Effects of Castro’s Policies

Aims and results of policies

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Aims and impact of domestic economic, political, cultural and social policies

Economic policies

  1. Communist direction; Che Guevara

   

  1. Policy

       1. Che Guevara favored a centrally planned economy – emphasis on moral incentives and self-sacrifice (work for ideas and values of the revolution, not personal gain) 2. Rents has been reduced by 50% in 1959, were not abolished 3. In 1962 Cuba Changed national currency, any savings in banks were lost overnight 4. Agrarian Law 1963 reduced the amount of land that could be owned – preventing wealthy peasantry

          1. After 1963 state owned 70% of land

  1. Consequences

       1. Caused obstacles in Cuba in economics plans of increasing productivity 2. Lack of specialized labour that left the country  3. Moral incentives were not efficient – low productivity and quality

          1. Farmers were forced to sell to the state at low prices – no incentives 4. Low sugar production prevents the government from diversifying 

  1. Industrialization program

   

  1. Bought machinery from Soviet Union 
  2. Increased its debt 

       1. To reduce its debt it returned to intensive sugar production as they were trapped in trade relations of subsidized sugar in exchange for goods

  1. Revolutionary Offensive

   

  1. Policy

       1. Emphasized the idea that a man whose work was a social duty rather than a way to achieve personal gain 2. Expropriation of privately owned enterprises and were to be managed by the state. 

  1. Consequences

       1. Did not achieve productivity 2. Increased administrative chaos as the number of government agencies needed to organize the different fields of production and sales grew exponentially.

  1. The Year of Ten Million 1970

   

  1. Policy

       1. Aimed at breaking sugar production record and reaching a 10-million-ton output in 1970 to pay off Cuban debts to Soviets and by selling surplus sugar make investments to achieve economic diversification

          1. Became a battle for the Cuban pride, and show those skeptical of the revolution that it is possible and establish Castro’s political power 2. ‘militarization of labor’ everyone worked together as ‘volunteers’

          1. Armed forces occupied sugar mills 2. To motivate people theatres and bars, Christmas and New Years were cancelled

  1. Consequences 

       1. Harvest reached 8.5 million tons  2. Agricultural machines had been over-used 3. Agriculture production of other crops had suffered; forestry and fishing seen losses 4. Exhausted Cubans and made them skeptical 5. Oversee soldiers felt as their status was diminished as they had to watch people cut cane 6. Political blow for Castro – had to accept dependency on Soviet Union, and abandon Guevara’s ideas 7. Farmer’s markets were reinstated, state owned companies were given autonomy, material incentives were introduced (overtime pay), Cuba suffered the same economic problems 

  1. The Reactivation Campaign 1986 

   

  1. Policy

       1. Advocated a return to the values of voluntarism. The aim was to ‘rectify errors and negative tendencies’ linked to the relaxation of communist principles after 1970.  2. Farmers’ markets were again banned 3. Bonuses and extra pay were abolished 4. Self-employment was discouraged 5. Farm cooperatives were given new emphasis as, under a new Agrarian Reform Act, the percentage of land managed by independent farmers dropped to 2 per cent 6. Labour discipline was enforced and the workers lost many union rights.

  1. Consequences

       1. Decreased productivity  2. Reduced milk, oil, textiles, sugar supplies and increased prices 3. Black markets appeared to offer goods difficult to obtain  4. Transport and electricity rates were affected, decreasing living standard

  1. The Special Period 1991

   

  1. Dissolution of Soviet Union led to economic disaster as Cuba was highly dependent on them

       1. Soviets provided subsidized goods, oil, loan, technicians that overlooked Cuban projects

  1. Entered the period in order to respond to the unrest

       1. A large percentage of state-owned farms began to be run as worker-managed cooperatives to increase levels of productivity 2. Cuba opened to international business to attract capital and diversify economic activities

          1. Foreigners were invited to join the state in the development of certain areas of the economy: tourism, mining, and energy.  3. Farmers’ and handicraft markets reappeared, some level of self-employment and private businesses was allowed 4. The state aimed at saving money by reducing some subsidies and increasing taxes 

Political policies

  1. 1976 Constitution

   

  1. Under it Fidel Castro became head of state, head of the government, president of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, first secretary of the Central Committee of the PPC, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces
  2. Although the National Assembly was created, and elected provincial and municipal authorities were established, the 1976 constitution brought little change in practice. The National Assembly only met twice a year for a period of four to five days
  3. In 1992, the constitution was revised

       1.  The first direct elections for deputies to the National Assembly were held, where Cubans were allowed to choose from a list of party candidates approved by the government 2. Freedom of religion became a constitutional right 

  1. Nevertheless, Castro held emergency powers enabling him to suspend the constitution, freedom of association to protest against government policies were not granted, and all mass media has been controlled by the state since 1960s

Social polices 

  1. Education

   

  1. The literacy campaigns – 1961 was ‘The Year of Education’

       1. Policy

          1. Military barracks were turned into educational complexes, and new schools were built in rural areas to solve the shortage of buildings 2. Implementation of a training program for 271 000 teachers, and they were sent across the country to teach people in their homes, these brigadistas in the lived with rural families during the campaign 2. Consequences:

          1. By 1962, illiteracy dropped to 4%  2. Increased the hopes in the revolution 3. Volunteers emerged from the experience transformed as many of them were middle-class literate youth who familiarized themselves with the hardships of the poor; acted in service and self-sacrifice  4. Peasantry started supporting the revolution as they learned what it could do for them

  1. Impact on schools, teachers, and students

       1. Private school were nationalized, boarding schools opened, large scholarships for gifted students established 2. New teachers came to replace those who did not support the revolution, and then realized the students were acted as spies 3. New textbooks were adopted, and teaching focused on the revolution and the lives of the heroes 4. Libraries were purged of what was considered to be inappropriate material 

  1. Health 

   

  1. Policy:

       1. The government enlisted 750 physicians and medical students to work in the mountains and coastal communities where there was little or no access to medical services.  2. Rural Medical Service – had as its aim to 'provide disease prevention and to revitalize health services for those most in need, whether because they are poor, in precarious health or live far from urban centres”.  3. Another key feature of the Cuban health system has been the multi-specialty polyclinics which were established in the 1970s.

  1. Consequences

       1. the infant mortality rate dropped from 60 per thousand of live births in 1958 to 13.3 in the mid 80s 2. Life expectancy rose from 57 to 74.

  1. Religion

   

  1. Castro nationalized schools thus removing all religious influence. Castro meanwhile viewed Catholicism as representing foreign interests and would not allow bishops to get involved in political or social commentary
  2. The 1976 constitution made it clear that: It is illegal and punishable by law to oppose one’s faith or religious belief to the Revolution, to education or to the fulfillment of the duty to work, defend the country with arms, show reverence for its symbols and fulfill other duties established by the Constitution
  3. This situation changed and in 1998 the Pope, John Paul II visited Cuba; the constitution was amended, and people allowed to join the Catholic church.

Cultural policies

  1. First Congress of Cuban Writers and Artists    

   

  1. Cuba organized in response to concerns of artists who feared that Castro would dictate the themes and contents of their work
  2. ‘Words to the intellectuals’ – speech at the congress Castro gave

       1. He defined the responsibilities of artists in times of revolution when Cuba was being threatened by the enemy.  2. The intellectuals were no longer free to create what they wanted; they were at the service of the revolution and had to work to strengthen its values.  3. Inspiration for art had to come from what the revolution demanded of the artist

  1. Poets wrote to encourage people to work in the zafra or the coffee harvest; novels described women who were role models at work and at home; films highlighted the achievements of the revolution, such as Manuel Herrera’s Girón, which represented the Bay of Pigs incident, or Jorge Fraga’s Me hice maestro (I Became a Teacher). 
    1. The Padilla affair, 1971

   

  1. Hubert Padilla a poet had become disappointed with the revolution and was arrested and tortured. He delivered a forced confession in a staged public trial. 
  2. Padilla’s detention and trial had an enormous impact in Cuba and among intellectuals worldwide. Numerous artists intervened on Padilla’s behalf and asked Castro to respect freedom of expression. Many of them broke away from the revolution. 
    1. Grey period 

   

  1. Followed by the affair
  2. Artists were afraid to produce anything potentially considered counter revolutionary 
  3. Closer surveillance of their actions and work was carried out by the state and extended to other forms of academic and scientific activities. 
  4. The 1976 constitution established that ‘there is freedom of artistic creation as long \n as its content is not contrary to the revolution’ 
    1. Newspapers, magazines and radio stations that spoke out against Castro or the communist influence were often threatened with closure unless they changed their political stance