Chapter 5 - Political developments in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1945–1980

Vocabulary

  1. %%Taíno%% - indigenous population to Cuba
  2. %%USS Maine%% - blown up in 1898 in Havana harbour, resulting in US invasion of Cuba and end of Spanish rule there
  3. %%Platt Amendment%% - allowed US intervention in Cuba whenever they pleased, deep US involvement created resentment, prohibited the Cuban government from entering into any international treaty that would compromise Cuban independence or allow foreign powers to use the island for military purposes, repealed in 1934
  4. %%Guantánamo Bay%% - lease to the USA given by the clause of the Cuban constitution that forced the Cuban government to sell or lease territory for coaling or naval stations to the USA
  5. %%Marine intervention in Cuba%% - 1906, 1912, 1917
  6. %%Fulgencio Batist%%- supported the US government while he was president or ruling through a puppet president in 1940-44 and 1952-59
  7. %%Batista Government%% - characterized by brutal crackdown and the imprisonment or torture of dissidents
  8. %%José Martí%% - Cuban national hero during the 1890s and leader of the independence movement from Spain
  9. %%Auténtico Party%% - Cuba's largest opposition party to Batista (1944-1952)
    1. %%Ortodoxo Party%% - Splinter party from the Autentico Party in 1947, and they had nationalist ideals and were fed up with government corruption, Fidel Castro was a member
    2. %%Land ownership%% - sugar plantations and cattle ranches owned 1/4 of agricultural land, creating a large group of landless peasants
    3. %%boom and bust%% - refers to economies that are dependent on exporting one product and who are therefore vulnerable to prices falling or rising, usually with devastating national results
    4. %%Playground of the Caribbean%% - Cuba had a tourist economy and 85% of all foreign investments were owned by the United States
    5. %%Moncada Barracks%% - 26 July 1953 attack led by Fidel Castro that failed and resulted in the imprisoning of Castro
    6. %%History will Absolve Me Speech%% - Castro used his oratory skills in an impassioned speech at his trial but he was found guilty and imprisoned until 1955 and then exiled to Mexico
    7. %%26th of July Movement%% - exiles called themselves this in remembrance of the Moncada uprising
    8. %%Sierra Maestra Mountains%% - Castro, his brother Raúl, & Che Guevara plus their supporters fled here after a failed landing in Cuba in 1956
    9. %%January 1959%% - Castro and his M-26-7 supporters took over and entered Havana using guerrilla warfare

Colonial Cuba

  • Spanish colony dominated by slave-produced sugar on plantations
  • Repetitive rebellions in the late 19thcentury led to the abolition of slavery in 1886
  • José Mari became a Cuban rebel leader and martyr
  • US corporations increasingly invested in Cuba
  • US military intervened in Spanish-American War (1898-1901)
  • Cuba gained independence but only candidates who followed pro-US policies won in rigged elections
  • Platt Amendment (1901) embedded in the new constitution: made Cuban American protectorate
  • US could legally militarily intervene to protect its interests
  • Cuba could only make treaties with the US