Cuba and the Revolution
Shortly after being stumbled upon by Columbus in 1492, Cuba was descended upon by Spanish conquistadors and quickly hosted almost exclusively Spaniards. Unfortunately, the island's native population was basically wiped out by the classics of disease and conquest, and for many years the culture was similar to that of Spain's. The island was used as a convenient port for ships traveling back and forth but was otherwise quiet until the nineteenth century when Haiti's sugar production began to suffer and plantation owners began to island hop to Cuba.
This change brought prosperity to the island - production and exportation of sugar, tobacco, and cattle stayed strong, and the island remained a colony even after the other Latin American colonies began to rebel. Its long loyalty and prosperity lead to the nickname of "Crown Jewel" spreading throughout the Spanish empire.
Not until the later half of the nineteenth century did Cuba make its first vie for independence, resulting in the Ten Years' War. This ended in defeat, but after a second attempt in 1895, the island nation successfully freed itself of Spanish rule. This war resulted in the Treaty of Paris and established the US as a closely related power, allowing for easy investments, properties, and military interventions. US involvement would only grow in the future, in particular related to the CIA.
Throughout the 30s and 40s, Cuba established a system of elections suspiciously similar to that of the US's - a system that was quickly overthrown in 1952 by Fulgencio Batista. The long-standing political system had become increasingly corrupt throughout its twelve-year lifespan, and Batista had no trouble initiating a military coup.
Batista was overthrown in turn by Fidel Castro (who had gone back and forth to Mexico and planned a takeover in Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountain range along with his brother Raul Castro and fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara) in the Cuban Revolution. Fidel leveraged civil unrest to institute a new Communist government, headed by himself in a dictatorial position.
In no uncertain terms, I feel it would be impossible for a successful revolution of this scale to occur without the person of Fidel Castro. Interviews of the late leader show that even on his deathbed the man was a vehement nationalist and idealist. He saw what he wanted to happen and had the drive to force it to happen, no matter the consequences, no matter the human rights violations. Castro successfully cultivated a population of devoted followers across the island.
What do you think it takes to create a person as strongly-willed as Castro?
To what extent does Cuba's violent changing of hands affect its people? Did the Revolution bring about stability, or more chaos than there was before?
I actually agree with your view on Fidel Castro and that a person like him was necessary for the revolution. I agree with this because he showed a high level of determination towards "freeing" Cuba from the dictatorship. I had no idea that he tried three separate times to take back Cuba until after I had read the materials. The first time he tried he failed and was imprisoned, then he tried again and failed and hid in the Sierra Maestra mountains, and lastly tried the revolution with Che Guevara and it was successful. I think in order to create a person like Castro, a person with determination to cause change for their country it would take a lot of nationalism and the love for their country and people. In addition to that it would also probably take some sort of experienced trauma in order to motivate the individual.
ReplyDeleteYes! I think you've hit the nail on the head honestly. It's super intriguing how hard Castro tried to do what he thought was best for the people of his country. The history of Che Guevara is also very intriguing. He has successfully staged coups in other countries (I believe Bolivia? or Venezuela?) and was incredibly influential in the success of Castro as a revolutionary.
DeleteTo answer your second question, I think the change in leadership from Bautista to Castro was a move that most of the the Cuban people supported. I think the effect that Castro's policies-particularly his alliance with the Soviet Union- created instability for the people due to the embargo it caused.
ReplyDeleteHi Austin!
ReplyDeleteI also find Castro's determination and grit admirable, in spite of his polotics. I think the traits that made him most effective were his grit, but most importantly ideals. In order to pursue a goal like that, one needs to have the motivation and determination and he had both. These inspired his charisma and ultimately the Cuban people to revolt the way they did.
I think all of the revolutions do effect the people. There is the turnover where the old supporters get dealt with, reappropriation of land and resources, and the general instability. Though in the beginning there is chaos, I think Cuba has been very peaceful since the last revolution. It is not a perfect life, but seems marginally better than Batista's regime.
I believe that without a strong revolutionary leader who is incorruptible in his ideals, no Revolution will be successful. it seems that you also share the same sentiment. Many examples of revolutionary leaders being successful due to their ideals in history include George Washington, Maximilian Robespierre, Napoleon, now Zedong, and Lenin. While it doesn't have the greatest track record for all the names mentioned, they all were known for being steadfast in their beliefs and were non-changing. I believe that, sadly, tragedy in one way or another must happen to create an amazing revolutionary leader who can lead a revolution. Even a peaceful Revolution still needs a leader which is why when India had Gandhi lead the revolution, India was able to form instead of falling apart into chaos as did the other English colonies. This tragedy can either be personal or strike a chord with the revolutionary leader. it can also be an attack on one of their most cherished beliefs and or aspects of their life. There is also one last thing that is needed. This thing is the removal of what keeps the person wanting to live. What I specifically mean by that is that most revolutionaries want to stick to the status quo because things could get better. Once that thing that could get better is past the point of no return, the revolutionaries know that it's either Revolution or nothing. This knowledge provides them with a strength that will keep them going and will keep them uncorrupted because they know that if they get corrupted it will become worse than it was before.
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