The Cuban Revolution

The Cuban Revolution Edward Duran Gabriel Rodriguez Manny Borras Mikaela Blackburn

I. Origins of the War Gabriel Rodriguez

(Group member did not complete section of project)

II. The Course of the Revolution Mikaela Blackburn

Type of War Mikaela Blackburn

1. Limited • A limited war is a conflict, in which the country participating in the war does not expand all there resources. • These resoures can consist of human, industrial, agricultural, military, natural, and technology. • The year 1960 proved to be even more decisive for the course of the Cuban Revolution. • The war was considered limited for the fact that the revolution mainly stayed between the Cubans and their government

2. Civil • A Civil War is a war between rival factions within a country. • The civil war had not only discredited Batista; it had besmirched the entire poticial class. All of the members to a lower or greater degree, compromised by the dictator. It was Fidels second year in office and he had four basic trends to uphold. They were, nationalization of the economy, a sharp swing at soviet bloc,the establishment of an authoritarian regime, and the launching of an egalitarian socioeconomic policy.

3. Guerilla • A Guerrilla war is a war between irregular forces and established armies. Guerrilla comes from the spanish word "little war". • As a young national dictator, Fidel Castro had already begun a guerrilla campaign against the regime. In 1959, he became prime minister of a new revolutionary Cuba. He described his regime as humanistic and specifically, non-communist. He worked with many people that wanted to overthrow Batista. • The first principle of the guerilla was to retain the sympathy of the local residents, not only for the supplies but also they will not betray you to the authories. • Guerilla warfare was a lonely and dangerous business.

4. Revolutionary • A revolutionary war was a change in power that takes place in a short period of time. • Anti-Americanism was logical means, perhaps the only one for Castro to unite Cubans behind the revolution. Castro turned in earnest towards Russia, and at the end of the year declared himself a Maxist-Leninist. Cuba was a revolutionary magnet in Latin America. • Most revolutions in history have been members of a counterelite. • a.The stragegy and tactics • Fidels strategy was based on waiting for the urban uprisings.

5. Foreign Intervention • a.Reasons for the foreign intervention • Cuba depended on their sugar exports. • Intervention,occupation, and administration by the United States demonstrated that the Cuban Politics were subordinated to the U.S. interests. • Thousands of North Americans lived in Cuba. They had nice hotels, casio, music, and simply PARTY, PARTY, PARTY! • (U.S. films and music filled Cuban cinemas, made many Cubans excited and interested in learnign these new dance moves.) • The rich and famous Americans traveled to the beautiful island of Cuba. • b.Consequences for foregin intervention • Loss in tourist industry sales meant danger for the Cuba. • Middle class Cubans struggled within a dependent economy to obtain the U.S. consumer goods demanded by their precarious social position. Failure to receive enough goods lead Cuban in Batista corruption.

B. Military Campaigns/ Most Important Battles • 1. Data • Through out the rest of 1958, the guerrilla war raged on. But there were never any real set battles. The war was a hit and run, with bombings, sabotage, and constent harrassment. • 2.Victory • After a general strike failed on April 1958, the guerillas new they had to changed something. They had to become more aggressive. • There new tactics were: • goad the unpopular government into repressive measures, which then will serve to recruit new rebels against the goverment. • 3.Consequences • The consequences for Batista were what he believed to work in his favor. On 26th of July Movement, Batista had a counterterror to try to catch the guerillas. He sent students out to catch him. But at the same time Batista was making Fidel and his guerillas warriors more popluar and enlarging the support for Fidel.

C. Resistance and Revolutionary Movements Edward Duran

What is a revolution? • In short, it is the uprising of a populace. It aims to bring about a radical change in the minds of the citizens of a certain country. • The 26th of July opened up a new era in Cuban history.

Revolution! • July 26 1959 • Fidel Castro overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. • This had been brewing years prior as the movement began formally in 1955 when Castro traveled to Mexico to obtain a guerilla force. • While Castro was in Mexico, Frank Pais, Armando Hart, and Enrique Oltuski were carrying out sabotage and political activities.

Revolutionary Movements • Marchas (State-orchestrated marches or mass demonstrations) • Pose the greatest opportunity for intentional political withdrawal by the shadow public.

Resistance • The “shadow public” is a term used to describe shrouded forms of government criticism. • Resistance in Cuba is punishable by law which is why Cubans generally keep it low profile. • There are state mechanisms that control citizens’ ability to assemble freely and remain solidly in place in Cuba. Two Cubans displaying a poster that says “Liberty”.

Adaptation • Shadow public forms of adaptation to tough times include: • Adopting double moral • Reappropriating revolutionary words • Earning money in the “shadow economy” through “trabajo particular” (private work) • Evading the reach of state control • Planning to migrate. (very common)

Communicative Acts • They are rebellious in their content but masked in their execution: • Jokes • Aphorisms • Complaints about goods are culturally acceptable forms of discourse This allows the shadow public to conceal their position while demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the government.

D. Non Combatants and the War Edward Duran

War Economy • Socialist economy began with the revolution • All big estates and haciendas were confiscated and the land was nationalized. • Reorientation towards Soviet bloc. • Khrushchev is now supporting Cuba economically, politically, and militarily. • There were originally about 700,000 “caballerias” of cultivated land in Cuba and during the Cuban Revolution 290,000 “caballerias” are cultivated as state farms. • The large rice plantations, as well as the cattle ranches, have been turned into state farms

The U.S. dominated Cuba economically and politically until 1959. • Cuba had to sign the Platt Amendment, which was the basis for establishing the U.S. base in Guantanamo, Cuba.

The large numbers of people who were formerly wage workers have been turned into cooperative property owners. • They are now landless workers. • This is a step backward from the previous way of life, in terms of progress.

Shift towards a completely dependent economy • Average wage of a person is not possible to satisfy 100% of food requirements. • People struggle to survive

Women in the Revolution • Pre-revolutionary white, wealthy, urban women found themselves in a place of power in business and politics. • By the 1950’s wealthy women were seen more at universities and had limited positions within government and business. • Women were expected to marry early and to a dependent older man. • Many poor women were forced to do the work of men in the fields. • The government tackled illiteracy in women after Castro took power and pushed for women to learn to read.

Glory years of the revolution • The 1980s (1981-1987) were considered the glory years of the revolution • People who stayed were rewarded for staying • Bookstores were full • Plenty of food in the bodegas • No acute crisis • People were permitted to travel and return home

Television • Allegedly the Cuban government believes that they can fool Cubans into believing that television shows demonstrate public opinion. • “Mesa Redonda”, a news show featuring politicians and party members where they supposedly ‘debate’ political issues. • During the show the people just agree with each other and no debate goes on. There is something seriously wrong with it. According to Cubans who have seen the show it is very boring.

Arts • Art from Castro was used to promote socialist ideas. • Cuba’s top artists left the country when Castro took power. • An art revolution started once Castro opened up tourism and legalized the dollar in the 1990s. • Celia Cruz, a Cuban salsa singer, known as one of the best salsa singers of the 20th century. • Moved to the United States once Castro took control of Cuba.

Editorials • Cubans must also endure these which allegedly express individual opinion.

E. Technological Developments Edward Duran

Technology • Average number of daily international telephone calls into Cuba increase from 500 in 1995 to 50,000 in 1997 with the lifting of the telecommunication embargo by the U.S. government. • The calls are tapped by the Cuban government to monitor counterrevolutionary activity. • The few that have internet access must be careful about the content of their emails and messages assuming that they can be read by the government. • Most phone calls are short and free of political content

Technology cont. • Cuba’s technology and machinery became increasingly integrated with those of the Soviet Union and its allies. • This often meant that the technology used was below quality available in the west

Works Cited Del Toro, Natasha. "Cuba: The Art Revolution." PBS. 14 Sep 2006. PBS, Web. 5 Jan 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/09/cubas_art_revol.html>. Guerra, Lillian, and Jorge Macle Cruz. "Guide to the Cuban Revolution Collection." Yale Library . Sep 2008. Yale, Web. 5 Jan 2010. <http://mssa.library.yale.edu/findaids/eadHTML/mssa.ms.0650.html>. "The Revolution Within the Revolution- Women and the Cuban Revolution." Che-Lives. Che-Lives E-Zine, Web. 5 Jan 2010. <http://www.che-lives.com/home/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=114>. Serra, Ana. The "new man" in Cuba. Univ Pr of Florida, 2007. Print. Weinreb, Amelia. Cuba in the Shadow of Change. Univ Pr of Florida, 2009. Print. Weisbord, Albert. "Perspectives of the Cuban Revolution." Weisbord. January 1962. La Parola del Popolo, Web. 5 Jan 2010. <http://www.weisbord.org/CubanRev.htm>.

III. Political and Social and Economic Effects and the War Manny Borras

C. Political Repercussions • 1959: Fidel Castro is elected as Prime Minister of Cuba. • In May, the government enacts the agrarian reform bill. • 1965: PSP (Popular Socialist Party) is reorganized as the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).

D. Political and social effects • Cuban Communist Party formed in 1965 after “considerable conflict between new and old communists”. • The Central Organization of Cuban Trade Unions and the Federation of Cuban Women also gained significance after 1959.

D1. Changes in the status of women and / or minorities • Federation of Cuban Women founded in August 1960 amid the social revolution. • Castro mentioned “the need to overcome discrimination against women, especially in the labor force” (Perez-Stable 76) in his first address to the nation on January 1. • New regulations enacted for pregnant women and their working rights and the duty of employers to create safe work environments for women.

D1. Changes in the status of women and / or minorities (2) • Enterprises with more than fifty women workers had the obligation to provide separate rest rooms and lounges (Perez-Stable 76). • Revolutionary Feminine Unity summoned a congress after which many women became more active in support of the agrarian reform, the distribution of school lunches and mobilization of peasants to Havana for the celebration of July 26, 1959. • In general, there was a stronger unity between women in Cuba after the revolution with the creation of several feminine interest groups.

E. Post-War Economic Problems • Cubans agreed on the need to drift away from sugar production as it symbolized “old oppression, slavery in the colony, and subservience to foreigners in the republic” (Perez Jr. 337) • Cuban attempts to industrialize were abandoned. • Agricultural production (mostly in sugar) and foreign earnings declined. • Food supplies also dwindled.

E. Post-War Economic Problems (2) • March 1962: The government imposed general food rationing. • Sugar received preference and priority after the mid-1960s. • A ten million ton crop national campaign was launched. • Billboards were posted throughout Cuba to build “conciencia” and the concept of the “hombre nuevo” (Perez 340).

E. Post-War Economic Problems (3) • Workers: • Material incentives claimed “incompatible” with the goals of revolution • Workers were no longer paid for quality of production or for meeting- or surpassing- production quotas. Overtime pay was eliminated (Perez 340).

E. Post-War Economic Problems (4) • 1970 Crop harvest: 8.5 million tons • This caused problems as many sectors of the economy were damaged. • Production of consumer goods had declined. • Cuba’s experimental strategies with the economy had caused it great damage.

Origins of the War • B. Proximate Causes • Failure of Diplomacy: In a nutshell, Batista’s regime was being unfair to the governed on the island. On October 16th, 1953, Fidel Castro made a speech in court in defense of his attacks on the Moncada Barracks, laying out his demands that reinforced the cause of his actions: The reinstatement of the 1940 Cuban constitution. • In 1952, Carlos Prío Socarrás, the constitutional president, was deposed from power by military coup by Batista. This violated the constitution in that it demands that the president must be elected by the people. • A reformation of land rights. • There was a vast extension of fertile land under a few people and there were many farm workers that did not have land on which to harvest. • The right of industrial workers to a 30% share of company profits. • Industrial workers did not receive any share of the company’s profits, only low wages. • The right of sugar workers to receive 55% of company profits. • Cuba was the first sugar-cane producer in the world during the time of the high prices demands of the product. Sugar-cane workers did not receive a fair share of these profits. • The confiscation of holdings of those found guilty of fraud under previous administrative powers. • Many people were receiving salaries or kickbacks from the government without having to work for it. These individuals received money by fraud.

B1. Failure of Diplomacy • Despite his demands for reform, Cuba remained in the same condition for several years and Fidel was sent to prison for 15 years and then set free in 1955, where he fled to Mexico with other revolutionaries. The current military coup in power of Cuba underestimated the potential of the revolutionaries to rise in arms and fight the government in control, and the 1959 revolution was the result.

IV. Conclusions Gabriel Rodriguez and Manny Borras

Were the issues that caused the revolution resolved by the revolution? • No, they were not as Cuba became a communist country and the situation became worse.

Did the revolution create new problems that might in the future lead to another war? • Yes, the revolution created a new regime that to this day is strict in its regulation of the people. Not every individual in Cuba agrees with the current political views of the government and therefore not everyone will be happy with the future of the country. Also, the fact that the same political party has been in power since 1965 is a cause for frustration among the Cuban citizens. However strong and oppressive it may be, this regime may one day be overthrown by the oppressed citizens of Cuba, leading to a new revolution.

Works Cited Perez, Louis A. Cuba Between Reform and Revolution (Latin American Histories). New York: Oxford UP, USA, 1995. Print. Pérez-Stable, Marifeli. Cuban Revolution Origins, Course, and Legacy. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. Print.

The Cuban Revolution