IB History Paper 2: Authoritarian States: Fidel Castro (Cuba)

Monoculture economy

an economy heavily dependent on producing a single crop SUGAR - US offered higher payment = creating an interdependency

ECONOMIC

Sugar dependence

Cuba heavily relied on sugar production and exports for income…changed in sugar prices hurts economy 

• EX: 1952: global price of sugar DROPS = negative impact on Cuban community 

ECONOMIC

Seasonal unemployment

high unemployment rate in the off season (30%)

ECONOMIC

Economic vulnerability

sugar: heavy dependency with little control

→ 40% of entire crop owned by US mills (fruit/bannanas)

→ Quota System = 60% of all sugar Cuba produces goes to US

Bad harvest = Bad outcomes

ECONOMIC

Reliance on imports

Cuba depended on other countries (US!) for many manufactured goods and products

ECONOMIC

US trade dominance

US was Cuba’s main trading partner and had SIGNIFICANT influence over the Cuban economy

leaving Cubans with little autonomy and self-sufficiency 

ECONOMIC

Foreign ownership

foreign companies (American businesses) owned large parts of Cuba

• 90% of mining operations UNDER US CONTROL

• 80% of utilities (electricity and gas) UNDER US CONTROL

• 50% of Cuba’s railways UNDER US CONTROL

ECONOMIC

Batista dictatorship: 1952-1959

- Batista reclaims power in a coup

→ suspension of the constitution where he can rule by decree

Unfulfilled Promises: 

1. Land reform

2. Workers’ rights

3. Expansion of democracy (DID OPPOSITE)

POLITICAL

Suspension of the 1940 Constitution

Batista suspended Cuba’s democratic constitution → reducing constitutional protections and political participation

POLITICAL

Corruption and repression

unfulfilled promises OUTCOME: 

1. Poverty

2. Unemployment

3. Heavy use of censorship 

4. Violence to suppress opposition

POLITICAL

Lack of genuine democracy

• shown in Batista’s Dictatorship’s widespread corruption and protection of US interests in Cuba

→ elections/political institutions DID NOT provide meaningful democratic choice

POLITICAL

Platt Amendment

1915-1934

- obligation to the US

→ Non-Alignment Restriction: Cuba is prohibited from entering into ANY treaty with another nation

• GOAL: protect US interests in Cuba 

POLITICAL

Urban–rural divide

EAST: rural

• Sierra Maestra mountains

• poor/illiterate

WEST: more developed (better employment opportunities) 

• More European influence 

• Havana = Capital

• Presence of tourism → creates culture in Havana (leisure/prostitution/night life)

SOCIAL

Eastern provinces (Oriente)

• Cuba’s eastern region

• Where poverty and inequality were particularly serious 

• Where Castro gained significant revolutionary support

SOCIAL

Peasant poverty

many rural farmers lacked secure land ownership and lived in poverty

SOCIAL

Limited access to education and healthcare

rural (Eastern) and poorer Cubans often have much less access to schools, doctors, and hospitals 

→ Castro capitalized on grievances of the poor eastern cubans for his rise to power 

EX: M-26 Movement was composed of eastern cubans → Oriente was the launching point for Castro’s revolution 

SOCIAL

Moncada Barracks attack (1953)

Castro and his followers attacked the Moncada military barracks → FAILED but made Castro and his ideals nationally known

“History Will Absolve Me”

another name for Castro’s “History Will Absolve Me” speech = LIST OF DEMANDS!!

→ promises to restore Cuban constitution

→ enact land reform and establish workers’ rights

→ nationalization of utilities (strip US power over utilities) – govt operated

→ provide adequate education and healthcare

26th of July Movement (M-26) 7/26/1953

- Castro’s 1st and failed attempt to overthrow Batista

- Moncado Barracks = military arsenal/armory

- Castro = arrested

- delivers his “History will Absolve Me” speech (Castro’s manifesto)

EQUIVALENT OF THE BEER HALL PUTCH

Sierra Maestra: 1956-1959

- Castro flees → leads to campaign

- use of guerilla tactics

- Batista flees

- MEDIA: Castro – fair treatment to prisoners of war (Batista’s militia)

  Bastista – torture/execution of Castro’s malita 

→ Castro seems more fair in the eyes of the media!! (public appeal = rise to power)

Guerrilla warfare: 1956-1959 “rebels”

- established a base in the Sierra Maestra Mountains

- used small attacks/ambushes/surprise attacks rather than conventional battle

→ from mountains into rural areas with people 

Batista flees Cuba (Jan 1959)

Batista fled Cuba after losing support and military control (during Sierra Maestra Campaign) 

→ allows Castro’s forces to enter Havana and take power

Nationalism over communism (pre-1959)

ALL (history will absolve me): justification for revolution → Castro’s desire to initially appear as nationalist who wanted independence from foreign influence 

• Gain working class support

• Desire to keep distance from communism (would negatively affect his communist campaign during the Cold War Era!!)

IDEOLOGY

Agrarian reform promises

• redistribute land

• push Cuba into a socialist state (communism)

IDEOLOGY

Anti-imperialism

opposition to foreign domination/interference (US over Cuba)

• Anti US

IDEOLOGY

Peasant support

support Castro gained from rural farmers helped with his rise

→ people supported Castro because of his promises of land reform and improved living conditions

IDEOLOGY

Middle-class and student backing

support from students and parts of the middle class who opposed Batista’s dictatorship and corruption → offered direct support for Castro who was actively working against Batista’s political actions

IDEOLOGY

Batista’s brutality

Batista’s use of violence and repression increases opposition to his government and helped Castro’s revolution gain support

Army corruption and low morale

corruption and poor motivation weakened Batista’s military and made it less effective against Castro

US withdrawal of support

US withdrawal of military and political imports from Batista removed his regime’s support → power to Castro

US withdrew…

1. Weapons and supplies

→ weakened Cuban army (Castro’s guerrilla forces prevailed)

Propaganda

Castro uses rebel radio, cult of personality, and powerful oratory to portray himself as a revolutionary fighting for the Cuban people

Geography

Cuba’s Sierra Mountains helped Castro’s guerrillas hide and launch surprise attacks on rural villages – use of force!!

Fundamental Law of the Republic (1959)

Temporary constitutional framework that allowed Castro’s appointees to be head of Cuban government without normal constitutional restrictions

POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION

No immediate elections

Castro promises free and fair elections…but he bans political parties for 4 yrs!?

→ stability after revolution

→ consolidation 1st because US threat is imminent

**creates an illusion of democracy

POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION

Banning political parties

opposition political parties were eliminated → increase revolutionary government’s power

POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION

One-party state

Castro created this political system in Cuba → only his revolutionary government ruled while opposition parties were suppressed and prevented from competing for power

POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION

Communist Party dominance

the communist party became the central political organization controlling government and political life

POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION

Article 5 (1976 Constitution)

creation of a 1-party state (communist) within Cuba → lack of separation of powers

POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION

Revolutionary tribunals

public trials/executions of people who were accused of supporting Bastista (EX: Batista judges were stripped of their power and exiled)

→ GOAL: convict/sentence Batista members to remove traces of old dictatorship

USE OF FORCE

Executions and imprisonment

Castro used these methods to suppress perceived political enemies (Batista supporters)

USE OF FORCE

Dismantling Batista’s police

Batista’s police and spy networks were disbanded central locations of Castro’s opposition!! 

→ replaced with new revolutionary forces

USE OF FORCE

Revolutionary National Police

formal, centralized state police created by Castro to enforce new system

• Professional, paid, experienced

• Enforce law

• Target opposition 

GOAL= oppression 

USE OF FORCE

Political reliability over experience

Castro often prioritized loyalty to the revolution over professional experience when choosing people for positions of power

USE OF FORCE

MININT (Ministry of the Interior)

Castro’s spy network which works to suppress opposition

CONTROL

CDRs (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution)

neighborhood spy networks that reported suspected opposition activity

CONTROL

Culture of fear and self-censorship

people became afraid to openly criticize the government due to expansion of state security…censor their own speech and behavior (ANTI democratic)

CONTROL

National Revolutionary Militias: “People’s Army”

• Volunteers

• Working class

• Purpose = defense of the revolution and mobilization of ordinary Cubans!!

CONTROL

Cult of personality

the promotion of Castro as a heroic/powerful leader via propaganda

PROPAGANDA

Great Man Theory

great men make history rather than history making the man

• Intelligence

• Charisma

• Courage

• Vision

PROPAGANDA

Limitations of Great Man Theory

Castro’s rise cannot be explained by his leadership alone because…

→ Batista’s corruption/failed reform

→ poverty, already present unemployment

→ US influence contributes to problems in Cuba

→ did NOT act alone…M26 supporters

**ALL set the stage for his revolution

PROPAGANDA

Radio Rebelde

heavy usage (1956-1959) CASTRO

- cult of personality (identify Castro as saviour figure)

- theme: economic repair (hopeful tone that encourages leadership)

→ Batista uses censorship in attempt to block these opposing messages from the public

• Great man theory

PROPAGANDA

Ideological messaging

propaganda designed to promote revolutionary ideas and convince people to support the government → cult of personality!

PROPAGANDA

Mass mobilization

organization of large numbers of people to participate in revolutionary activities 

→ Castro’s guerilla forces

→ Eastern Cubans

→ Internal spy networks

PROPAGANDA

US hostility

opposition derived from US toward Castro’s government as Cuba nationalized American property and moved closer to the USSR

Trade embargo (1962)

after bay of pigs…US cut off trade with Cuba 

→ Cuba turns eyes to Soviet Union for new main economic partner

Bay of Pigs (1961) – Background context

US trains a bunch of Cuban exiles who fled Castro

• Used CIA to train this group of men to kill Castro and end his regime

• US Failed bc: 

1. At the very last minute Kenedy pulled out the airforce 

2. US believed that once we landed on the beach, Cubans would assist US in helping overthrow Castro (they were wrong)

Fear of US intervention – Justified repression

Castro used the threat of US invasion to justify increased surveillance/censorship/repression of political opponents

Sugar-for-oil deal

after bay of pigs and cuban missile crisis…soviets would trade oil for cuban sugar (dependency)

Soviet economic aid

financial/trade/military/economic assistance provided by the USSR to Cuba

Above-market sugar prices

USSR paid Cuba more for sugar than the world market price → benefitting Cuba economically

Below-market oil prices

USSR supplied oil to Cuba for less than the international market price (actively helping Cuba survive economically)

Economic stabilization

Soviet support helped stabilize Cuba’s economy after US economic pressure and the loss of American trade

Cuba as a junior partner

Cuba was allied with the USSR but remained the less powerful partner and depended heavily on Soviet support (still not self sufficient…)

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

aerial photography catches missile sites in Cuba 

• US identifies as Soviet Union as the one who is attempting to drop off these missiles in Cuba (USSR felt justified in balancing nuclear power by putting missiles in Cuba)

• Closest to nuclear war!

• Keneddy calls for a 13 day quarantine (protection) rather than a blockade (attack)

→ quarantine: US ships circling USSR ships with missiles on them

→ USSR agrees to leave with the missiles   

→ positive for kennedy BUT it makes USSR in even closer connection with soviets for sugar trade (dependency) 

→ Castro was never involved in any of the negotiations… is the stage

Defensive vs offensive interpretations

Debate over whether Soviet missiles were intended to protect Cuba from US invasion OR to give the USSR an offensive strategic advantage

Cuban Missile Crisis Key Ideas

Sovereignty vs security

Cuba argued that it has the right to choose its allies and defend itself…US viewed Soviet missiles in Cuba as a threat to US security 

Kennedy uses term Quarantine (of Cuba)

Cuban Missile Crisis Key Ideas

US imperialism vs global threat

Cuba viewed US actions as imperialist interference, while the US viewed Soviet missiles as part of a larger global communist threat

Cuban Missile Crisis Key Ideas

Risk of nuclear war

the crisis created the possibility that conflict between the US and USSR could escalate into nuclear war!!

Cuban Missile Crisis Key Ideas

Castro excluded from final settlement

The US and USSR negotiated the resolution of the crisis without Castro being directly included in the final agreement → frustrates Cuba

Cuban Missile Crisis Key Ideas

Nationalization

GOAL= rid Cuba of capitalism

1. State takeover of industry, banks, utilities (sugar)

2. End of US corporate dominance

3. By 1962: Cuban government owns/controls 90% of economy

ECONOMIC POLICIES

Revolutionary Offensive (1968)

Castro’s final push for a fully state-controlled economy

→ TARGET: small businesses (corner shops/bars and cafes/street vendors)

ECONOMIC POLICIES

Year of Ten Million (1970)

1. 1970: ten million tons of sugar exported (increase revenue) 

→ primary buyer = Soviet Union

→ 8.5 tons achieved = problems with Cuba’s centrally planned economy

• Shows Castro's mass mobilization 

• Shortage of consumer goods

ECONOMIC FAILURES

Literacy Campaign (1961)

nationwide campaign that sent teachers and volunteers (250,000) into rural areas to teach people to read and write

Social & Cultural Policies

Year of Education

campaign focused on expanding and improving literacy and educational participation

Social & Cultural Policies

Illiteracy reduced to single digits

dropped from ~23% to ~4% in one year → Cuba declared itself “territory free of illiteracy”

Social & Cultural Policies

Dual effect

• Social equality: integrated rural and urban Cuba

• Expanded opportunities for the poor

• Ideological indoctrination: curriculum was heavily ideological

• Literacy tied to revolutionary loyalty and political socialization (no space for alternative viewpoints)

Social & Cultural Policies

Padilla Affair (1971)

1. Cuban poet Heberto Padilla (initially anti-castro) was arrested after criticizing the government 

→ came out of prison preaching Castro’s rule (change of heart OR self-censorship)

Culture & Expression

Cultural repression

various forms of creative expression were banned

Culture & Expression

Self-censorship

1.  artists and writers avoiding criticism of the government because they feared punishment

→ reducing independent thought and sharing of ideas

Culture & Expression

Limits to artistic freedom

government restricted artistic works that it considered politically threatening or opposed to revolutionary ideology

Culture & Expression

Family Code (1975)

1. law that promoted gender equality and shared responsibility within the household as part of Cuba’s socialist project 

GOALS: end traditional patriarchal family structures

• Integrate women into workforce

• Align private life with socialist values

Family & Gender

Gender equality in law

men and women were legally given equal rights and responsibilities within marriage (legal equality of spouses/equal parent authority)

Family & Gender

Shared domestic responsibilities

household chores and childcare legally defined as joint responsibilities

Family & Gender

Largely symbolic in practice

1. very difficult to enforce

→ wives had to send their husbands to court and they didn't want to (can't force social change in domestic roles)

Family & Gender

The 1976 Constitution

1. First permanent constitution post-revolution

2. Universal suffrage (18+)

3. Local elections – citizens could vote for representatives at the local level ALTHOUGH the political system remained dominated by the communist party

4. One-party rule entrenched

5. Mix of democratic language and authoritarian reality – constitution included ideas such as voting and representation while maintaining a political system without genuine multiparty competitions