show that we