Cuban Revolution Essay Plans - exam preparation PDF

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Cuban Revolution Essay Plans 1. What factors most shaped the political radicalisation of the revolutionary process between 1959 and 1965? Introduction:   

Define what political radicalisation is State what others think – Kapcia claims that the radicalisation in the earlyrevolutionary period was a domestic resistance to Soviet-style institutionalisation and a commitment to Cuban-specific values State what you think/what the argument of this essay is – agree with Kapcia – Cuba’s policies became more and more radicalised in this period in order to be able to survive o Need for social justice  radical problems = radical solutions o US hostility  external threat = isolation/need to defend itself o USSR presence  external threat regarding the national development – need to protect its ideology and identity

Point 1 – Need for social justice: 

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Inequality in Cuban society – large problems = radical solutions o Revolutionary government ready to introduce policies they promised in 1959 speech ‘la historia me absolverá’ o First policy = Agrarian reform (1959)  redistributed land among campesinos and limited the amount of land any one person could own = radical (socialism) Agrarian reform = success = more support and faith in Revolution and radical policies = more radical policies such as Literacy Campaign (1961) Following the success of these early policies, the revolutionary government continued pursuing their ideology which included radical ideas LINK = The reforms themselves and their rapid implementation represents the fact that accomplishing social justice was at the centre of the revolutionary ideology, and the Cuban revolutionary government were determined to take whatever means necessary to achieve its goal.  especially as they received increasing external threat (from USA)

Point 2 – US response (hostility = isolation)  

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USA were the cause for much of the social inequalities found in society at the time the revolution triumphed in 1959 – USA’s playground = corruption, prostitution, elitism Growing hostility towards USA coincided with growing sense of ‘cubanism’/liberation movement  Cuba used USA as a reference point to state what it was NOT. o Therefore, USA played an important role in developing the Cuban identity However, post-1959, USA became more preoccupied with Cuba than Cuba was with them due to the threat they posed for the policy of containment. US

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preoccupation = increased isolation and sense of threat within Cuba = more radicalisation as a defence mechanism = increased hostility from USA  tit for tat escalation o US responded to Agrarian reform by beginning embargo o Cuba responded by nationalising all US owned property o US responded by full embargo and Bay of Pigs in April 1961 o Bay of Pigs was a big victory for Cuba and caused further radicalisation as the revolution displayed itself as strong which restored faith in the process and increased support, but also it gained a common enemy which united the nation which then made it stronger. David v. Goliath o The increased sense that Cuba was constantly under attack increased the need for a united nation which worked together (solidarity) to defend its values o Cuban Missile Crisis also allowed Cuba to become more radicalised as negotiations reassured Cuba that superpowers would react LINK = the Cuban Missile Crisis represents how the more USA and Cuba fell out, the more Cuba were pushed towards USSR

Point 3 – increasing presence USSR  asserting Cuban socialism  

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Cuba relied on USSR support to survive, especially as they needed protection from USA. Yet this reliance on another superpower threatened the Revolution’s main aim of freeing Cuba and building an independent nation It is important to note that while Cuba and USSR had similarities (AS ARGUED BY BAIN) in their ideologies which led them to each other in the Cold War (as it was binary conflict there were only two sides), their ideologies were very different. o Soviets didn’t think Cuba were ready for Communism as they didn’t fit the mould In light of this, the process became more radical in order to highlight these differences and assert its independence (to demonstrate they were NOT a satellite state like some academics believe – Goldberg) o Algeria 1962-65, Bolivia – 1966  conflicted with Soviet policy of peaceful co-existence o Conferences 1966-1968 again reiterated this difference in ideology o Creation of PCC in 1965 as there was a specific link to nationalism (jose Marti and granma) Cuba developed their own form of socialism, which was not synonymous with Communism (Martinez Heredia) and the constant need to highlight these differences led to radicalisation. Radicalisation was necessary to defend its values.

Conclusion:  

Everything boils down to one element; the Cuban identity. At first it was necessary to bring about rapid change, but the success of these policies led to further radicalisation. However, in an attempt to assert their independence from external powers, and assert a Cuba-specific identity and

ideology, the Revolution became increasingly radicalised. Therefore it was a domestic resistance as a reflect of defence.

2. How important has the USA been in terms of shaping the Cuban Revolution between 1958 and the 2000s? Introduction: 

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US have had a constant presence in Cuba throughout history so they played an important role in shaping the history of the nation even before the Revolution triumphed. Yet, post-1959, the influence this presence had on Cuba did not disappear What does ‘shaping the Revolution’ mean?  in this essay, it will interpret this as the revolutionary ideology, its values and policies. In essence, factors that make the revolution specific to Cuba. o Eaglteon states this ideology is flexible and adaptable, and the US influence on Cuban Revolution reflects this statement, which is what this essay will show. This essay will demonstrate how throughout the revolutionary process, the US have been a point of reference for Cuba’s development. Thus, the ideology has developed around their influence. It will argue this by analysing US-influence in terms of the Cuban identity, the developent of policies, and the survival of the Revolution.

Point 1 – identity: 

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In pre-revolutionary Cuba, USA were the cause for many of the social ills in society  USA’s backyard, puppet president, power imbalance in relationship o US presence thus oppressed all things Cuba as society became increasingly ‘americanised’ which also impeded a sense of pride among Cubans o This was particularly the case with the high levels of corruption/prostitution as Cuba became renowned for this globally This meant that as a Cuban national identity began to develop in a liberation movement, the hostility for US grew alongside it. As Perez argues, this meant that the Cuban national identity was initially all things that they didn’t want to be in relation to the USA o Therefore, playing the role of a reference point, the Cuban nation identity started out as everything USA were NOT o So, as soon as the revolutionary government came to power, they worked hard to instantly eradicate all things North American from society o E.g. reinstert prostitutes into society by educating them, training them and creating jobs for them, and providing childcare while doing so o Also, encouraging and financing cultural institutes such as Casa de las Americas which encouraged Cubans to get involved in cultural production can be seen as an attempt to escape US dominance in the cultural scene (Hollywood)

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Therefore, during the construction of a national identity, which was a main component of the national liberation movement that was the Revolution, the USA played a central role by embodying everything the Revolution was struggling against. LINK = this factor of wanting to escape US dominance then became more and more visible as the revolutionary government further developed their policies, as US hostility catalysed political radicalisation.

Point 2 – radicalisation:  

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Post-1959, US preoccupation for Cuba soon overtook Cuba’s obsession with them as their liberation movement threatened the policy of containment. (Perez) As rebellion broke out and M-26-7 overthrew Batista, the US reacted in a hostile manner to try and stop it from succeeding. Yet, instead of backing down from US intimidation as had always happened in the past (past failed liberation movements, 1933 rebellion), the revolutionary government counteracted with radical methods which counteracted US capitalism o For example, the Agrarian Reform 1959 nationalised and redistributed land among campesinos. The socialist nature of this policy feared the US, who then began to enact and embargo in an attempt to choke the Revolution, but Cuba responded to this by nationalising all US property in Cuba. o This triggered a tit for tat escalation of their relationship Seeing as this was during the height of the Cold War (which was a binary conflict), the hostility and threat posed by the US naturally pushed Cuba towards socialism. o Especially during the 1970s when Cuba began to adopt more orthodox ideals and align its policies with Soviet Union. o Previously Cuba was extremely isolated as the US prevented LA countries from recognising Cuba as a state and their economic and military resources were running scarce as the US had been defeating their guerrerismo efforts in LA. o In their first Congress in 1976 Cuba declared Marxist-leninist o Therefore, US hostility once again pushed Cuba towards adopting certain measures which distanced them from their main enemy. Hence, while the national liberation movement of the Revolution was always socialist, US-influence caused it to become more radical and more aligned with their Communist allies. LINK = although it took a long time for Cuba to consolidate its ideology and policies (partly due to responding to hostile measures from US), this does not signify that the presence of the US stopped influencing the Revolution’s development from this point forward.

Point 3 – survival: 

In fact, Erisman states that the Cuban Revolution’s ability to continually deal with and overcome the hostile measures put in place by the USA in an attempt to destabilise the Revolution is its main reason for survival.

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As previously stated, the constant threat and isolation caused by the USA forced Cuba to be efficient and effective even while still economically or militarily weak  this saw a particular focus played on many key values which are central to the Revolution’s survival, such as solidarity and participation o USA = common enemy = unity o While this was established early on during events such as the Bay of Pigs involvement, it was particularly significant during the Special Period o USA tightened embargo as it saw it as their opportunity to choke the Revolution for good  Cuban Democracy Act 1992 made the embargo third party which isolated them more, but Cuba reacted by refortifying the focus on participation as necessary to get through the crisis and survive. o Furthermore, the Elian Gonzalez affair in 2000 represents how Cuba continue to use the US as the enemy throughout in order to unite the nation (PR tool to encourage solidarity within Cuba and make US appear as the enemy) Therefore, due to US hostility, Cuban Revolution had to champion the values of solidarity, unity and participation in order to defend itself from the superpower. In turn, Cuba was able to finally free itself from US domination and oppression

Conclusion: 

Throughout the whole revolutionary process the US have been present, which has meant they have acted as a reference point for Cuba. Main revolutionary value is to escape domination, dependency and legacy of imperialism. Therefore, the ideology became everything that embodied anti-US.

3. Institutionalisation or sovietisation in the 1970s?

Introduction:    

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The 1970s is often seen as an anomaly in the revolutionary process. Many of the stereotypes often come from this period due to the adoption of more orthodox ideas (quinquenio gris) Goldberg argues that this period represents how Cuba became a mere satellite state of the Soviet bloc. This essay will dispute this. Instead, this essay will argue that 1970-1986 represent a period of institutionalisation following the necessity for economic and political reform, which represents the fact that the revolutionary process is in a constant state of debate and change as its ideology and policies react to and adapt to current situation (Eagleton: adaptability of ideology) In order to reach this conclusion, this essay will first examine the situation prior to the 1970s to highlight why restructuring policies was deemed

necessary, and then it will analyse the changes made within the economic and political spheres Point 1 – pre-1970: 

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The 1960’s is stated by Antoni Kapcia to be the period of radicalisation. The policies introduced by the revolutionary government in this first phase of revolution were radical in an attempt to fix serious problems rapidly and to gain support and restore faith in a political body. While they were largely successful in achieving their principle aims such as how the Literacy Campaign of 1961 was successful in almost eradicating illiteracy in Cuba in one year, they were a serious drain on the states resources (which were in fact already running low due to Batista taking so much of the state’s money with him). Additionally, between 1959 and 1961, almost 200,000 Cubans left as they feared these radical policies, most of whom were elite citizens. This meant that almost half of Cuba’s trained workforce left and the revolutionary government instantly poured their resourced into retraining this sector (expensive af). By the end of the 1960s, these ambitious policies were starting to take their toll on the country’s resources and ability to continue being efficient 1970 = 10 million ton zafra which was the last ‘heroic’ effort of voluntarism that was meant to lift Cuba out of underdevelopment o Following its failure (managed around 8 million, not 10), the revolutionary government decided that they needed to step away from the policy of moral economy and voluntarism as it wasn’t proving to be effective and the Revolution was getting weaker Therefore, although the policies of the 1960s were very effective at the time and were necessary in order to install faith and loyalty into the revolutionary process, they were not sustainable given Cuba’s underdevelopment. LINK = In order to progress the revolution and achieve its main aims, a restructuring was needed. The aspect which was prioritised was the economy.

Point 2 – economic reforms:  

Here were enter the period of mutual accommodation and dependency, otherwise referred to as the ‘Golden Handcuffs’ (Leogrande) in which Cuba aligns itself with the socialist bloc In 1972 Cuba is accepted into COMECON  a relationship which embodies this mutual dependency, as Cuba required the extra financial support it gained from the trade and USSR needed to share the burden of financing the Revolution. o This saw a shift from moral economy to material incentives o The nature of COMECON meant that Cuba not only depended on the socialist bloc as its principal buyers, but it also depended on its sugar industry  which represents a paradox as the initial reason for this switch was to escape dependency on the industry and underdevelopment o HOWEVER, this consistent economic support enabled Cuba to pursue other policies, such as its policy of internationalism which was aimed at lifting Cuba out of underdevelopment

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o Eg.. medical internationalism = support other nations through education, solidarity and progressive liberation These reflect how Cuba needed the economic (and military) support from USSR to export the revolution and its values to the Third World, which was ones of its main aims prior to 1970, demonstrating how a change in methods did not signify a change in focus (i.e. not adopting Soviet objectives) LINK = alignment with the USSR with pragmatic aims is something which is reflected in the political arena, too.

Point 3 – political reforms: 

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The First Congress was held in 1975 (and constitution in 1976) which is 10 years after the formation of the political party. This fact represents how there was an intense period of debate before finally consolidating the political ideology of the Revolution As Story states, the 1976 constitution declares the political ideology to be Marxist-Leninist, while its supporting framework is socialist. However, it highlights that, above all, solidarity is its preferred means. o This represents how the Revolution has aligned itself closer to Communism (despite being anti-communist at the start) which can be interpreted as a pragmatic move to gain Soviet support and gain access to COMECON trade, which, as already discussed, was necessary for continued development and survival. o HOWEVER, it also represents how Cuba maintained commitment to its own unique form of socialism by stating that it would not be slavish to Marixist-Leninism. It recognises its different situation, and how different problems require different solutions, so it cannot follow the model completely. o E.g. Involvement in Angola (1975)  still goes against policy of peaceful co-existence, and Cuba agreed to send troops before agreeing with USSR, which represents their continued radical nature despite an alignment of ideologies. Therefore, while an alignment politically was a pragmatic and necessary move, Cuba did not lose touch of its true values

Conclusion: 

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NOT sovietisation but institutionalisation which was necessary in order to survive and achieve its aims o Methods changed but aims stayed the same Ultimately, this reflects how the revolutionary process is embodied by a constant ad-hoc process of problem, debate and solution. While the aims of the Revolution always remain the same throughout, the ideology must be adapted to the situation and challenges of the time in order to survive and maintain a commitment to these aims.

4. Exportation of Revolution (Third World relationship)  why and how did Cuba export Revolution in the Third World in the 1960s and 1970s, and how accurate is that term?

Introduction: 

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Background of Cuba’s relationship with the Third World – it was a mix of all cultures (African, Latin American) due to complex history, and had always been the exception/isolated from other nations, which was heightened due to USA embargo Define ‘exportation of revolution’  the spread of liberation movements (international projection of its values) This essay will argue that the Cuban Revolution shows a consistent commitment to the exportation of revolution throughout the 1960s and 1970s, signifying that the why (the aims) remained consistent. Yet the how (process/method of achieving this aim) changed drastically over the revolutionary process between 1960 and 1979. It will argue that the term ‘exportation’ is accurate

Point 1 – 1960s:  

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This period was characterised by confrontation led by Che Guevarra’s policy of guerrerismo Early values promoted by the revolutionary government = voluntarism and participation which were needed to overcome their legacy of colonialism and imperialism o Projected these ideas onto other Latin American countries o Declaration of Havana and 2nd Declaration of Havana called for them to follow in Cuba’s footsteps. The adjustment made in 1962 to include ‘armed struggle’ was significant as it highlighted the ideological difference between Cuba an...