Colonialism And Imperialism in Cuba

There are hundreds of islands that lie in the Caribbean Sea, East of the USA and Central
America, stretching West into the Atlantic Ocean. These islands are also known as West Indies.
Cuba was one among such islands surrounded by smaller islands in the Caribbean Sea. The
history of Cuba began with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and the subsequent
invasion of the island by the Spaniards. Cuba was a Spanish colony from 1511 to 1898. During
the earlier phase, Spain did not give much importance to Cuba. But during the later phase, Cuba
was transformed from a sleepy and unimportant island into a major sugar producer of the world.
Slaves arrived in increasing numbers, largest estates squeezed out small ones, sugar supplanted
tobacco, agriculture and cattle rearing as the main occupation. Prosperity replaced poverty and
Spain's attention replaced neglect. They introduced a series of reforms known as Bourbon
Reforms to protect Spanish commercial interests, to regain control of the Atlantic trade and
establish strong political and administrative control within the empire.
Spanish imperialism and economic exploitation led to the growth of Cuban nationalism.
These developments combined to produce a prolonged and a bloody War – the Ten Years War
against Spain from 1868 – 78. But it failed to win Independence for Cuba. At the outset of the
second independence war, Cuban Independence leader Jose Marti was killed. As a result of
increasingly strained relations between Spain and the United States, the Americans entered the
conflict in 1898. In 1898, USA declared War on Spain and freed Cuba. As a result of the Spanish-
American War, control of Cuba passed from Spain to the United States on January 1, 1899 and
Cuba was governed by direct U.S. military until May 20, 1902. During these years, Cubans filled
more public offices than they had under Spanish ruleth and much was done for public works,
sanitation and education. Most notable of all, yellow fever was eradicated from Cuba. A
constitutional convention met at Havana from November 5, 1900 to February 21, 1901. The
Constitution that was adopted contained certain provisions known as ‘Platt Amendment’. These
were imposed by the United States as a condition for accepting the constitution and were
approved by Cuba on June 12, 1901. By these provisions, Cuba promised not to incur debts its
current revenue could not bear, to continue the administration undertaken by the US military
government, to lease naval stations to the United States and if necessary to permit United States
to intervene in Cuba’s internal affairs to preserve Cuban Independence and a government to
protect life and property.
After the independence of Cuba, the economic prosperity of Cuba increased slowly. This
was mainly because of the export of sugar from Cuba. United States became Cuba’s trading
partner. Many leaders assumed office of the Cuban president. Though they were able to bring
material prosperity to Cuba, there was severe revolts inside Cuba due to large-scale corruption.
During 1909-1925, the United States interfered twice in Cuba and threatened to intervene several
more times due to political instability. On May 20,1925, Machado was elected as the president of
Cuba. He was the first to become Cuba’s full-fledged Dictator. Rule of terror began – Martial
Law was proclaimed and Congress allowed him to suspend freedom of speech, press and
assembly. He used harsh methods against opposition and Cuban exiles fled to United States. As
violence increased, United States offered to mediate and an Amnesty was declared. The army
forced Machado to flee from the country in August 1933. Cuba had many presidents in the
following years, but they were made and unmade by Fulgencio Batista, a sergeant who gained
control of the army at the time of Machado’s downfall. Finally, he became the President in 1940.
Thereafter, Cuba witnessed dictatorship of Batista regime. It was from this point of Batista’s reign
that the Cuban Revolution started. Cuban Revolution was against Batista's regime and U.S.
intervention in Cuba.

Cuban Revolution of 1959

Fidel Castro, a revolutionary lawyer, was the masterbrain behind the Cuban revolution of
1959. In 1952, he was a candidate for the Cuban’s People Party but Batista’s coup preempted the
election and Castro soon settled on an alternative means for challenging Batista’s dictatorship.
Fidel Castro organised a revolutionary group called ‘The Movement’ which included a civil
committee and a military committee. They began an underworld newspaper ‘ El Acusador ‘. The
youths were trained for revolutionary activities. The group add 1200 members within 1 year and
they were distributed in 100 cells. Majority of these were poor people from the capital Havana.
Fidel Castro planned to attack Moncada Barracks in Santiago, which happened on July 26,
1953. He hoped that the attack would ignite a general uprising against Batista. He led around 160
men in a desperate and unsuccessful raid on Santiago army barracks. The rebel army was defeated
by government army and many of them were killed. The escaped rebels including the Castro
brothers, summoned at Silboney farm and discussed about the future plans. Fiddle Castro with
his comrades travelled to Gran Piedra in the hills of Sierra Maestra and thus got a place for
guerrilla warfare. Batista declared martial law and the rebels were ruthlessly suppressed. Batista
followed sensorship of press. Later, the rebels were arrested from the hills and were sent to a jail
in North of Santiago. Many rebels were executed. Fidel Castro and 122 rebels were tried at the
Palace of Justice in Santiago on 25th September 1953. Castro himself argued for him. He quoted
the words of Jose Marti and justified the revolt against autocratic governments. During the trial,
news spread about the persecution of prisoners by the military officers. Trial was completed on
5th October. Politicians and most of the rebels were declared innocent. Fidel Castro and his brother
Raul Castro were sentenced for 15 years of imprisonment. Fidel Castro made a speech during the
judgement which was later published as a book ‘History will absolve me’.
In May 1955, the Castro brothers received amnesty and was released, whereupon they went
to Mexico. They gathered the Cuban exiles in Mexico and formed the “ 26 th of July Movement”
named after the date of Moncado Barrack assault. They found new comrades including Cuban
exile Camilo Ceinfugos and Argentine Doctor Ernesto Che Guevara. Accompanied by a band of
81 men on a tiny yatch named ‘Granma’, Castro landed in Eastern Cuba on December 2, 1956.
Castro said “We will be free or we will be martyrs”. The band began to make their way into the
Sierra Maestra mountains. Batista’s army attacked them and killed most of Granma’s participants.
Among the dozen men who escaped were the Castro brothers and Che Guevara. This small band
began guerrilla campaign against Batista in the Sierra Maestra mountains. From the date of
Castro’s landing Cuba was in the state of a virtual civil war. On March 13, 1957 the Revolutionary
Directorate, a group of insurrectionists largely composed of students, launched a bloody and
unsuccessful attack on the Presidential Palace in Havana. Dozens were reported killed in the
fighting. Serious disturbance is occurred throughout Santiago de Cuba and Central Cuba. Trade
unions attempted to create a general strike but it ended in failure. On August 1, 1957, Batista
suspended constitutional guarantees such as freedom of assembly, speech and expression. The
city’s naval station fell into the hands of rebel officers. Several hundreds of people were killed
when government recaptured the city.
The revolution continued into 1958 with sporadic raids and considerable destruction of
property as the unrest began to destruct Cuban economy. Sugar Mills and plantations were
burned, bombing in Havana depressed tourist sector and rebel activities hampered mining
industry. Responding to the situation, the US imposed an arms embargo on Cuba. Batista
postponed the Presidential elections and launched a major military effort against Castro’s forces
at the foothills of Sierra Maestra. They were quickly thrown back by Castro’s forces. For his part,
Castro issued a number of proclamations ranging from appeals for a general strike to death threats
against all candidates for presidential office. The rescheduled election took place on November 3
and through fraud Batista’s nominee won the election. The weeks following the election saw
support for Batista melt away. Batista’s forces had became weak whereas Castro’s forces became
strong through foreign aid. On December 27, 1958, a rebel force under Che Guevara routed the
Garrison Santa Clara and captured an armoured train filled with arms and ammunitions that were
desperately needed by the government forces. Batista seeing his broken position, relinquished the
Presidency in the early morning hours of January 1, 1959. He spend the rest of his life in exile on
Portugal.
Castro proclaimed the victory of the revolution from the balcony of Santiago De Cuba’s
city hall. On January 3, Che Guevara led the victorious army into Havana suppressing all the
rebels. On January 8, a new provisional government was established with Manuel Urrutia Lleo
as President and Fidel Castro as Prime Minister. Indiscriminate arrests, acts of torture and
executions began almost at once throughout Cuba. Many people linked to Batista government
had been put to death by revolutionary courts by May 15, 1959. Che Guevara was given the status
of a native born Cuban, thus making him eligible for any government position including
Presidency. Che Guevara spent the following months presiding over military prisons, directing
court martials and making extensive tours of Asia Africa and Soviet Union for establishing
friendly relations.

Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on 13 August 1926 in Biran, Oriente, as the son of a
wealthy Spanish farmer. He was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba
from 1959 to 2008, served as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from
1976 to 2008. He also served as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1961
until 2011. He had Marxist-Leninist ideology. Under his administration, Cuba became a one-
party communist state, industry and business were nationalized, and state socialist reforms were
implemented throughout society. Castro adopted leftist and anti-imperialist ideas while studying
law at the University of Havana. After participating in rebellions against right-wing governments
in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, he turned his attention to overthrow dictatorship and
imperialism in Cuba. Thus, Castro began to make plans to overthrow Cuban President Fulgencio
Batista.
Castro formed a revolutionary organisation named ‘The Movement’. The organisation
trained youths for revolutionary activities. Castro attacked Moncado Barracks in Santiago on July
26, 1953. The Rebel Army was defeated and they shifted to the hills of Sierra Maestra and started
Guerilla warfare against Batista’s forces. Castro was trialed and imprisoned for 1 year. His speech
during the judgement was published as a book “History Will Absolve Me “. Castro then travelled
to Mexico where he formed a Revolutionary group the “ 26th of July Movement “ with his brother
Raul Castro and Che Guevara. Returning to Cuba, Castro took a key role in the Cuban Revolution
by leading the movement in a guerilla war against Batista’s forces. He declared “We will be free
or we will be martyrs”. They reached Cuba in a yacht named ‘Granma’. The aimed at reaching
Sierra Maestra hills but were attacked by Batista’s army. Castro brothers, Che Guevara and some
other rebels managed to escape. They began guerilla war against the regime. Next attack was on
Presidential Palace, but it failed.
Castro’s guerillas were strengthened and they defeated Batista’s army at the Sierra Maestra
mountains. He also made many Americans as captives. Finally, Batista’s regime was overthrown
in 1959. Castro assumed military and political power as Cuba’s prime minister. The United States
came to oppose Castro’s government and unsuccessfully attempted to remove him by
assassination, economic embargo and counter revolution including the Bay of Pigs Invasion of
1961. Countering these threats, Castro aligned with the Soviet Union and allowed the soviets to
place nuclear weapons in Cuba, resulting in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, which was a
defining incident of the cold war. He adopted a Marxist-Leninist model of development. Castro
converted Cuba into a one-party socialist state under communist party rule, the first in the Western
hemisphere. Policies including central economic planning, healthcare facilities, education,
infrastructural facilities, agriculture and industry were given special impetus. These policies were
accompanied by State control of the press and suppression of internal dissent.
Abroad, Castro supported anti-imperialist revolutionary groups backing the establishment
of Marxist governments. He also sent troops to aid allies including the Angolan Civil War. He
assumed the leadership of Non Aligned Movement from 1979 to 1983. All these added by Cuba’s
‘medical internationalism’ increased Cuba’s profile on world stage. During the stage, special care
was given to medical sector and medical aid was provided for under developed countries
especially Latin American and African countries. Following the Soviet Union’s dissolution in
1991, Castro led Cuba through the economic down turn of the ‘Special Period’ embracing
environmentalism and anti-globalisation ideas. In the 2000’s, Castro forged alliances in the Latin
American ‘Pink Tide’. In 2008, he transferred his responsibilities to Raul Castro.
 As the longest-serving non-royal head of state in the 20th and 21st centuries, Castro
polarized opinion throughout the world. His supporters viewed him as a champion of socialism
and anti-imperialism whose revolutionary government advanced economic and social justice
while securing Cuba’s independence from U.S. hegemony. Critics call him a dictator whose
administration oversaw human rights abuses, the exodus of many Cubans, and the
impoverishment of the country’s economy.

Ernesto Che Guevara

He was simply known as Che. Che Guevara was born into a middle class family on June
14, 1928, in Rosario, Argentina. He is best known as an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, doctor,
author, diplomat and guerilla leader. He was one among the great Cuban revolutionary heroes.
He was plagued by asthma in his youth but still managed to distinguish himself as an athlete. He
also absorbed the left-leaning political views of his family and friends, and by teenage had
become politically active. After graduating from high school with honors, Guevara studied
medicine. In 1951, he left the school to travel around South America with a friend. The poor
living conditions he witnessed on their nine month journey had a profound effect on Guevara,
and he returned to medical school the following year, intent on providing care for the needy. He
received his medical degree in 1953.
However, Guevara’s interest in Marxism grew and he decided to abandon medicine. He
believed that only revolution could bring justice to the people of South America. By 1955, Che
Guevara got married and was living in Mexico, where he met the Cuban revolutionary Fidel
Castro and his brother Raul Castro, who were planning the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s
government. Here starts the journey of Che Guevara as a Cuban revolutionary. Che Guevara and
Castro brothers, with a small armed force landed in Cuba on December 2, 1956 on a small yatch
named Granma. The initial assault was a failure and the revolutionary leaders escaped for
planning future actions. Thus, Che Guevara became part of the 26 th of July Movement. Over the
next few years, he would serve as a primary adviser to Castro and lead their growing guerrilla
forces in attacks against the Batista regime. The Cuban guerillas became powerful under the
leadership of Che Guevara. He defeated Batista’s forces using the guerilla force.
On December 27, 1958, a rebel force under Che Guevara routed the garrison in Santa Clara
and captured an armoured train filled with arms and ammunitions, which were desperately needed
by Batista government. It was with the help of these arms and ammunitions that Che Guevara
brought Batista down. Before Fidel Castro assumed power, it was Che Guevara who entered the
capital city suppressing the rebels. It was in the platform set by Che Guevara that Castro built his
empire. In January 1959, Fidel Castro took control of Cuba and gave Che Guevara, the right of
Cuban citizenship and all those civic rights including the right to become the president of Cuba.
After the Cuban revolution, Che Guevara was in charge of suppressing rebellions and
counter revolutionaries. He was placed in charge of La Cabana prison, where hundreds of rebels
were executed on his extra judicial orders. He was later appointed as the President of National
Bank and the minister of Industry. He did much to assist Castro in Cuba’s transformation into a
communist state. In the early 1960’s, he also acted as an ambassador for Cuba, travelling the
world to establish friendly relations with other countries, most notably the Soviet Union. He was
a key player during the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He authored a manual
named ‘Guerilla warfare’. In 1964, he delivered a speech to the United Nations in which he
condemned U.S. foreign policy and Apartheid in South Africa. By 1965, he left his post to export
his revolutionary ideologies to other parts of the world. In 1966, he left for Bolivia with a small
force of rebels to incite a revolution there. He was captured by the Bolivian army and killed in
La Higuera on October 9, 1967.
Since his death, Che Guevara has become a legendary political figure. His name is often
equated with rebellion, revolution and socialism. Others remember him as a ruthless and ordered
prisoner's execution without trial in Cuba. In many cases, Che Guevara's life continues to be a
subject of great public interest and has been portrayed in numerous books and films. Thus, Che
Guevara continues to be an international hero, a symbol of revolution, communism and socialism.

POST-REVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. Blockade
The relations between Castro’s Government and the United States began to deteriorate
within 6 months of Castro’s accession to power. The reason for this hostility was that the new
Cuban government under Castro confiscated private properties belonging to Americans, send
agents to initiate revolutions in Latin American countries an established economic ties with
leading socialist powers like Soviet Union. In May 1960, the Cuban government began regularly
and openly purchasing armaments from the Soviet Union, citing the US arms embargo. In July
1960, the United States reduced the import quota of sugar from Cuba and the Soviet Union
responded by agreeing to purchase the sugar instead. In June 1960, the United States refused to
export oil to the island leaving Cuba reliant on Soviet crude oil, which the American companies
refused to refine. This led the Cuban government to nationalise all the American owned oil
refineries in Cuba. This prompted the United States to launch the first trade embargo : a
prohibition against selling all products to Cuba except food and medicine. In October 1960,
Cuban administration responded by nationalising all American businesses and most American
privately owned properties on the island. No compensation was given for the seizures and a
number of diplomats were expelled from Cuba. This prompted United States to sever all
diplomatic relations with Cuba in January 1961. After the Bay of Pig Crisis, embargo was to
include all imports of products containing Cuban goods even if the final products had been made
or assembled outside Cuba. On August 3, 1962, the Foreign Assistance Act was amended to
prohibit aid to any country that provided assistance to Cuba. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis,
the United States imposed travel restrictions on U.S. citizens to Cuba. The embargo was relaxed
only after 2000.
 Bay Of Pigs Crisis
The relations between Castro’s Government and the United States began to deteriorate
within 6 months of Castro’s accession to power. The reason for this hostility was that the new
Cuban government under Castro confiscated private properties belonging to Americans, send
agents to initiate revolutions in Latin American countries an established economic ties with
leading socialist powers like Soviet Union. Castro publicly criticized United States for trying to
undermine his government. United States imposed a trade embargo on all exports to Cuba except
food and medicine and broke all diplomatic ties with Cuba. The planned to overthrow Castro
from power. On April 15, 1961, three U.S. made airplanes piloted by Cuban exiles bombed Cuban
air bases. Two days later, the Cubans trained by the U.S. using U.S. equipments landed at several
sites in Cuba. The principal landing took place at the Bay of Pigs on the South Central coast. The
invasion force was unequal to the strength of Castro’s troops and by April 19, the movement was
totally suppressed. The captured members of the invasion force were imprisoned. Castro agreed
to release the prisoners in exchange for $53,000,000 worth of food and medicine. Between
December 1962 and July 1965, the survivors of the invasion were returned to the United States.
Operation Mangoose : After the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the U.S Central Intelligence
Agency and US President John F Kennedy were determined to remove Castro from power. So,
they launched Operation Mangoose. It was an extensive campaign of terrorist attacks against
civilians, covert attacks on Cuban industry, farmland and infrastructure, and also carried out
political assassinations involving members of Castro government. The even made plans to
execute Castro himself.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuba was soon involved in one of the most serious crisis of the post-war period : the Cuban
Missile Crisis. It began with the Soviet Union's installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba. Having
promised in May 1960 to defend Cuba with Soviet arms, the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev
assumed that the United States would take no steps to prevent the installation of Soviet medium
and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba. Such missiles could hit much of the eastern
United States within a few minutes if launched from Cuba. The United States learned in July 1962
that the Soviet Union had begun missile shipments to Cuba. By August 29, new military
constructions and the presence of Soviet technicians had been reported by U.S. spy planes flying
over the island, and on October 14 the presence of a ballistic missile on a launching site was
reported. After carefully considering the alternatives of an immediate U.S. invasion of Cuba (or
air strikes of the missile sites), a blockade of the island, President John F. Kennedy decided to
place a naval "quarantine" or blockade on Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipment of missiles.
Kennedy announced the quarantine on October 22 and warned that U.S. forces would seize
"offensive weapons and associated matrile" that Soviet vessels might attempt to deliver to Cuba.
During the following days, Soviet ships bound for Cuba altered course away from the quarantined
zone. As the two superpowers hovered close to the brink of nuclear war, messages were
exchanged between Kennedy and Khrushchev amidst extreme tension on both sides. On October
28 Khrushchev capitulated, informing Kennedy that work on the missile sites would be halted
and that the missiles already in Cuba would be returned to the Soviet Union. In return, Kennedy
committed the United States never to invade Cuba. Kennedy also secretly promised to withdraw
the nuclear armed missiles that the United States had stationed in Turkey in previous years. In the
following weeks both superpowers began fulfilling their promises, and the crisis was over by late
November. Cuba's communist leader, Fidel Castro, was infuriated by the Soviet's retreat in the
face of the U.S. ultimatum but was powerless to act.