Paper 2: Cuba Part 1/5 [Emergence]

Origins: What was the economic state of Cuba in the mid 20th century?

• $ (rich but at what cost)

  • But not diversified: sugar was the main crop & over 3/5 of the workforce worked for sugar plant farms or industries

Origins: What was the economic relationship between the United States and Cuba?

• The United States was a key trading partner, especially because Cuba would sell her sugar at inflated prices to the United States.

What are two major reasons why Cuba was dependent on the United States?

• Economically: The US played a massive role in the Cuban economy, supporting Cuban gas, electricity, rail, and banking systems

• Politically: The Platt Amendment enabled the United States to have favorable political terms over Cuba.

Origins: What is the overall socioeconomic state?

There is a big gap between the poor and the elites.

What was the Platt Amendment and when was it enacted?

• The Platt Amendment was enacted in 1901. It came following the Spanish-American War.

• The Platt Amendment defined the relationship between the United States and Cuba

What are powers or advantages the Platt Amendment gave the United States? In other words, how did the Platt Amendment trap/hinder Cuba?

• Cuba could NOT enter political agreements with third powers

• The US reserved the right to militarily intervene [essentially whenever]

• US received permanent lease on Guantanamo Bay in Eastern Cuba

  • This provides the US a strategically advantageous location for a naval base and coaling station [aids US military operations]

Who is Fulgencio Batista?

• President Carlos Prio Socarrás was democratically elected in 1948. But Battista pulled a Trump/January 6th and ousted Socarrás in 1952 so he could be president again because he just couldn’t wait!

• Presidency [Dictatorship] of Fulgencio Battista: 1940-1944; 1952-1959

Who supported Batista?

• The wealthy elite

• The wealthy elite’s homies in the United States

What are effects of Batista’s rule?

• Opened up Cuba to corrupt dealings with the US Mafia

• Cuba turned into a resort for wealthy Americans

• The gulf between the rich and poor expands even further [rich get richer and poor get poorer]

  overall boo, tomatoes, tomatoes! [you can see why this sets up Castro into the perceived light of hero-ness and ultimate swagger and +aura]

Who are Batista’s opps?

• Student groups

• The Communist Party [duh, the rich and poor gap is WIDENING!]

• Rural Agricultural Workers

• US government [over time] because of his corruption

Batista’s repression of his political opponents continues to grow as he tries to keep things under control and squash the opps [again sets up Castro for an epic Hero Arc]

Who is Fidel Castro?

• Lawyer who advocated for poor workers [giving Honest Abe - AKA his background = set up for epic hero arc]

• Late 1940s: Revolutionary in Dominican Republic and Columbia [sets up the roots for his future revolution in Cuba]

• Member of the Partido Ortodoxo

• Led the 1952 Coup [Castro = revolutionary>scaling the ranks through legal means]

What was the Partido Ortodoxo?

• Left-wing political party

• Anti-corruption

• Nationalization of Foreign Industries [It’s giving Communism[

What was the Moncado Barracks attack?

• July 26th, 1953

• Attempt to overthrow the Batista dictatorship

And how did the Moncado Barracks go…?

• Massive L

  • 200 vs 1,000 Cuban military soldiers = abject failure

• Castro is arrested!

  • 15 year prison sentence, but it doesn’t actually end up lasting that long [2 years]

How did Castro gain aura [PROPAGANDA VICTORY] from being in prison?

• “History will absolve me” speech (remember, bro was a lawyer, he can YAP…4 hours to be exact]

• Speech Content

  • Restoration of the Constitution

  • Land Reform

  • Education Reform

  • End to Corruption

What is the name of Castro’s movement? What started it?

• The 26 July Movement

• Birth: Moncada Assault

How did the Moncado Assault affect Mr. Batista?

• Batista treated the rebels harshly → negative light to Cuba → +aura to Castro and his reputation among the people [he’s the hero]

• Batista tries to regain aura by appearing more democratic by holding elections [except Castro is still in prison and there are no real opps]

  • Castro and other political opponents are freed because Batista is still trying to gain aura

Why was Castro freed in 1955 (two years after his original 15 year sentence)?

• Perceived weakening of Castro - Batista and his allies may ahve believed that Castro’s political power had been diminished after the attack on the Moncada Baracks and the subsequent imprisonment

• Batista trying to quell growing unrest / desired good publicity

  • Anti-Batista movements grew throughout the country → Batista canceled future elections

• This decision was backed by the United States and major corporations

So what did Castro do when he was #free

• Went to Mexico because he is always TWO steps ahead and you can #never let them know your next move

• Met revolutionary Che Guevara

What was the role of Che Guevara?

• Che Guevara hates the US [US = OPP]

  • was in Guatemala in 1954 when the CIA helped overthrow Arbenz

• Che = anti-capitalist; anti-American

  • Avoid direct conflict with Cuba

  +Guerrilla Warefare

  +Gain support of the commoners

What was the Granma Attack?

• Invasion of Southern Cuba aboard the Granma

And how did the Granma attack go?

• Absolute failure

• Castro, his brother, and Che Guevara escaped to the Sierra Maestra mountains to keep building the 26 July Movement

  • Rebel army treats the peasants well & promises reforms → Castro gains support from the peasants

Notice that despite the failure, Castro still gained aura. Bro is really good at this.

What was the role of propaganda in the rise of Castro?

• Radio

• Interviews to Foreign Press → Presented himself as “Freedom Fighter” supporting poor against Batista → International Support

• Portraying Batista as a Corrupt Dictator & fight against US imperialism and self-determination [he’s giving the US founding fathers against Britain]

• Building a Charismatic Image & Personality Cult (Repetition of his image and words endlessly in media)

What was the role of Guerrila Warfare in the rise of Cuba?

• Led to military mutinies [a revolt or uprising within a military force against its superiors] → basically he turned the Cuban military against himself via guerrilla warfare

• Guerrilla tactics like mobile warfare, surprise attacks, and ambushes effectively neutralized Batista's army, which was not well-equipped or trained for this type of conflict. 

The End: So where does the US, Batista, and Castro stand? [1957-1959]

• 1957: US pulls out support from Batista

• Rebels advance the Autumn offensive of 1958

• December 1959: Batista dips [fled]

• January 1959: Castro enters Havana victorious (+aura)