“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Mao Zedong, the dictator of China during the Chinese revolution, stated. Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro were both very monumental believers in war tactics, especially guerilla warfare which is a tactic in which smaller, irregular armies or civilians use military tactics to go against a larger army.. The Cuban and Chinese revolutions consisted of blood, famine, abuse of power, and, on contrast, unity. Fidel Castro led the Cuban revolution as a substantial declaration of independence from dictatorship. However, many historians debate on what accelerators of the revolutions were most impactful. The Chinese and Cuban Revolutions were both heavily rooted by substandard economic state where the government …show more content…
This, in China, caused many rebellions from the lower classes and the destitute factory workers as they felt unequally treated. Poor factory workers mainly pushed the Chinese revolution with their rebellions against the lack of food and money. The Chinese governement wanted to emphasize industrialization and control over industry. (Capitalism, Socialism, and the 1949 Chinese Revolution). The economy in China was industrialized while Cubans were agriculturalized, but both shared the similarity of poor economy and abundance of poverty stricken people. Fidel Castro, who was raised up in poverty by a father who worked on a sugar plantation, fought for the poor. He, along with his supporters, used successful guerrilla warfare to overthrow the Cuban leader at the time, Batista. Castro’s first hand experience with poverty allowed him to effectively fight for the impecunious. Castro states, “Why should we be miserably poor, so that others can be hugely rich? I speak on the behalf of the children of the world who do not even have a piece of bread. I speak on the behalf of the sick who have no medicine, of those whose rights to life and dignity have been denied.” (A Biography of Fidel Castro). In China, the poor, who made up the majority of China’s population, were forced to work in factories only to receive unsubstantial pay. The Chinese Communist revolution …show more content…
With this destitute economic status, lower classes in both China and Cuba got little to no money and were unable to support their families. At this time, communism was starting to emerge and communist parties in both Cuba and China began to spark rebellions and protests. In China, women were oppressed and dominated by men. They were forced to work in factories and treated as inferior, but, men also were forced to work in factories and were resented by higher class men.. Lower classes, due to the lingering belief in Confucianism, where women were expected to obey and serve their fathers, brothers, and men, were working hours on end to feed their families, or at least try to, while the higher class was enjoying themselves until lower classes did not stand for inferiority. (Sources of Chinese Tradition: From 1600 Through the Twentieth Century) In Cuba, abundant class divisions were also due to racism. Freed slaves, or men and women of color were oppressed as Fidel Castro did not fight in favor of slaves, but more in favor of Cubans in poverty. (“Theorizing the Cuban Revolution”. Latin American Perspectives 36 ). However, in China, the working class grew wealthier and wealthier. Despite the destitute working conditions, economy proceeded to improve. In Cuba, the countryside residents lived in extreme poverty. Sugar production was abundant, and the macheteros, sugarcane cutters who only worked four months a year, formed
Castro’s revolution was a complete turnaround for the government of Cuba. Under Batista (Cuba's leader at the time), four thousand workers' retirement funds were embezzled. In 1959, when he was overthrown, Castro began implementing various methods of socialist reform. “We will eventually give you what you need, but rather - Here you have it, fight for it with all your might so that liberty and happiness may be yours!” (Carey, Jr. 37). His main goal in his regime was to establish a socialist society in Cuba. At first, he wanted
Many of these factors had either been introduced or improved by Castro and just the idea of having a country that is third world having these factors so long ago is an indication of how beneficial Fidel Castro was to Cuba. The extent to which the US — a superpower — felt threatened by a third world country like Cuba is also an indication of how beneficial Fidel Castro was to Cuba. This source further explains how under Castro there were food shortages, increased rationing and growing scarcities. The introduction of sanctions under Castro’s rule is said to have been damaging because the source these sanctions upset and disadvantaged the middle-class and therefore were a social disadvantage. This source also explores how the suspension of US exports under Castro was damaging as these badly affected people like retail merchants, manufacturers and industrialists and many of them found it difficult to remain in Cuba. Therefore, this particular policy under Fidel Castro proved to be both socially and economically
In 1959, Fidel Castro led a group of rebel forces to end and overthrow Fulgencio Batista’s regime in an effort to free the Cuban people from his tyrannous rule. For very many different political reasons this has been portrayed as an act of great injustice and hypocrisy in the modern world. A lot of this has of course been advocated primarily by the US due to the high level of political tension between the two nations that developed in the mid 1950s. Believing this conventional wisdom that Castro was simply an evil communist who oppressed his people and stripped them of their human rights is very dangerous because it
The method applied by Zedong focused on uniting China under one belief in order to implement communist ideas in the country, widely changing the country’s structure. (Doc 7). At his defense trial, Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro appealed to those struggling in his country. He spoke to those who hoped for a brighter future and who have been betrayed by their country. By addressing their battle, Castro urged them to fight for a better Cuba. His relentless and undying commitment ultimately granted Castro his wish for a revolution. (Doc 8). An additional document consisting of a diary entry from a Chinese citizen during the communist revolution would create a clearer vision as to how convincing Mao Zedong truly was.
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.
After the revolution, health care and education improved enormously. While before the revolution only 30% of rural children had teachers, primary education became compulsory under Castro. However the education was often biased, and information which would undermine Castro’s regime was not taught, and was also kept out of the media, books and newspapers. Half a million Cubans fled Cuba to work in America, and appeared to enjoy a much better life there. The
Fidel Castro and the M-26-7 successfully seized power of Cuba’s government in 1959, after years of fighting. The M-26-7’s nationalist movement was able to knock the corrupt leader, Fulgencio Batista, out of power, and in 1961 Castro deemed the revolution to be officially of a Marxist nature. Throughout his 40-year stay as president, Castro has not allowed his revolution to stall, but rather he has allowed it to progress and adapt as he has seen fit. In relation with Castro’s revolution in Cuba has been another revolution, that of the Cuban women. Castro himself described the changes in women’s public and private lives as "a revolution within a revolution". In a true system of equality, as in the one Castro holds as his ideal, equality
“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Mao Zedong, the dictator of China during the Chinese revolution, stated. Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro were both very monumental believers in war tactics, especially guerilla warfare which is a tactic in which smaller, irregular armies or civilians use military tactics to go against a larger army.. The Cuban and Chinese revolutions consisted of blood, famine, abuse of power, and, on contrast, unity. Fidel Castro led the Cuban revolution as a substantial declaration of independence from dictatorship. However, many historians debate on what accelerators of the revolutions were most impactful. The Chinese and Cuban Revolutions were both heavily rooted by substandard economic state where the government was not able to pay the
A revolution is known as being an activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation. Cuba during the decade of the 1950's experienced this type of rebellion in search for an enhanced and better-developed society, independent of all outside domination. Cuban citizens were at a point where they needed to be free and be able to enforce the constitution established in 1940, which included amendments stating that Cuba should be a "democratic republic shall not conclude or ratify pacts or treaties that in any form limit or menace national sovereignty or the integrity of the territory," and such. I chose this topic because there has been so much controversy
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.
“One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes a revolution in order to establish a dictatorship.” - George Orwell firmly and descriptively says, that in order to establish a dictatorship, you have to efficiently form a revolution, making yourself able to become a leader, possibly becoming a dictator. This particular quote demonstrates how Cuba and Legends government relate in their similarities. It clearly states in the article, (Fidel Castro) “In 1956, Castro and Guevara landed in Cuba with a small band of insurgents, known as the '26th of July Movement', and began a guerrilla warfare against the government.” This means that Fidel Castro started a revolution with all of the insurgents, as well as himself,
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 Cuban revolution was lead by Fidel Castro and was known to be an armed rebellion against the Cuban government whose dictator at the time was Fulgencio Batista. This event was found to have taken place from July 26th, 1953- January 1st, 1959. During a heated election, Sergeant Fulgencio Batista took supremacy which caused the revolution that began in 1952. It had begun to dawn on Batista that he may lose the election which caused him to take power before the election could take place. The elections were canceled there after. Many individuals were aghast by this command of power, this included Fidel Castro. Castro was likely to have won the elections if the electrons had taken place and because of this Castro began plotting Batista’s failure.
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.
Before Mao and Castro came into power the nature of the state at the time was atrocious, economically and authority - wise. Cuba at the time was under the influence of Batista’s regime. Batista had a huge love for corruption, making sure that he focused on Cuba’s elite and making corruption flourish all over Cuba. It was even known that Cuba became a paradise for the rich if one liked prostitutes, lots of drinks, etc. Havana was also known as a playground for the rich, who brought lots of drugs, dollars,