History and Politics of Cuba

 

Cuba is a bit of an enigma to the average American. The only time we really learn about it in our history classes are when its mentioned as a prize in the Spanish-American War, and then about 60 years

Cuban President Fulgencio Batista-1938

later as a Soviet pawn during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Those two historical anecdotes are not enough to fully contextualize Cuban politics, and as a result, many Americans will jump to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. Our history classes will often portray Cuba as a socialist nation ripped right out of 1984, while the documentary “Sicko” would have you believe Cuba is a socialist paradise. The American idea of Cuban politics is often skewed because of a lack of unbiased sources, with the sources we have often being extremely biased.

The first step to understanding Cuban politics is to contextualize, so here is a brief history of Cuba following the Spanish-American War. The treaty of Paris was signed in 1898, officially ending the Spanish-American War. The treaty included provisions that ceded control of the colonies of The Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States government. Four years later, Cuba gained legal independence from the United States, however, the reality of the situation was Cuban independence was on paper only, the United States retained control over Cuban economic affairs and foreign relations. The Cuban President was merely a puppet. This continued until the fifties when the incumbent U.S.

Fidel Castro
Prime Minister of Cuba following the revolution

 backed president, Batista canceled a parliamentary election. A group of insurgents, led by socialist parliamentary candidate Castro, attacked an army barracks in Santiago in response. The attempt failed and Castro, along with many conspirators were imprisoned. Upon release in 1955, Castro traveled to Mexico to organize a larger invasion force.

“Both in Cuba and in the United States, the word 'freedom' comes up frequently in describing Cuba's history and current realities. It's a word that incorporates many different meanings. US policy makers tend to use it to refer to freedom for private enterprise, while for Cuban policymakers it generally means freedom from U.S interference.” (Chomsky, 1998)

In 1956, Castro returned to Cuba aboard the yacht Granma with 82 other Cubans, exiled for communist activities. Two years later, Batista was deposed and exiled to the island of Madeira in Portugal and a provisional government was formed with Castro as Prime Minister.

“The 26th of July Movement is the revolutionary organization of the humble, by the humble, for the humble. The 26th July Movement is the hope of redemption for the Cuban working class, who can hope for nothing from the political cliques; it is the hope of land for the peasants who live like pariahs in the country whose freedom their grandfathers won; it is the hope of going back home for the emigres who had to leave their country, here they could not live or work, and it is the hope of daily bread for the hungry and of justice for the forgotten.” (Castro,1959)

“I am not a dictator, and I do not think I will become one. I will not maintain power with a machine gun.” (Castro, 1959)

It was the prerogative of Castro to forego diplomatic ties with the United States in favor of creating ties to the Soviet Union and China. Khrushchev, the chairman of the Soviet party at the time, announced

that he and the Soviet Union would defend Cuba against American aggression in response to comments made by then New York Governor, Nelson Rockefeller. “For our part, we shall do everything to support Cuba and her courageous people in their struggle for the freedom and national independence which they have won under the leadership of their national leader, Fidel Castro. The socialist states and all peoples who stand for peace will support the Cuban people in their just struggle and no one will succeed in enslaving the Cubans.” (Khrushchev, 1960) All of this came to a head in 1962 during the infamous event known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

President Miguel Diaz-Canel

In the world of today, Cuban politics have shifted slightly. Thanks to the efforts of President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro, diplomatic ties have been reestablished and the United States Government is no longer barring citizens from traveling to Cuba. The current President of Cuba is President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and with the reestablishment of the office of Prime Minister in 2019, the Government is led by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz 

References

“26th Of July Movement.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 19 Sept. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/26th-of-July-Movement.

Castro, Fidel. “Statements by Major Fidel Castro Ruz, Prime Minister of the Revolutionary Government.” Latin American Network Information Center. Trial of Former Major Huber Matos, 14 Dec. 1959, Ciudad Libertad, lanic.utexas.edu/project/castro/db/1959/19591214.html.

Chomsky, Aviva, and Aldo Lauria-Santiago. Identity and Struggle at the Margins of the Nation-State: the Laboring Peoples of Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean. Duke University Press, 1998.

“Cuban Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 19 July 2020, www.britannica.com/event/Cuban-Revolution.

Khrushchev, Nikita. “Khrushchev Promises to Defend Cuba.” 1960, Moscow.

Ramirez, Roberto. “Man behind Castro's Granma Yacht Lost for Words over Death.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 27 Nov. 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-castro-granma/man-behind-castros-granma-yacht-lost-for-words-over-death-idUSKBN13M007.

“The World Factbook: Cuba.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html.