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Castro in Power Political, Economic, Social Policies. 1959 - 2008. Political Control / Politics. At first Castro did not take any official govt. position
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Castro in PowerPolitical, Economic, Social Policies 1959 - 2008
Political Control / Politics • At first Castro did not take any official govt. position • Interim Coalition gov. set up as promised in Sierra Maestra Manifesto. Urrutia, a liberal, as President; another Liberal, Cardona, as Prime Minister; and a Cabinet consisting of liberals and members of his own Movement • The restless Castro at first seemed more interested in being a professional, permanent revolutionary or strategist, of making himself available to assist with other struggles in Latin America - in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic..
Didn’t seem interested in the day to day tasks of govt. Had said he would not take an official position in govt. But was unable to distance himself – key administrators felt the need to consult him on every decision…nothing was done without his approval… and it soon became a one man administration. • First key decision was Retribution….. executions of Batista’s henchmen • He was caught in a dilemma between wanting to satisfy popular demand for retribution / maintaining his credibility, and his desire not to arouse the condemnation of the international community, esp. the US. (Bourne)…didn’t want to be perceived as a vindictive cold-blooded murderer
Castro decided to go ahead with the executions. Approx. 500 in first three months – total of 600 in two years….some trials – “show trials”….but most found guilty by tribunals, behind closed doors • trials and executions can be compared with Stalin’s Purges, Show Trials, Executions • Sections of the US media complained about his “blood bath” but his response was that it was a type of Nuremburg…and he expressed his dismay that there was little or no US criticism of Batista’s killing of 20,000 Cubans civilians during his admin., and now the US press was criticizing him for “bringing the perpetrators to justice”
Castro next announced that parliamentary Democracy was wrong for Cuba at that time – elections could maybe he held later, in 18mths, when the political situation stabilized, in the meantime the party would rule by decree….but these elections were never held • Some see this as a mistake – his party would have won easily, which would have brought him legitimacy and credibility, esp. in the international arena • Congress was dissolved, most political parties were abolished, and all Batista supporters were banned from all involvement in politics
Castro asserted his control over television and radio stations…..and most of the press…. … he was able to manipulate the information Cuban’s received, while at the same time censor information from abroad – he kept a tight grip on the media. • He continued to be a master of propaganda / publicity – held huge rallies, gave long speeches, shown by TV …showed again that he was a charismatic and “spell-binding” speaker…. Posters of him began to appear everywhere
Castro made no attempt to implement the Constitution of 1940, which he had advocated / promised to implement. • Bourne argues that there was little opposition to these decisions esp. among the masses: no popular opposition to the suspension of Democracy: – elections were perceived as fraudulent, as symbols of the rotten past – the people saw Castro as their savior and trusted the charismatic leader to make decisions for them. • They were more interested in the social and economic reforms he promised than in political democracy
Liberal parties, Autentico, Ortodoxo, which had supported his coup, objected to the suspension of Democracy – they expressed their alarm with what they saw as a totalitarian trend. • In protest Cardona resigned and Castro took his position as Prime Minister, and granted himself extended powers • Visited US in April 1959 – 15 day goodwill tour - invited by newspaper editors – wanted to defend himself against accusations that he was a Communist – treated as a hero / liberator by the public…said he wanted go establish a good relationship with the US
Explained that he was a “humanist revolutionary” - met with Vice President Nixon - Eisenhower declined to meet him: Nixon was unfriendly/discourteous, also accused him of being a Communist, advised him to hold elections as soon as possible • Afterwards Nixon advised Eisenhower to plan an invasion force to overthrow him, that he was “probably not a Communist”…but close to being one, and would be someone to be reckoned with • Bourne argues that from this visit Castro realized that he could never get US support (he was labeled as a Communist already / shunned, based on his reputation/Batista propaganda/executions) and sensed that there might be an attempt by the US to overthrow him
“Had Eisenhower met with Fidel, the course of history might have been quite different. Fatherly and without Nixon’s abrasive qualities, Eisenhower would have likely listened to Fidel and not berated him. The symbolic significance alone of an Oval Office meeting would have signaled the potential for a new chapter in US-Cuban relations. Instead, Fidel was gratuitously snubbed.” or • “Perhaps it was already too late; perhaps the imperative of Cuban history plus Fidel’s bitter anti American feeling precluded any rapprochement.” (Bourne)
Visit to US may have convinced him that there would be no cooperation from the US no matter what he did, so he may as well move to the extreme left and maybe become Communist down the road….. Bourne • After returning to Cuba he made the decision that he was going to have to run the country singlehandedly... Didn’t delegate very well • Having made the decision he approached the task with the single-mindedness that he had applied to the revolutionary struggle – it became his entire life, 24 hrs a day.
His perspective on government was shaped by his personality and his experiences as a revolutionary leader. He felt strongly that to succeed, a leader had to be completely in charge – he had complete confidence in his own abilities, and he was increasingly intolerant of those who did not understand or did not share his vision of the new Cuba he wished to create….Bourne • …..Cuba became governed by a single party dictatorship, and Castro ruled the party (Lenin, Stalin)..consolidated by about a year into the revolution • There was criticism at home and abroad about this development – but the more he was criticized the “harder became his position” / the more determined to rule absolutely
He systematically began to remove liberals and critics from his cabinet, replacing them with more left wing loyal supporters. • President Urrutia was encouraged to resign – Castro considered him too moderate – and replaced him with a loyal supporter, Dorticos • Feeling that the 26th of July Movement was too small and not that well organized he began to use the structure of the Communist Party.
He still denied being a Communist, said he just needed to organize regional and local govt. through it’s organization – explained that the party’s ideology was too rigid, and that the party was too close to the USSR for his liking, conflicting with his nationalism and desire for independence • After criticism of his fusion of his movement with the Communist Party, Castro now moved against the remaining liberals in his admin. - 16 of the 21 ministers appointed in January 1959 had either resigned or been dismissed by 1960 • Opponents went into exile in the US…preceding the later bigger waves Cubans to the US
Bourne says that by 1960, Cuba / Castro was moving towards a Marxist-Leninist political system…became more dictatorial, brutal, authoritarian….he now had a clear vision of where he wanted to go and was consolidating his power by making allegiance to himself and his aspirations a prerequisite for political survival • When some of the Cuban press criticized shut down critical newspapers / ended the freedom of the press, he suspended the right of habeas corpus, restricted the right to free speech • He created an intelligence force - the G2 (and also a smaller vigilante force called the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution) – to terrorize his opponents, make arbitrary and large scale arrests, followed by imprisonment without trial…. Cuba’s jails were always full…Cuba would develop one of highest rates of political imprisonment in world
Had he recreated the Batista administration? Bourne asks the question and suggests that he had….. And that Politics continued this way to the present time • Keen suggests that there was some attempt at change in the 70s, “when he tried to depersonalize the revolution and the govt., tried to delegate more authority to a new executive committee of the Council of Ministers, and give his bureaucracy more influence, and tried to separate govt. from the army and judiciary, tried to broaden the party, give more responsibility to the Labor movement, introduce a whole new pyramid of elected bodies, committees, to try to make govt. responsive to the people, at municipal, then provincial, then national levels.”…. but in reality little changed, Castro remained in firm control (Keen / Haynes)
Keen thinks there was some genuine change later: “Cuba became more democratized in the late 1990s by introducing increasing tolerance for dissent – release of majority of prisoners of conscience, freedom for anyone to immigrate. • Keen says that: UN Human Rights Commission recognized this and after 6 yrs of supporting US resolutions condemning Cuba for alleged human rights abuses, it defeated a US 1998 resolution.
But in reality Cuban politics has remained the same – single party, one man dictatorship - stepped down due to illness in 2008, handed power over to his brother Raul, with no other changes….Bourne, Balfour
Economic Policies • The Law of Agrarian Reform of 1959 restricted the size of landholdings and gave the govt. the right to expropriate (with compensation) private holdings in excess of stated limits – 1,000 acres max except for sugar and rice holding where max was 3,330 acres • Lands in excess were distributed in parcels of 67 acres for individual ownership (not the 150 of History Will Absolve Me) or formed into cooperatives (peasant run) or collectives (state run). • Law was to be implemented by The Institute of Agrarian Reform (INRA)
Foreigners could own slightly more than this (by agreement) but could not acquire new land • The expropriation began slowly, first with the lands of Batista supporters, then the land from the great cattle estates, then US owned sugar land • US govt. not surprisingly delivered a formal protest (70,000 acres taken from US citizens) against the expropriation and the method of compensation – govt. bonds over 20 yrs at 4%.
Castro claimed that these protests made him realize that there was no chance of reaching an accommodation with the US about his reforms (as he realized also from his visit / meeting Nixon) • He introduced further reforms of March 1959, which workers and peasants waited for anxiously: • Cut all rents in half • Nationalized telephone companies and cut rates, • Labor contracts were renegotiated to increase salaries– wages increased in the first three years by 40% - said this was how he was going to redistribute income and wealth • Initiated huge public works projects- huge rural housing projects, and roads, railroads - to create jobs unemployment virtually ended
Big financial commitment to education and health care • Attempted to start industries; gov. loans, gov. investment • Due to full employment, increased salary, reduced rents…the standard of living of peasants and workers increased • These Economic / Social policies continued for about 2 yrs – until the inexperienced, naïve govt. realized it was overspending / nearing bankruptcy and couldn’t afford to continue • These policies were popular but financially disastrous
Economy after 1962 • As well of lack of money and poor planning on the part of the govt., the economy suffered from • The US embargo on many exports to Cuba - raw materials for industry, machine part, household goods (explained later…response to expropriation) • Gradual erosion of foreign investment, withdrawal of foreign owned businesses, esp. US (fear of expropriation) • Flight of Cuba’s businessmen and technical experts
Led to: • Severe decline in sugar cultivation • Decline in cattle industry • Failure of industry to emerge: lack of expertise, experience, incentives • Lack of natural resources for industry
Castro administration’s response; • focus less on industrial development, accept that industry would play secondary role to agriculture, esp. sugar • re-emphasize sugar production (mobilized entire country to help – propaganda exercise also): modernize and mechanize and try to reach 10m tons of sugar in 1970, which would mean doubling size of output by then…mobilized whole population but failed to meet the goal…but modernized somewhat in the process (8.5m – did not meet his goal - still an achievement, the largest sugar harvest in Cuban history….but other resources were destroyed and other areas of economy neglected)
improve transportation • Expropriation or confiscated / Nationalization of all remaining individually owned lands (except for peasants 67 acre holdings)….moving Cuba more along the road to Nationalization and Socialism.
More Centralization of the Economy, which included the creation of more state owned and run collective farms, at expense of individual farms, and cooperative farms, administered by the Institute of Agrarian Reform (INRA) • Relied on a group of newly emerging / new generation of doctors, engineers, managers, technicians to replace those who went into exile; from poor backgrounds.. and so were supportive of the Revolution (as Stalin did)
a system of material incentives for workers and managers was inaugurated. A work quota system was implemented between 1971 and 1973 resulting in a 20% increase in productivity in just one year – 1972. • the govt. also began to pay according to job function, not according to needs but according to productivity and complexity of job. (moved away from Marxism….like Lenin, Stalin) • Most of all, Cuban relied on the USSR for aid; depended very much on trade agreements and loans from its new ally (see notes on Foreign Policy).
The Soviets subsidized the Cuban economy (up to $6b a year) by absorbing over $1b in trade deficits between 1961 and 1967…..Soviets made decisions about Cuban economy… • Cuba joined COMECON…and received more Soviet aid after that…… • but still faced Economic difficulties in spite of aid from the USSR • Economy improved from 60s to 70s, slightly, (4% increase in GNP in the 70s) , but then unemployment emerged again, low paying jobs, still a lack of investment capital, raw materials…..
Economy in the 1980s • Economy grew by 7.6% in this decade • Exports increased, esp. of refined Soviet oil. • But again dependent on the USSR • In spite of its problems economists estimated that from 1960-1985, Cuba’s Economic growth was the second highest in Latin Am – and the distribution of income generated by this growth was far and away the most equitable, both within and outside the region. (Keen)
From the 60s to the 80s Castro had transformed the Cuban economy from a Capitalist to a mixed economy / “Market Socialism,” combining Capitalism and Command principles, and then to a Command Economy • In the 90s he would be forced to change it back again to a mixed economy, combining Capitalist principles with features of a Command Economy
Economy in the 1990s • collapse of Soviet Union, and end to financial aid for Cuba, as well as loss of Soviet Market, loss of Soviet supplies of goods, severely hurt the Cuban economy. • still heavily dependent on Sugar production, but not as much as in the past • big promotion of Tourism, has overtaken sugar as the biggest source of income for Cuba. • diversification into tobacco / cigars, biotechnology and medicine (cancer drug interferon), and promote other industries • He also introduced more technology into agriculture – use of chemicals, crop rotations, soil conservation, organic inputs, bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides
more and more invitations to foreign investment: Europe, Canada etc. they found it attractive to outsource in Cuba (de-socialized….Capitalism…like China) • attracted by low wages, disciplined, healthy work force with govt. health care, labor peace, don’t have to pay unemployment insurance, benefits of a planned economy. • foreign investment, joint govt. ventures (300 joint ventures, involving 58 countries, $5b invested – hotels, phone companies, tourism) • productivity, GNP, exports, have all increased since 1993 and brought prosperity.
Has also found offshore oil and is becoming self reliant – lower energy bills, fewer imports etc… • Much of agriculture has become decentralized, with more and more incentives introduced to improve production: large state farms were replaced with autonomous cooperatives, or individual farms, and as a result productivity increased (NEP type policies, gradual climb down from Communism) • According to some defenders of the Rev – KEEN – this pragmatism, change in course, this searching self-criticism, this ongoing effort to correct past mistakes, known as rectificacion (rectification) – has enabled Communism to survive in Cuba for so long.
another reform was that the govt. would no longer penalize the holding of foreign currency and Cubans could use US dollars in govt. stores. • goal was to ease govt.’s cash crisis and end the black market – but has created a privileged class of people with access to US currency and has increased inequality – but “this still leaves Cuba the most egalitarian society in the hemisphere.” Keen
Assessment • With a partner……answer together, on one sheet of paper (write both of your names) • 1. To what extent was Cuba, under Castro, (a) Different (b) Better Off, politically, than under Batista? • 2. To what extent was Cuba’s Economy (a) Different (b) Better Off, than under Batista?
3. Would you have preferred to live under Batista’s or Castro’s Political regime / system? • 4. Would you have preferred to live und Batista’s or Castro’s Economic system?
Social / Cultural Policies • “The accomplishments of Cuban social programs are laudable and impressive.” Keen • ….Despite its mixed economic record, the Revolution’s achievements in the areas of employment, equitable distribution of income, increased public health, and education, and equitable access to them, were remarkable…. (Keen) • Inequalities in standard of living were drastically reduced for urban and rural working classes, under Castro (rents down, salaries up, reduced costs for utilities – see previous notes on Economy)
Children were given priority esp. in difficult times – daily distribution of milk – as a result infant mortality was among lowest in world, comparable to US. • Life expectancy increased to 75.9 years – in other underdeveloped countries it was 58.2%. • First rate medical services / Health Care. inc. heart and lung transplants… Lowest doctor to patient ratio in Latin Am • Big commitment to education – gov. trained and hired thousands of teachers and sent them all over Cuba, to urban and rural areas…. Cuba had the highest education budget in Latin Am at 7% of GNP... Illiteracy wiped out, nation averaged 9th grade ed. Jorge Dominquez argues that “Cuba’s education transformation was the Revolution’s most impressive achievement.”
The Revolution brought universal free public education, equality of access, higher quality, eliminated private schools…and it emphasized Cuban (not American) culture….but it came with political indoctrination • Most Cubans benefited from the Revolution – shown by their support for it, even today, even during severe economic crisis and political repression. (Keen) • 1994 Gallup poll showed that 69% of population identified themselves as either revolutionaries, socialists, or communists, and 58% believed the Revolution had produced more achievements than failures.
Lowest rate of unemployment in Latin America until 1990 world wide fuel crisis and collapse of USSR – but even workers laid off after that still received 60% of their salaries. • Social conditions and living standards deteriorated after collapse of Communism in the 90s, and effects of US embargo – rationing increased, food shortages – but Cuba saw none of the massive hunger and malnutrition seen in the rest of Latin America in those years
Yet there is still much poverty and a low standard of living for many Cubans…(relative) Keen • Race Relations • Castro called on Cubans “to end racial discrimination at the work place” and in “cultural centers,” - mostly against Afro-Cubans; Insisted thereafter that Cuba was a racial democracy (not all historians agree) • Afro-Cuban population is now about 60% of total, up from 27% in 1959, - now receive better education, health, employment opportunities, more interracial marriages, lower mortality rates….though still they are statistically underrepresented in higher education, professional employment, govt. leadership positions, are overrepresented in vocational schools, blue collar jobs, and substandard housing, and make up 58% of drop-outs among teenagers.
Women • Women gained enormously from the Revolution, esp. in access to education • Higher education, once confined to women of the elite, was opened to women of every class • Illiteracy among women which was at 20% in 1953 had been eliminated by the 60s • Also increased opportunities in the work force: Before the Revolution only13% of workforce were women: by 1990 this had risen to 39%.
The number of women in management and politics was still low, however…which didn’t please Castro… but Cuba way ahead of any other Latin American country in this area • The national health care system provides great care and assistance to women • Passage of the 1975 Family Code, which recognized the equal right of both spouses to education and a career, required fathers and mothers to share in household duties and child care, and established divorce as a legal remedy for any spouse whose mate refused to comply.
Religion • Catholic church is the dominant church • Many church leaders had supported Castro’s Revolution • Yet many church leaders were critical of Castro after the Revolution, and opposed his Communist policies • He tried to avoid direct confrontation with the church but their criticism eventually made conflict inevitable. • The hierarchy of the Church was mostly Spanish and conservative: therefore he was able to focus his attack on the church as an ally of the old privileged elite rather than on religion per se. • He expelled virtually all of the Spanish born priests.
In the 60s when all institutions were being made to conform to a Marxist mold, religion was actively disparaged and the celebration of Christmas was abolished. • Yet his speeches have always been peppered with religious references – influence of his Jesuit educated • However, diplomatic relations with the Vatican were always maintained. • Castro seemed to adopt a neutral position in 1964 when he announced that he didn’t care if people were religious or what their religion was.
In the 1980s he moved from this neutral position to actively seeking an alliance between his regime and church leaders. • He admitted that religion had a profound influence on his life and ideas. • He has particularly sought to align himself with the liberation theology movement in Latin America, and progressive Church leaders have been frequent visitors to Havana. • Allowed Christmas to be again celebrated.
Issued an open invitation to the Pope to visit • The new Constitution of 1992 Constitution protected all religions • Pope visited Cuba in 1998: (engaged in both praise and criticism of the administration)
Overall Assessment……Historians Views: • Communism / Change / Revolution not imposed on Cuba as in Eastern Europe, was created by an indigenous Popular Revolution that linked the ideals of socialism and independence, and still enjoys overwhelming popular support – in spite of economic problems, the Cuban Revolution has a record of social achievement without parallel in Latin Am history. (Keen) • Political – not much better than under Batista: left wing totalitarianism replaced right, repression, no freedom of speech, press, election…might be worse than under Batista • Economic – mixed; successes and failures; too reliant on USSR, but flexibility since ……..gains for lower and middle classes
Social – rise in standard of living (always relative), better services, equality of opportunity, role of women, minorities, redistribution of wealth, education, health, medical care all improved…but much poverty still • Keen is complimentary of social reforms and ability of regime to rectify / evolve politically towards liberalization and towards a more open economy • Bourne and Dominquez are complimentary of social reforms, critical of economic and political performance.
