Jason Perra: Blog Post 1 - Cuba From Colonization, Through, & Since The Revolution

 Cuba From Colonization, Through, & Since The Revolution

When Colón first arrived in Cuba in 1492, he wrote that the island “Es la tierra más hermosa que ojos humanos vieron.”  Despite its apparent beauty to early Spanish settlers and the indigenous Arawak people, the island was relatively unimportant to the Spanish until the 19th century while Spain lost most of its empire when, in a few short years, the island was turned into a major producer of sugar with the increased abduction and smuggling of Africans to the island.  Cuba did not leave Spain due to the sudden attention, but rather became the “crown jewel” of the Spanish Empire.  

Nevertheless, Cubans mounted the Ten Years’ War against Spain from 1868 to 1878 in a first attempt at independence.  This war was unsuccessful for Cubans, but another War of Independence began in 1895, with José Martí’s death shortly after its inception.  In 1898, the US Navy, led by a war-hungry Theodore Roosevelt, either staged or negligently caused the explosion of the USS Maine in the Port of Havana.  The US falsely blamed the explosion on Spain and used it as a justification for the subsequent Spanish-American War in 1898.  With the knowledge revealed in history, it appears that the real reason for the war was for the US to intervene in the Cuban struggle for independence.  The United States did effectively colonize Cuba from 1898 until May 20, 1902.  

This raises an interesting question: had the Ten Years’ War (1868-78) been successful, there may never have been American intervention in Cuba, and a fully independent Cuba may have existed from the onset.  How would this Cuba have evolved differently throughout the 20th century?  

Culturally, Cuba from its independence until the revolution appears to have been more or less a Caribbean Las Vegas from the outside perspective of the United States.  During this time, the US engaged in numerous military interventions in Cuba and established Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.  American corporations similarly had significant involvement in all sectors of the Cuban economy, which slowed local economic growth to a trickle and imposed Cuban dependence on the United States.  

Right-wing authoritarianism rose until the 1930s, when the US imposed Carlos Manuel de Céspedes as dictator in 1933, and later backed Fulgencio Basista y Zaldívar who became a brutal right-wing dictator in a coup on March 10, 1952.  As a result, the Cuban Revolution began on July 26, 1953 (Inspiring M26J) with Fidel Castro’s failed attack on military barracks.  Fidel, Raúl Castro, Che Guevara, and 79 others, returned to Cuba aboard the Granma in late 1956.  The revolution ended when Fidel Castro came to power on January 1, 1959.  

Due to the overwhelming US influence in Cuba, much Cuban land and economic power was unfairly held by foreign nationals and corporations.  Castro began expropriating US properties and investments in Cuba in 1959 and 1960.  This is the original and official rationale for the US embargo on Cuba, which began to protect corporate interests on October 19, 1960.  

This raises important questions: Was the revolution the singular creation of Castro, or the result of socioeconomic conditions?  I argue the latter, with the primary cause being overwhelming US economic, political, and military intervention.  Was this expropriation reasonable?  I argue yes.  Was the embargo a reasonable response?  I would say not.  

The embargo continues to this day for a variety of factors: Cuban alignment with the Soviet Union, irrational American fear of “communism”, and later the Helms-Burton Act of 1996 which, in blatant violation of international law, economically attacks any nation doing business with Cuba and attempts to compensate American megacorporations who were (and still are) upset that “their” land had been confiscated more than 40 years prior.  

The principal achievement of the Cuban Revolution was abolishing a brutal right-wing dictatorship and ending American exploitation of the island.  Unfortunately, the US continues to abuse its superior economic position to harm the Cuban people in revenge.  In a practical sense, the contemporary economic position of the Cuban people is not good in any sense of the word, and Cuba must find a way to improve its position.  This failure to sustainably improve the economic situation is the Revolution’s most significant failure.  

I don’t believe Cuba would necessarily be better today if there had never been a revolution.  Without a revolution, corporate interests would have exploited the island to the extent that its people are in a similar position as they are today.  Cubans are not wealthy, but their lives are often better than those of their Caribbean neighbors.  Cuba is the safest nation in the Caribbean, and Cubans live longer and healthier lives on average than their neighbors in Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, or Jamaica.