The Cuban Revolution - Essay Example

 The Cuban Revolution Introduction The Cuban Revolution in 1959 is to be characterized more with the color of the revolt of the Cuban against inequalities at various levels of the society than the color of any ism or ideal. Though Castro’s upheaval is often typified as a pro-communism revolution, an in-depth analysis of the causes and elements of the revolution is convincing enough to relate that the revolution needs the apparel of any ism to be successful and Castro’s communist trend was able to provide it. The present communist Cuba is more of the contribution of Castro than of the revolution itself. Therefore, frustration of the majority of the Cuban engendered by the inequalities and instabilities in the sociopolitical and economic contexts prepared the plot for a successful revolution providing Castro with the opportunity to lead it to the communist end. A historical review of the pre-Revolutionary period from 1902 and 1959 will reveal the question why the Revolution received the communist trend. During this period the despotic presence and influence of the USA in the Cuban politics was increasingly choking the free, indiscriminate, and patriotic development of the country. As a result, the country plunged into stagnancy that deteriorates the socioeconomic condition of the middle class and added momentum to the pre-Revolutionary zeal. As to the consequences, the revolution exerted a far-reaching influence on the transnational relations of Cuba as well as the Latin American countries often determining the anti-capitalistic sentiment in these countries. Historical Evaluation of the Causes of the Revolution The oft-repeated unfair interference and influence of the USA in Cuban Politics is often alleged to be one of the primary causes of the Cuban revolution in 1959. Event though Cuba achieves independence from the USA in 1902, the USA continues to exert influence in Cuban politics. Indeed the geopolitical importance of Cuba in the Latin America pushed the US leaders to keep hold on the country at any cost. In most cases, US interference extends to support the authoritarian and military regimes of the country. Under the Platt Amendment, the US government preserves the rights to intervene the stability of Cuba. “In 1934, the amendment was repealed, and the United States and Cuba reaffirmed the 1903 agreement that leased the Guantanamo Bay naval base to the United States” (Global Security). In the pre-Revolutionary period, the emergence of Fulgencio Batista is a significant event to screw up the revolutionary plot. In 1933, Batista’s non-commissioned officer revolt instigated anarchical power scrambling in Cuban politics for the first time. Though Batista’s non-commissioned officer has no direct concern with the Cuban revolution, it can be assessed as the motivational influence in the pre-revolution plot. With the US support, Batista wielded his power to play as a power-catalyst in the country until he was elected president in 1940. Indeed his successful bloodless coup in 1952 led the country to utmost anarchy choking the democracy. There were a number of political figures and social movements that were claiming the return of the Constitution of 1940. In the following years after 1959, conflicts grew between Batista’s regime and the anti-political forces (Hampton). The tumultuous situation of the country paved the way for Castro, who was an active political figure in Cuban Politics before Batista’s coup, to lead the political instability toward oncoming revolution. Political Instability and Commotion and Rise of Patriotic Zeal One of the primary causes that push the Country towards the violent upheaval was the political commotion engendered by Batista’s tyrannical government. The regime fueled the mass discontent and resentment in the country. Propelled by the oppression of the dictatorial rule a number of resistance forces rise both in the urban and rural areas of Cuba as Hampton says, The opposition to Batista included Castro’s July 26 Movement (M26J), which had fought a guerrilla struggle for two years, the old bourgeois authentic and orthodox parties, the students of the Revolutionary Directorate and, more half-heartedly, the Cuban Communist Party. (Hampton) The last five years was a fertile political period for Castro to reach the heart of the Cubans. Though Castro’s 26th, July movement was a failure, Castro’s popularity reached the peak. The tumultuous situation of the country largely was contributed to by the corruption and incompetence of the Batista Regime. A severe level of corruption engulfed the whole nation. Strikingly anyone from the Supreme court Judge to any person of lower administrative rank could be bought with money. It was gradually being alienated from the mass of the country. However, the US support for the Batista Government gave birth to the rise of the patriotic sentiment of the country people. The US image began to wear out with the rise of Cuban Identity and nationalism. At the rise of such violent anti American Cuban identity the US authority was forced to repeal its support for Batista and imposed embargo on weapon sale to Cuba. Finally Batista fled on January 1, 1959 making the way clear for Castro to the helms of the country. The pre-Revolutionary plot was such that it was waiting for a perfect leader who could manipulate all the ingredients in favor of the revolution (Williams 23-47). Castro appeared on the spot with some charismatic features. It is not that Castro’s emergence in the pre-Revolutionary plot was something miraculous. Social and Economic Inequalities and the Root of Revolution Much of the stage of the revolution was prepared by the severe socioeconomic inequalities of the majority of the Cuban population. More than one-third of the Cuban around the years were living in poverty and lacking social mobility. The situation was further deteriorated by a frustrated middle class (Marable 3-12). A stagnant and sugar based economy forlorn with the dictating rule of the Batista Regime was not able to meet the rising expectation of this frustrated middle class. The corrupt and repressive Batista was further alienated by the disengaging effect of the collapsed economy of the country (Briquets & Pérez 27). A little bit of the socioeconomic picture is depicted in the following words of Castro: The Revolution found that 600,000 able Cubans were unemployed — as many, proportionately….That was our permanent unemployment…Three and a half million…lived in huts, shacks, and slums, without the slightest sanitary facilities…. (Castro) During the Batista Regime, the literacy rate of the nation was poor. About 37 percent of the total Cuban population was illiterate. Moreover over most of these illiterate people were from the rural areas. In the rural Cuba about 70 percent children did not go to school. Also in the health sector the Batista Regime was a completely failure. 2 percent (100000 persons) of the total population was affected with tuberculosis (Page & Sonnenburg 1042). Ana Simo identifies the causes of the Cuban people’s spontaneous participation with the revolution in the following statistics: “Peasants joined Castro's rebel army in droves because they had nothing to lose: a. 75% of rural dwellings were huts made from palm trees. b. More than 50% had no toilets of any kind. c. 85% had no inside running water. d. 91% had no electricity. e. There was only 1 doctor per 2,000 people in rural areas. f. More than one-third of the rural population had intestinal parasites. g. 45% of the rural population was illiterate; 44% had never attended a school” (Simo). Consequences and Significances of the Revolution The Castro Revolution in 1959 has a far-reaching consequence and significance in both the Cuba’s national and wider Latin American context. From the beginning of the Batista Regime, the Soviet Supported socialist groups were active in the Cuban politics. These groups assist the Soviet Union to proliferate its influence not only in Cuba but also in the total Latin American region. Success of Castro in the revolution became a turning point for the socialist movements in these countries contributing to the tension of the US leaders. Though Castro had a relation with the socialist movement in the pre-Revolutionary plot of Cuba, during the revolution one of his promises was to return to the constitutional democratic rule (Williams 189). However, once he bagged the control of the country, he began to use his military power to consolidate his hold over the situation and thus further contributing to the fears of the US leaders. In this regard, Rayne asserts, The US imperialists have used every means at their disposal short of all-out war to strangle the Revolution: economic sabotage, bacteriological warfare, the economic blockade (which has cost Cuba an estimated £40bn) and repeated attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. In the face of this relentless pressure, still the Cuban people resist to defend the dignity of life socialism has achieved (Rayne). In the post-revolutionary period, the USA adopted tight punishing policies in order to check the Soviet influence in Latin America. But the success of Castro in the revolution and his affirmation to the Socialist Cuba revamped new spirit in the pro-Soviet socialist movements in this region that survived with full strength till the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991 (Williams 157). Conclusion Ultimately, the Cuban revolution was the outcome of the strife between the interests of the USA and the Soviet Union in the Latin America. It was the pressing fears of the Soviet influence that compelled the US authority to continue its support for the corrupt Batista Government. On the other hand it was Batista’s failure to meet the demands of the Cubans that screwed up their resentment to prepare the plot of the revolution and finally the revolution tool place revamping the socialist spirit in this region. Works Cited Briquets, D. Sergio. & Pérez, Lisandro. "Cuba: The Demography of Revolution," Population Bulletin. 36:1, (1981): 28 Castro, Fidel. "The Problem of Cuba and its Revolutionary Policy," School for Champion. 13 April. 2009 Hampton, Paul. “Castro and the Cuban revolution,” Workers’ Liberty. 2 August, 2007. 13 April. 2009 Marable, Manning. “Race and Revolution in Cuba,” Souls. 1(2), 1999: 3-14 Page, E. Melvin. & Sonnenburg, M. Penny. Colonialism: an international, social, cultural, and political encyclopedia. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2003 Rayne, Trevor. “History of the Cuban Revolution,” 13 April. 2009 Simo, Ana. “What Castro Found,” theGully.com. 13 April. 2009 US Cavalry. “Cuban History,” Global Security.org. 27 April. 2005, 13 Apr. 2009 Williams, Eric. From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean 1492-1969, New York: Vintage Books, 1984. Read More