Revolution Of Contradictions: The Cuban Revolution

To clarify, the Cuban Revolution, which began in July 1953, was a rebellion led by Fidel Castro and his allies to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. It triumphed six years later on the first of January 1959, when Batista was forced out of power by rebels. In the beginning, the Revolution and Castro had tremendous support from almost all of Cuba as well as enthusiasm from others worldwide who viewed the Revolution as an anti-imperialist movement. The Cuban Revolution brought a great deal of attention to Latin America. Mass media now allowed the world to be connected and aware of what was

Around the world and across history women are not the first thing one thinks of when we think of revolution. When thinking of revolution and ensuing revolutionary wars one thinks of men with guns and all other kinds of manly things. However the reality is that across Latin America most evidently in the Cuban Revolution women played an essential role in the successes of such movements. When looking at the role of women in Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution and their new post-revolutionary roles and rights there is much to consider. The question that I will be exploring in my paper is how the history of the Cuban women and their role in the Cuban Revolution led to their new roles of equality in post-revolutionary Cuba.

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

Many of the Cubans who remained on the communist island also became disillusioned by the revolution, and this followed with several emigration waves. The largest of these emigration waves was the Mariel boatlift of 1980, which resulted in 125,000 Cubans seeking refuge in the United States. The massive emigration waves do not only represent discontent with the revolution, they also represent the struggle between communism and democracy. Cuba: In the Shadow of Doubt intricately connects a variety of themes to characterize the first twenty-five years of Castro’s

This chapter will serve to outline the Cuban revolution and its impact on social movements in Latin America and around the world. The two key leaders of the Cuban Revolution was Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Their rhetoric is still regarded as inspiration to many around the world. This chapter will look at their goals and mobilization of the Cuban Revolution with emphasis on the importance of their discourse. The symbolism of Che Guevara that the revolution brought to the forefront of the imaginations of young people is important to understanding the influence the Cuban Revolution had on future revolutions. The Cuban Revolution and the writings and speeches that it produced are filled with instructions for future movements. It is these

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.

At first glance, Cuba is a paradise, surrounded by green terrain and shimmering oceans, yet internally the fight for power takes over the country. In the 19th century, many had the desire to be in power, although the two that influenced history as we know it were Fulgencio Batista and Fidel Castro. Both of these leaders weren’t ideal, as they both had faults to their governments. In fact, their conflict among each other changed the history of the Caribbean. Castro and Batista’s conflict was based upon the disagreement of their goals for the country of Cuba, as well as who their allies were.

In 1959, Cuban leaders echoed similar sentiments. A revolution on one island? The actions of guerrillas of the mountains and the underground were rooted in a larger revolutionary context, one supplied by Bolívar, O’Higgins, and the other Latin American liberators. Cuba began to “export” revolution— at least ideas—to Caribbean islands and to the South and Central American countries as well. By 1960, given the predictable response of Washington to any sort of disobedience, Cuba had taken its first steps toward partnership with the no longer revolutionary Soviet Union. In doing so, it got caught in the seamy fabric of the cold war. Fidel learned of the revolution’s “junior” status during the 1962 missile crisis, when Soviet Premier Khrushchev

In October of 1992, the US congress passed the Cuban Democracy Act which would prohibit U.S foreign subsidiaries to trade with Cuba, impede ships carrying Cuban goods from entering U.S ports, and stop all commercial sales of food and medicine to Cuba unless Cuba holds free and fair elections (USITC, 2004). This law was later enhanced in 1996 by the passing of the Helms-Burton Act which allowed for U.S nationals to file suit in U.S court against foreign nationals that benefit or profit from expropriated U.S. property in Cuba (USITC, 2004). Even though these two laws defined US-Cuban relations for the next couple of years, they were not enough to oust the Castro leadership from Cuba’s government. Later on, the two laws were rescinded at the request and concerns of the European Union who had interests in dissolving several enactments from the Helms-Burton Act of 1996 (USITC, 2004). In the end, there are several unanswered questions that come about as to the reason why the fall of the USSR, the added constraints from the United States, and the internal hardships from pro democratic movements were not enough in being able to overthrow the Cuban government. To understand the factors that sustained the Castro leadership throughout these tumultuous years, it is important to look into the ways the Cuban economic system was reconstructed and influenced by the same neoliberal forces that sought to disposed the communist government at the

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, as Fidel Castro proclaimed in January 1959, was a true revolution; it had profoundly impacted the very economic, social and political foundations of the nation of Cuba and with that a new society was forged. Being one of the most major political events of the twentieth century, it was a dramatic chapter in the Cold War. Wherein the improbable overthrow of the oppressive U.S-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista by a band of young Communist guerillas and intellectuals otherwise known as the ‘July 26 Movement’ led by Fidel Castro, had drastically reshaped and ultimately severed all diplomatic ties to the U.S. This act of defiance was further cemented by the institutionalisation of a Marxist-Leninist government. Despite

This provides broader context in relation to the international conflicts which are often seen one sidedly in capitalist western thought. The biography begins by shedding some light on Fidel Castro’s early childhood and familial relations. It outlines the beginnings of Castro’s revolutionary activity and his ideological development. The successful revolution against Batista and his time in the Sierra Maestra gathering support and followers is then covered. The biography then focuses on the international role of Castro and Cuba during the first decade after the revolution, analyzing the events of the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis to characterize the greater position of Cuba in the era of the Cold War and western imperialism. The following chapter dives into the domestic interests of Castro and Cuba which became more prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s. This dry section includes social issues, such as the role of academia in the regime, political transitions, such as the institutionalization of national bureaucracies and the new constitution, and economic development, which revolved significantly around sugar production, job creation, productivity and trade imbalance (Caistor 86-90). Following the heights of the late 1960s and collapse of the USSR, Castro’s Cuba struggled to support itself. Through the combination of methods of oppression with the development of tourism and obtaining hard currency, Castro maintained control over the floundering nation. After more than 50 years of rule, the still respected Fidel handed power down to his older brother, Raul, who made attempts at reform.

As these aspects of life in Cuba were of prime concern, the effects of the revolution came to achieve this objective. This is shown in “Reflections on the Cuban Revolution” as the author, Gary Prevost, provides statistics that states, “Cuba has an average of one teacher for every forty-five inhabitants, and its literacy rate of 96.4 percent is one of the highest in Latin America” (Prevost 138). Also, health care is a primary issue in Cuba and has come to be an example to third world countries, “with more than 260 hospitals and 420 clinics” (Prevost 138). These grounds show how much Cuba has developed and advanced as a community. Because the revolutionaries had set a plan and were determined to improve Cuba socially, the strategy was a success and went into effect after the revolution.

The nation of Cuba lies in great proximity to the United States. As a matter of fact, according to Holmes, its proximity to the Florida coast is just 90 miles. The nearness in the terrestrial location of Cuba relative to the US is perhaps one of the central reasons as to why the US has always remained interested in the affairs of Cuba. To this extent, we can deduce that for the greater part of the history between the two nations, US decision-makers have always considered Cuba to be a commonsensical extension of their nation; fundamentally because Cuba presents a geographical position that is of strategic political and economic importance. For many born into the present generation, Cuba is synonymous with the cold war as evident in the Cuban missile crisis of 1963, and with the general extravagance of communism apportioned by Marxist and Leninist nuances as a result of the 1959 Cuban revolution. Working from this basis, there can be no question as to the fact that Cuba has got an evidently deeply-rooted history with the US. However, it is futile to attempt to discuss this history outside the projection of its former colonial master, Spain. According to the Library of congress, the history of Cuba begins with the inevitable arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492; a man credited with the discovery of the Americas that essentially laid the foundation for European colonization. The Spanish-American war provided a turning-point in the history of Cuba because one

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.