Cuba: Cuba and Castro Essay example

Submitted By PreyaPatel1
Words: 2358
Pages: 10

Cuba Notes * John Paul Jones II: pope used his fame to draw to the sufferings * Heroic figure; kind of Communist * Solidarity: dock workers’ union * Soviet Leadership: crackdown on the dock worker’s leadership * Brezhnev Doctrine: Communist version of the Truman Doctrine (containment of Communism) * Could have been the justification for the Soviets crushing the Hungarian uprising in 1986 * 1968: Prague Spring * 1979: End of détente when Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan * Strategic Defense Initiative: by Reagan; * Purpose: make nuclear weapons obsolete * Bargaining chips: Bluff * Gorbachev: * Glasnost: openness * Perestroika: economic reconstruction Cuba * “Flagship Colony”: leads the fleet…where the captain is on * Cuba’s main purpose: agriculture; * Most important product= sugar * Monoculture: export economy; export to sell in other parts of the world * Sugar Production: grows sugar cane * 1) Slaves cut w/ machete (manual labor) 2) Mill turns it into rum, sugar, or molasses * Size of farms and mills increased as technology increased * 10 Years War (1868-1878): War of Independence * “Shackles of the colonial system”: they can only pay taxes/ trade with their mother countries * Zenaphobia: fear/hatred of foreigners * Latter 1820’s: most of Latin America was free, except Cuba * Pact of Zan Holme: didn’t grant independence; regional autonomy to Cuba * US happy to trade with Cuba * 1878: lots of opportunities for US investments * Latifundio: hacienda system; underemployment and suffering of workers * McKinley Tariff Act: US-Cuba economic policy removing duty on sugar * Jose Marti: poet; Cuban nationalist * Formed Cuban revolution party; anti-Spanish movement * USS Maine: presumed attack in the Havana Harbor which was there to keep an eye on US interests…”friendly visit” * Age of Imperialism: US & UK interests= resources, precious goods, land, power * White Man’s Burden: satire by Rudyard Kipling * US had the same as the attitude as the British seen in HoD * Spanish American War (1895-1898): US won * Secretary of State: John Hay * American commanders clashed w/ the Cuban * More Americans dying from yellow fever than bullets * Secretary of the Navy: Teddy Roosevelt * Yellow Journalists exaggerated Roosevelt’s stories to make him look good * 1899-1902: US occupied Cuba * Goals of US occupations w/ use of Cuban Treasury: 1) Rebuild Cuba to help US investment (mostly sugar) * Mills, farms, latifundia, ports, ships, docks, gas, telegraph lines, banks, hotels, restaurants; * Chance to improve while rebuilding 2) Eradicate yellow fever by cleaning up water supplies, fumigate, & drain up swamps 3) Build educational system 4) Build police force & military system 5) Self-governing Protectorate/ Self-Autonomous Satellite: still controlled by the US 6) Constitution for Cuba: written by the US * Platt Amendment: US can intervene to protect Cuban independence * Est. Guantanamo Bay as a US naval base * Favorable for life and property * Post- Spanish- American War: More people becoming under-employed and landless * People don’t work enough hours * Most people worked on farms; rich continued to get richer * Mono-culture: rich can weather the storm, but the poor are greatly affected * # of mills drastically reduced; economic downtimes=cheap land * Poor being poor=opposition * Castro’s enemy= Batista * Emerged on political scene in 1933 (Revolution of 1933) * Batista was a sergeant who staged a coupe with the other officers; non-commissioned officer * Machado: overthrown by popular uprising in 1933; ruled as a ruthless dictator * Romon Grau: handed over the power under a provisional government * Too liberal in the eyes of US * His party= Autentico Party *