Revision:Cuba under Castro
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Cuba after 1953 — Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro Ruz (1927-)
- Son of a wealthy spanish farmer in northwest of Cuba
- Attended famous Jesuit school — fine athlete
- Attended University of Havana from 1945
- Became involved in violent politics
- 1947 he participated in ill-fated invasion of the Dominican Republic
- Became a follower of Eddie Chibás and belonged to his Orthodox party from 1947-1952
July 26th 1953 Castro attacked Moncada barracks
- In hope of sparking revolution
- With lower-middle-class and working-class rebels
- Programme:
- Return to constitution of 1940
- Educational reform
- Land reform
- End to Corruption
- End to large weapon expenditure
- The attack failed
- Most killed, others imprisoned and tortured
- Castro was captured seven days later and set on trial
- Defence speech ("History will Absolve me") made him national hero
- The struggle and the governmental repression helped nationalism
- Castro went to prison for 19 month
- His popularity grew while he was there
- Came free under general amnesty
Started to plan new attack
- Received support from Venezuelan exile Rómulo Betancourt and ex-president Píro
- Met Ernesto (Ché) Guevara in 1955
- Left for Cuba with 22 people on board of newly bought yacht Granma in 1956
- Included Guevara, Fidel’s brother Raúl and Juan Almeida
- Castro wanted to coordinate landing with uprising in Santiago
- Landing encountered logistical and scheduling problems
- They were betrayed
- Most were killed, others hid in Sierra Maestra and fought off governmental troops
- Castro granted interview to renowned journalist Hebert Matthews Feb. 1957
- A New York Times reporter
- Article gave Castro credibility in US
- Sent message out that Castro was still alive in the mountains
- As the articles overstated numbers and success it won much support
- Castro continued local raids throughout spring of 1957
- Increased sympathy
- Picked up new recruits
- Created support from peasants in Oriente
- Gave information about government troops and supplies
- Violence increased in mid-1957, ex. in Havana; Civil War
- Groups mostly unaffiliated with Castro’s "26th of July Movement"
- Uprising of Junior officers in fall at Ciefuegos
- Batista crushed revolt with bombers and other military equipment
- Alienated US, as they did not allow domestic weapon use in arms-trade agreement.
- Change in circumstances against Batista in 1958
- US suspended arms shipment to Cuban government in March 1958
- Middle class abandoned Batista
- Church actively supported Castro
- Major offensive against Castro failed
- Heavy losses in government forces
- Army was corrupt and leadership incompetent
- Setback for Castro was low response to general strike in April 1958
Rebels began their final putsch in August 1958
- Three different army’s under the leadership of Castro, Guevara and Camilo Cienfugeos set out to cut island in two
- Emissaries were dispatched to agree cooperation with other rebel groups
- Especially Communists who controlled labour union.
- All last-minute rescue attempts made by Batista failed due to growing pressure
- Batista’s days were counted
- Rebel forces bardudos (the bearded ones) arrived at outskirts of Havana Dec. 1958
- Batista fled with his closest allies on Jan. 1st 1959 to Miami
- Remaining threat to Castro’s troop came from old army:
- Esp. Col. Ramón Berquín who lead unsuccessful coup in ‘56 posed threat
- However overwhelming superiority of Castro’s forces made him retreat
- Then, on Jan. 1st and 2nd, Guevara and Cienfugeos entered Havana
- Castro called for general strike simultaneously to support revolution
- Castro arrived in Havana a week later under cheers.
Beating the regime
A band of 300 at the beginning and 3000 at its peak beat an entire regime; due to:
- persistence
- Discipline
- They gained universal sympathy, form peasants, workers and middle class
- They faced corrupt and incompetent army
- Faced incompetent leader
- Castro’s army was organised and the officers were full of idealism
The Revolution in Power, 1959-1991
The Revolution in Power
- In the first four years (1959-1962) the government consolidated its position
- "Parliamentary democracy inappropriate for Cuba at the time"
- Legislative power in the executive
- Castro became prime minister and first secretary, so most important man in state
- Suppressed freedom of speech
- Took autonomy of Havana University
- Show trials and public executions of Batista supporters
- Made many reforms, in general moved revolution leftward to achieve goals:
- Land reform
- Income redistribution
- Agricultural diversification
- Economic independence
- Alienated middle-class support
- In part due to radicalism of economic programme
- Also due to concentration of power
- Example for this is President Manuel Urrutia who resigned in July 1959
- A moderate-radical split became apparent as military leader of revolution (Muber Matos) and anticommunist was arrested and set on trial
- Castro allied with the Popular Socialist party for help in administration
- Purged moderate elements of Cuban labour unions in Jan. 1960
- Conflict with US now inevitable
- Closer ties with USSR
- As Russia’s deputy premier came in Jan 1960:
- Russia purchases sugar for first $425000 (Jan 60) then $1m
- Resume of diplomatic relations in May 1960.
United States — Cuban Relations
- US relations already tense after the show trials and confiscation of large farms
- Peaked in May 1960
- Cuban government asked major oil refineries to process soviet crude oil.
- Refineries owned by Texaco, Standard Oil and Royal Dutch Shell
- Soviet oil was cheaper that theirs
- The companies refused after urge from US government
- Castro nationalised the refineries in June 1960
- Nationalisation of refineries sparked series of hostile actions by two governments
- President Eisenhower withdrew Cuban sugar quota
- Castro nationalised most American-owned properties
- President Eisenhower banned all exports to Cuba in October 1960
- Again, this sparked off another wave of nationalisation.
- Relations deteriorated and cut off by Eisenhower on Jan 3, 1961
- CIA started to back exile groups for arms and training
- Set up a training camp for invasion force in Guatemala, summer 1960
- President Kennedy gave go-ahead for expeditionary force 3 month later
- Bay of Pigs started on April 15th 1961
- Poorly planned and executed
- Based on idea that people would rise to revolt once exiles landed
- The invasion failed
--> Increased Castro’s prestige and sparked radical reforms in economy and politics
- Castro proclaimed allegiance with socialism 1 month after Bay of Pigs
- USSR pledged to defend Cuba — missile crisis of 1962
- Increased weapon delivery:
- Cuba now capable of delivering atomic weapons to most of America
- US said this to be offensive but USSR and Cuba argued that this was a deterrent and defensive
- Kennedy ordered quarantine of all offensive weapons to Cuba, 22.10.62
- Also demanded dismantling of missile sites
- Seemed as if he lost control of army, how were pressing for force
- Two superpowers reached compromise
- Russia to withdraw missiles from Cuba
- US to:
- Withdraw own weapons from Turkey
- Pledge not to invade Cuba
- However in secret US continued to support exiles
Revolutionary Economics
- In comparison to other revolutions, Cuba/Castro had many advantages:
- Relatively short guerrilla war
- Caused little destruction, loss of lives and poverty
- Possessed good communications and transportation system
- Good and extensive train & Road systems
- Character of rural population easy to deal with
- Didn’t demand own land but pay rise and higher working conditions
- Cuba had considerable unused industrial and agricultural capacity
- By 1959, great support from socialist allies
- But it also had economic problems:
- Inexperienced in economic matters
- Change to socialist policies caused economic disruption
- American embargo caused shortages and disruption
- Beginning difficulties with new trading partners
- Able technicians among first to flee
- Usage of moral rather than material incentives damaged economy at first, but was stopped in 1969.
- First goal was the redistribution of income to working class
- Success: They raised wages by 40% & purchasing power by 20%
- Unemployment was also virtually wiped out
- Success esp. in areas outside Havana - regime held against super-urbanisation
Agricultural reforms
- First Law of Agrarian Reform decreed in May 1959
- Restricted size of land holdings
- Gave government right to nationalise excess amount
- Nationalised land distributed in small amounts or put in cooperatives
- Redistribution especially affected Oriente Province
- 85% of all Cuban farms nationalised, at least to part
- Slow tempo of land reforms accelerated = internal & external pressures
- Estates related to Batista taken over first, then cattle farms finally US b.
- Regime experimented with management of farms:
- All became granjas del pueblo (state farms)
- Administered by Institute of Agrarian Reform (INRA)
- Same workers, but better wages and working conditions
- Industrial reforms
- Began slowly
- Only one major company taken over at first: Disliked telephone company
- Conflict with US led to sweep in nationalisations:
- Oil refineries
- Factories
- Utilities
- Sugar mills
- Then, foreign owned banks
- Urban housing
- Finally, native owned businesses
- Redistribution of income created problems:
- Increased wages created a excess demand for consumer goods
- Meat for example experienced a 100% rise in demand
- This led to overkill of cattle
- Created inability to supply it in future
- Government increased problems by:
- Lowering rents
- Lowering utility rates
- Increased number of free services
--> Cuba did not import consumer goods and could therefore not meet demand
-
- Rationing was introduced by 1962.
- Increased discontent
- Wasted scare resources due extreme spending and poor planning
- Less success full reforms included agricultural diversification and industrialisation
- Government wanted to become more self sufficient
- Change land from sugar growing to cotton, vegetable oils, cotton etc
- Would save on foreign exchange as otherwise imported
- Industrialisation programs proved to difficult and were abandoned 1963
- Problems in Agriculture occurred due to inefficient planning and administration
- Castro set up central planning agency (JUCEPLAN) in February 1961
- Castro ignored or bypassed it with special programmes
- Also ignored private agricultural sector
- of farms still in private hands
- Finally, in early 1961, the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) was established
- Coordinated production of small farms with national plans
- They also gave credit, set up stores & organised associations
- Revolutionary government spent huge amounts on investment from 1962 to 1970
Largely wasted due to poor planning and inefficient administration
The Return to Sugar, 1963-1970: The Ten Million Harvest
- Missing experience and the resulting inefficiency persuaded Castro to re-emphasis on the sugar production, 1963
- Increased agricultural earnings were to finance industrialisation
- Symbol for this was the goal of 10m tons of sugar to be harvested 1970
- Sugar had previously suffered
- Harvests 1960 & 61 only successful because of good weather and peace
- Well-meant but short-sighted policies harmed crops
- Diversification had led to destruction of best crops
- Had not replanted in two years
- Equipment & Manpower badly administered
- Chaos in transport and distribution
- Sugar mills were damaged and un-repaired
- The Harvests from 1962 onwards were more than disappointing.
- Ten million tons harvest was not reached:
- The usable mills could produce 6 million tons at maximum
- In 1968 only 1/5 of the prof. cane cutters of 1958 figure were working
- Government intervention tried to change situation
- Second Agrarian Law of 1963 nationalised most medium-sized farms:
- 70% of all farms now under state control
- Forced small farmers to sell crops to it at low prices
- Castro stressed socialism, centralisation and moral incentives to increase production from 1965-1967.
- USSR increased support Cuba by absorbing trade deficits of $1bn between 1961-1967
Cuba and Latin American Guerrilla Movements
- During mid.60’s Cuban government made moves to export revolution
- Started guerrilla warfare against capitalist states, and supported groups
- Stopped as Ché Guevara was killed by Bolivian troops in Oct. 1967
Failure and Reassessment, 1970-1975
- The ‘Ten million tons’ programme did much damage to Cuba
- To reach goal revolutionaries virtually ruined sugar industry
- Future harvests disappointing
- Resources and manpower pulled from other industries
- Caused disruption and turmoil
- Failure to reach goal (8.5m t. collected) hit revolution and Cuba hard
- Castro admitted failures on July 26th, 1970
- Re-emphasised hardship and Labour, although revolution would go on
- Vowed that changes would be made, which Depersonalised & Institutionalised the government
- Delegated power to new executive committee the ‘Council of Ministers’
- Gave bureaucracy wider scope of action and more influence
- Veterans, President Osvaldo Dorticós and Carlos Rafael Rodríguez took charge of economic development
- Clearly separated the army, the bureaucracy and the party
- Restructured army along traditional hierarchical lines
- Judicial system changed
- Attempts to broaden popular base and strengthen party
- Labour movements revitalised (larger role for trade unions etc.)
- Also changed many economic aspects
- Sophisticated computerised planning techniques introduced
- System of material rather than moral incentives introduced
- Work quota system introduced between 1971 and 73
- In 1972 alone this resulted in a 20% increase in productivity
- Differentiation in wages between jobs
- People paid not according to need but to productivity and complexity of job
--> Reforms led to a dramatic increase in productivity and a annual GDP growth rate of over 10% from 1971-1975 (3.9% from 1966-70)
The Institutionalised Revolution
- 1st Communist Party congress (Dec75) completed institutionalisation of revolution
- Nationwide referendum in Feb. 1976 approved this
- Depersonalised government through pyramid of elected bodies
- Fidel Castro (although now elected) still head of party and state
--> All this however created severe economic difficulties
-
- Economic difficulties:
- Inefficiency
- Low productivity — i.e. lack of:
- Of professional management
- Quality control
- Labour discipline
- Still heavily dependent on sugar
- Growth rate from 1976 to 1980 averaged disappointing four percent
- As Cuba continued dependence on sugar, a modernisation of industry began:
- Sugar cane now harvested by cane
- New mills have been built
--> Created harvests of 8 million tons+ since 1982
- But there are also problems
- Production figures still fall short of goals
- Creates balance of trade and foreign exchange deficit
- Still reliant on heavily fluctuating world market prices
- Vary from 60 US cents (1974) to 7 cent in 1982
- Cuba also has great debt
- Owes $7 billion to western countries
- Owes $10 billion to Russia
- These debts are frequently rescheduled
- Offers an answer why Cuba is at the forefront for debt relief programmes
- Debt is huge in comparison to size and economic possibility
- Many people also flee from Cuba
- Especially during the so-called Mariel exodus (April-Sept. 1980):
- Fidel Castro angry that Peruvian Embassy wouldn’t turn in 6 refugees
- Allowed all Cubans who wanted to, to leave the country
- Various country’s started to accept refugees
- 125000 people fled from Cuba during that time
- Most fled through Mariel port
- Not to forget:
- During American Revolution 10 percent of population fled
Achievements
- Great record in:
- Employment
- Lowest Unemployment figures in Latin America
- Equal distribution of income
- Public health
- Basically no hunger and starvation
- Free medical care
- Lowest doctor/patient ratio in Latin America
- Infant mortality rate (11.9% in 1989) among lowest in world
- Life expectancy 75 years (58.2 in III world countries)
- Education
- Free for all
- Educational budget 7% of GNP
- Illiteracy wiped out
- Population average of ninth-grade education
- Standard of living
- Inequality dramatically reduced since Batista
- Lower classes especially benefited:
- Rents controlled, not more than 10% of income
- Fair rationing of food
- Income increased from $100 (1959) to $550-$850 (1977)
- State farms furnished with televisions and relaxation area
--> No beggars
Cuba and the World
- Cuba sent much military aid to third world countries - helped:
- Algerian independence
- Guerrilla groups in Zaire
- Portuguese African colonies
- Tanzania during 1960’s
- Death of Ché Guevara and bad economic situation limited aid in 60’s
- Improved US-Cuba relations and prosperous economy increased it again—helped:
- Eleven thousand Cubans helped Ethiopia against Somalia invasion 1978
- Fifty thousand Cubans helped Angola against rebels supported by US etc.
- Cuban-Anglo army defeated South Africa at Cuito Cuanavale:
- Treaty of 1988 allowed independence of Namibia
- Cuba now engages in civil aid with 16000 Cuban:
- Doctors, teachers, construction engineers, agronomists, economists
- Serves 32 third world countries
- Includes free education in Cuba
- Motive "International solidarity" and providing foreign currency
- Fees on ability to pay
- Some fore free
- Foreign construction projects major income producers
- Good relations throughout
- Especially with Latin America
- Vote into UN security council with largest percentage ever
- Attempts to normalise relations with US have not been returned
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