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Jun 15, 2012 | #1
The Cuban Revolution has been used historically as both an example of working adapted communist principles and as an example of a totalitarian foothold that still endures in the Twenty First Century long after the fall of the Soviet Union. In this capacity, Cuba shares the rare distinction of being cited by both opponents of communism and proponents of communism to back their respective positions. For proponents of communism, the fact that the regime installed in the late 1950's still retains power and has done so demonstrating resiliency to assassination attempts, invasion attempts and stiff economic sanctions is proof of its integrity and legitimacy. These individuals would cite the reasons for the flight from Cuba and economic despair as being symptoms of exclusionary practices by the powerful neighbor, the United States. For opponents, the fact that the nation is very poor, has noted civil rights abuses and that people are continuously defected to the US is proof that communism has failed and that it is an illegitimate representation of power. In reality, the truth lies somewhere in between these two extremes. The Cuban Revolution and the communist experiment in Cuba is best classified as both a success and failure. As a success, the fact that Fidel Castro's regime has remained resilient to virtually every effort of the US, save a full scale invasion, has made to undermine the communist power in the nation is a testimony to a well thought out guerrilla campaign and subsequent government. On the negative end of the spectrum, the fact that many Cuban's are trying to flee the country and that the nation is economically backward by industrial standards is demonstrative that the Cuban people are not necessarily better off since the embrace of communism. This work will examine The Cuban Revolution, the way in which it interprets Marxism and the Cuban Missile Crisis will critical attention to the duality of the subject. The Cuban Revolution
The actual Cuban revolution began in 1959 when Fidel Castro and insurgents launched a failed attack on Moncada Barracks in an effort to undermine the Pro Western Fulegencio Batista regime. Though the attack failed, Fidel Castro became a polarizing figure in the people's movement in Cuba and was pardoned after serving two years in prison. During his trial, the famed dictator stated, "Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me." After being exiled, Castro regrouped and trained his very young army and again launched an attack in 1956 along with 82 others. Quickly, the insurgents used guerrilla warfare and Marxist tactics to gain support in the countryside. The support for Castro grew as Batista used ruthless tactics against pro-communist towns. Essentially, the efforts of Castro and other radicals during the time created a series of revolutionary conditions that forced Batista to make attempts at demonstrating his power. The ultimate failure of this, that would serve as symbol of the Castro movement was Operacon Verano in 1958. The Batista regime used 17 battalions including tanks, planes and ships to enter the Sierra Maestra to crush the rebels, though the forces were stronger, the guerrillas managed to inflict heavy damage and drive the army back. As the rebels continued to undermine the professional military, desertion was high and eventually, Batista took his 300 million dollar fortune he obtained through bribery and embezzlement and fled to Spain.
As the three key military leaders, Ernesto Guevara, Raul Castro and Fidel Castro continued to march until the gained full control of the country, it became clear to the Western world that the "spectre" that Karl Marx said was haunting Europe, communism, had succeeded right in the back yard of the United States. For the proponents of communism and the peasants that supported the overthrow of Batista, this was time for celebration. Ideologically, famed revolutionary and key figure of the revolution, Ernesto "Che" Guevera, explained of the victory,
The armed victory of the Cuban people over the Batista dictatorship was not only the triumph of heroism as reported by the newspapers of the world; it also forced a change in the old dogmas concerning the conduct of the popular masses of Latin America. It showed plainly the capacity of the people to free themselves by means of guerrilla warfare from a government that oppresses them.
Holistically, the takeover of Cuba demonstrated that revolutionary conditions could be created and that popular smaller forces could overthrow superior military efforts using guerrilla tactics. For the West, this was a daunting reality and for key communist regimes, like the Soviet Union, this marked a chance for a strategic ally to be unprecedented close to their number one competitor in the Cold War. The Communism Factor Karl Marx explained that "Capital is dead labor, which, vampire like, lives only by sucking living labor, and the lives more, the more labor it sucks" The Batista dictatorship was notoriously friendly to the United States and even organized crime. Castro and his fellow communists linked the ideological flaws to capitalism as the reason Cuba had become an unjust society. Communism, by design, was supposed to remedy the wealth distribution problems of the nation and return Cuba to the condition of Cuba for Cubans and not for outsiders. The process of applied communism is said to follow the following blueprint: 1). A group of popular forces led by enlightened revolutionaries teaches and inspires the peasants to embrace a common goal. In this model, these individuals were men like the Castro brothers and Guevera. 2). As the previous illegitimate government is overthrown a new government is put forth thus launching the dictatorship of the proletariat phase. During this phase, the country switches to socialism and state run distinctions to switch the nation from capitalism to the new form. This is the stage in which the nation is in at the present time. It began with Fidel Castro as the dictator and it has continued now with Raul Castro as the dictator. To date, no communist model in practice has went passed the dictatorship of the proletariat phase. 4). The need for dictators is eliminated and people being to work together cooperatively and communism is achieved. Step four, which is near utopian in thought, has not yet been demonstrated to be possible by any communist regime in the modern era.
The US attempted to use many subversive methods to eliminate the Castro regime even including assassination attempts. None of these were successful. The fact that a communist power was literally only miles away from US soil was deemed a matter of national security of the utmost importance to the US. Both Cuba and the Soviet Union used this to their advantage. The Soviet Union did all they could to finance and back Cuba due to their similar interests both ideologically and politically. It was estimated the Soviet Subsidies going to Cuba were worth 4 to 6 billion dollars annually. Essentially, it was the aid of the Soviet Union that kept Cuba's communists in power during the US embargo and during the tumultuous early phases of installing the dictatorship. In 1962, however, the opposition between Cuba and the Soviet Union to the United States came to a head. Perhaps more so than any other point in human history, the threat of a third world war, an atomic war, was possible.
According to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, "For thirteen days in October 1962 the world waited-seemingly on the brink of nuclear war-and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis." To simplify a complex situation, it can be stated that the Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba so they could install a weapons system aimed at the United States. The US considered this a direct nuclear threat and immediately took action. Kennedy decided to use a full scale naval blockade to stop ships coming into Cuba thereby making an entire ring of US forces around the island. Cuba could not get any more supplies from the Soviet Union and Kennedy and Khruschev were at a critical juncture. At the time, no one was sure exactly what the Soviet Union's response would be to the blockade. Kennedy, however, demonstrated that the US was not going to tolerate the Soviet missile installation that close to the country. In a series of meetings, both nations realized the potential recourse of a nuclear war and the following deal was struck, the Soviet Union would dismantle their weapons sites in Cuba and not pursue them in the future if the US agreed to not invade Cuba. A deal was struck and a full scale nuclear conflict was avoided. The Cold War, however, continued and the stockpiling and pursuit of new weapons by both parties continued as Cuba continued to rely on the Soviet Union for subsidies. The Fall of the Soviet Union
Many stakeholders attributed the success of Cuba to its financing by the Soviet Union. While this was not holistically wrong, by the time the Soviet Union fell, Cuba did not. Though the nation did not fall, which was a victory for the Castro regime, the lack of Soviet aid to the nation full changed the country's economic paradigm. Still laden with a stiff trade embargo by the US, Cuba has been in a difficult position since they have been forced to stand alone. Many individuals have continued to flee Cuba in hopes of being granted refugee citizenship status in the United States. In 2011, The CIA estimates that the US Coast Guard intercepted 1,000 individuals attempting to gain entry to the US through the Straits of Florida. As Castro has aged and his health had begun to fail by the Second Millennium, it was estimated that again the communist future of Cuba was in question. Again displaying resiliency, however, the transfer of power to Raul Castro by the still living Fidel has gone on without the power structures in the country changing. Despite this resiliency, both Fidel and Raul Castro have admitted publicly that the current communist system is not working and is in need of restructuring. In a discussion with a visiting American journalist to Cuba, Fidel Castro stated that the island's state dominated system was in need of change. Also echoed by Raul, this can be considered a dominant opinion that is present in the communist ruling structures of the nation. This puts the nation in a similar position to China, who has been forced to make many free market concessions in order to remain stable and relevant in the 21st Century. The fall of the Soviet Union was a warning to all communist leaning powers about the potential for implosion when antiquated methodologies and ideologies are clung too despite their actual efficacy in practice. At the present time, Raul Castro is proposing gradual by widespread reform for the Island nation.
Conclusions
Though such a tiny area in terms of land mass and population, Cuba has been a major focal point in Twentieth and now Twenty First Century global politics. Though used by both proponents and opponents of communism as an example of support for their respective positions, the nation retains a duality that stands as the reality of what communism and the Castro regime(s) have meant to Cuba and the world. On one end of the spectrum, the a group of young idealistic revolutionaries used the teaching of Karl Marx to facilitate a peasant uprising that destroyed the pro Western Batista regime. Despite most projects, the nation defied the odds and Castro and his revolutionaries are still in power now into the second decade of the Twenty First Century. Though they have been able to survive, they have not been able to flourish. The nation has not joined together a single idealistic communist conglomerate that does not need dictators to keep it together. In a Marxist sense, it has failed to move passed the dictatorship of the proletariat. Economically, it has been unable to reach levels of success without the help of the United States and the quality of life in Cuba is not better than what it was under the Batista regime. In this capacity, one restrictive structure of power simply replaced another. Where Cuba will go in the years to come is unknown. Both Castro's are advanced in age and the world is a different place than it was when they took power. Whether or not Cuba will suffer the same fate at the Soviet Union or rise like China remains to be seen.
References
Anderson, John Lee. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. (New York: Grove Press).
Castro, Fidel. "History Will Absolve Me." Marxists.
"Cuban Missile Crisis." John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
"Fidel Castro: Cuba's Communism is Not Working." Fox News.
Gorordo, Felice. "What's the Future of Cuba?" CNN.
"Communist Manifesto" Marxists.
The actual Cuban revolution began in 1959 when Fidel Castro and insurgents launched a failed attack on Moncada Barracks in an effort to undermine the Pro Western Fulegencio Batista regime. Though the attack failed, Fidel Castro became a polarizing figure in the people's movement in Cuba and was pardoned after serving two years in prison. During his trial, the famed dictator stated, "Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me." After being exiled, Castro regrouped and trained his very young army and again launched an attack in 1956 along with 82 others. Quickly, the insurgents used guerrilla warfare and Marxist tactics to gain support in the countryside. The support for Castro grew as Batista used ruthless tactics against pro-communist towns. Essentially, the efforts of Castro and other radicals during the time created a series of revolutionary conditions that forced Batista to make attempts at demonstrating his power. The ultimate failure of this, that would serve as symbol of the Castro movement was Operacon Verano in 1958. The Batista regime used 17 battalions including tanks, planes and ships to enter the Sierra Maestra to crush the rebels, though the forces were stronger, the guerrillas managed to inflict heavy damage and drive the army back. As the rebels continued to undermine the professional military, desertion was high and eventually, Batista took his 300 million dollar fortune he obtained through bribery and embezzlement and fled to Spain.As the three key military leaders, Ernesto Guevara, Raul Castro and Fidel Castro continued to march until the gained full control of the country, it became clear to the Western world that the "spectre" that Karl Marx said was haunting Europe, communism, had succeeded right in the back yard of the United States. For the proponents of communism and the peasants that supported the overthrow of Batista, this was time for celebration. Ideologically, famed revolutionary and key figure of the revolution, Ernesto "Che" Guevera, explained of the victory,
The armed victory of the Cuban people over the Batista dictatorship was not only the triumph of heroism as reported by the newspapers of the world; it also forced a change in the old dogmas concerning the conduct of the popular masses of Latin America. It showed plainly the capacity of the people to free themselves by means of guerrilla warfare from a government that oppresses them.
Holistically, the takeover of Cuba demonstrated that revolutionary conditions could be created and that popular smaller forces could overthrow superior military efforts using guerrilla tactics. For the West, this was a daunting reality and for key communist regimes, like the Soviet Union, this marked a chance for a strategic ally to be unprecedented close to their number one competitor in the Cold War. The Communism Factor Karl Marx explained that "Capital is dead labor, which, vampire like, lives only by sucking living labor, and the lives more, the more labor it sucks" The Batista dictatorship was notoriously friendly to the United States and even organized crime. Castro and his fellow communists linked the ideological flaws to capitalism as the reason Cuba had become an unjust society. Communism, by design, was supposed to remedy the wealth distribution problems of the nation and return Cuba to the condition of Cuba for Cubans and not for outsiders. The process of applied communism is said to follow the following blueprint: 1). A group of popular forces led by enlightened revolutionaries teaches and inspires the peasants to embrace a common goal. In this model, these individuals were men like the Castro brothers and Guevera. 2). As the previous illegitimate government is overthrown a new government is put forth thus launching the dictatorship of the proletariat phase. During this phase, the country switches to socialism and state run distinctions to switch the nation from capitalism to the new form. This is the stage in which the nation is in at the present time. It began with Fidel Castro as the dictator and it has continued now with Raul Castro as the dictator. To date, no communist model in practice has went passed the dictatorship of the proletariat phase. 4). The need for dictators is eliminated and people being to work together cooperatively and communism is achieved. Step four, which is near utopian in thought, has not yet been demonstrated to be possible by any communist regime in the modern era.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The US attempted to use many subversive methods to eliminate the Castro regime even including assassination attempts. None of these were successful. The fact that a communist power was literally only miles away from US soil was deemed a matter of national security of the utmost importance to the US. Both Cuba and the Soviet Union used this to their advantage. The Soviet Union did all they could to finance and back Cuba due to their similar interests both ideologically and politically. It was estimated the Soviet Subsidies going to Cuba were worth 4 to 6 billion dollars annually. Essentially, it was the aid of the Soviet Union that kept Cuba's communists in power during the US embargo and during the tumultuous early phases of installing the dictatorship. In 1962, however, the opposition between Cuba and the Soviet Union to the United States came to a head. Perhaps more so than any other point in human history, the threat of a third world war, an atomic war, was possible.
According to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, "For thirteen days in October 1962 the world waited-seemingly on the brink of nuclear war-and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis." To simplify a complex situation, it can be stated that the Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba so they could install a weapons system aimed at the United States. The US considered this a direct nuclear threat and immediately took action. Kennedy decided to use a full scale naval blockade to stop ships coming into Cuba thereby making an entire ring of US forces around the island. Cuba could not get any more supplies from the Soviet Union and Kennedy and Khruschev were at a critical juncture. At the time, no one was sure exactly what the Soviet Union's response would be to the blockade. Kennedy, however, demonstrated that the US was not going to tolerate the Soviet missile installation that close to the country. In a series of meetings, both nations realized the potential recourse of a nuclear war and the following deal was struck, the Soviet Union would dismantle their weapons sites in Cuba and not pursue them in the future if the US agreed to not invade Cuba. A deal was struck and a full scale nuclear conflict was avoided. The Cold War, however, continued and the stockpiling and pursuit of new weapons by both parties continued as Cuba continued to rely on the Soviet Union for subsidies. The Fall of the Soviet Union
Many stakeholders attributed the success of Cuba to its financing by the Soviet Union. While this was not holistically wrong, by the time the Soviet Union fell, Cuba did not. Though the nation did not fall, which was a victory for the Castro regime, the lack of Soviet aid to the nation full changed the country's economic paradigm. Still laden with a stiff trade embargo by the US, Cuba has been in a difficult position since they have been forced to stand alone. Many individuals have continued to flee Cuba in hopes of being granted refugee citizenship status in the United States. In 2011, The CIA estimates that the US Coast Guard intercepted 1,000 individuals attempting to gain entry to the US through the Straits of Florida. As Castro has aged and his health had begun to fail by the Second Millennium, it was estimated that again the communist future of Cuba was in question. Again displaying resiliency, however, the transfer of power to Raul Castro by the still living Fidel has gone on without the power structures in the country changing. Despite this resiliency, both Fidel and Raul Castro have admitted publicly that the current communist system is not working and is in need of restructuring. In a discussion with a visiting American journalist to Cuba, Fidel Castro stated that the island's state dominated system was in need of change. Also echoed by Raul, this can be considered a dominant opinion that is present in the communist ruling structures of the nation. This puts the nation in a similar position to China, who has been forced to make many free market concessions in order to remain stable and relevant in the 21st Century. The fall of the Soviet Union was a warning to all communist leaning powers about the potential for implosion when antiquated methodologies and ideologies are clung too despite their actual efficacy in practice. At the present time, Raul Castro is proposing gradual by widespread reform for the Island nation.
Conclusions
Though such a tiny area in terms of land mass and population, Cuba has been a major focal point in Twentieth and now Twenty First Century global politics. Though used by both proponents and opponents of communism as an example of support for their respective positions, the nation retains a duality that stands as the reality of what communism and the Castro regime(s) have meant to Cuba and the world. On one end of the spectrum, the a group of young idealistic revolutionaries used the teaching of Karl Marx to facilitate a peasant uprising that destroyed the pro Western Batista regime. Despite most projects, the nation defied the odds and Castro and his revolutionaries are still in power now into the second decade of the Twenty First Century. Though they have been able to survive, they have not been able to flourish. The nation has not joined together a single idealistic communist conglomerate that does not need dictators to keep it together. In a Marxist sense, it has failed to move passed the dictatorship of the proletariat. Economically, it has been unable to reach levels of success without the help of the United States and the quality of life in Cuba is not better than what it was under the Batista regime. In this capacity, one restrictive structure of power simply replaced another. Where Cuba will go in the years to come is unknown. Both Castro's are advanced in age and the world is a different place than it was when they took power. Whether or not Cuba will suffer the same fate at the Soviet Union or rise like China remains to be seen.
References
Anderson, John Lee. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. (New York: Grove Press).
Castro, Fidel. "History Will Absolve Me." Marxists.
"Cuban Missile Crisis." John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
"Fidel Castro: Cuba's Communism is Not Working." Fox News.
Gorordo, Felice. "What's the Future of Cuba?" CNN.
"Communist Manifesto" Marxists.