Preview

Communism in Cuba Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
734 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Communism in Cuba Essay Example
When Fidel Castro took control of Cuba he needed to adopt an ideology that would unite a people and a country, and place him in the role of sole leader and head of Cuba. While it is his millitant actions that gave him power, it was his adoption of communism which has kept Castro in power for so long. There have been many goverment’s overthrown in Latin America, but few if any coups have had the impact on world affairs than Castro coming into power in Cuba did. By bringing communism to the western hemisphere this small latin american country was presenting a challenge to the United States that only such “superpowers” as Russia and Germany had done in the past.

Castro was first introduced to the ideas of Marx and Lenin when he was in jail. When Castro first came into power he did not fully support communism, but his regime developed aspects of communism over time. Castro’s early ideas were not very extreme and did not differ from other opposers of Batista. Castro believed in a return to constitutional goverment, agarian reform, and profit sharing arrangments in industry. He recognized that Cuba had become a country of financial extrems. One’s class was either the elite or lower class, there was no middle class. While many Cuban leaders such as Che Guevera wanted the Cuban Revolution to serve as an example to other Latin American countries and create a revolution througjout Latin America, Castro was more concerned with establishing Cuba as independant and able to stand on it’s own. Castro wanted the people to accept three key principals. Accept himself as the leader and sole controler of Cuba and it’s citizens, to have a genuine love and respect for your fellow Cuban citizens and to have a love for Cuba as a nation and country. Castro attempted to accomplish these goals by ridding Cuba of an upper class that had benefitted from the Batista regime. By ridding himself of the upper class he hurt Cuba economically, but felt in the long run doing so would make Cuba

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The history of Fidel Castro’s and the Cuban Revolution, has left many of the citizens of Cuba in great debate over his legacy. Castro can be credited for the anti-Batista movement, were he and his fellow members of the coalition, overthrew U.S.-backed dictator, Fulgencio Bastita on December 31, 1958. Castro, can also be proclaimed as the man who put an end to racism within the developing nation. He also implemented a national literacy campaign.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a city street filled with rectangular towers built upon grand archways, each one a different sun bleached color, there are small crevices in which evil lies. It is not subtle, only denied. This is the world Fidel Castro left behind when he stepped down from the prime minister. Since 1959, Castro and other revolutionaries have abused their power. Initially, financial backing from Soviet Union funding allowed Cuba to flourish, making it an important stage in the Cold War.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After gaining their independence from Spain, Cuba became a country/Island ruled by dictators. Fidel Castro was able to overthrow the government and made the former dictator of Cuba Fulgencio Batista fled from his dictatorship position. Fidel organized a campaign against Batista, he also used trained for Guerilla warfare and was able to grow so large that his forces outnumbered Batista's forces, which led to Batista’s defeat. After the defeat, Fidel Castro became the dictator of Cuba and was also the hope for Cuba, mostly the lower classes. Fidel made Cuba a socialist state after the quarrel they had with the United States over missile. He started a plan to eradicate illiteracy and also nationalize a free health care system to…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The government has too much power of constrains people. Trying to force people and form them to change is not right and does not work in the long run. To give any one party too much power is a bad idea. We are all human and prone to sin. The government needs to help the people and work for the people not rule them.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The leader of the nation of Cuba is Fidel Castro. Castro was born on August 13, 1926. He grew up in a wealthy family and was given many educational opportunities. He was said to be a very gifted child both intellectually and physically. (www.biography.com/people/fidel-castro-92414487 Fidel Castro Biography, 2012 ) As he grew older he became increasingly passionate about “social justice”. Ironically, becoming a vagrant tyrant. “( _____ )”Castro was seen by many, especially women, as a Christ-like figure, the pure one descending from the mountains to clean away the dirt and corruption of the cities.” (_____)…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Embargo on Cuba

    • 2014 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Since 1962 the United States has implemented an embargo on Cuba, justifying it in the context of protecting the United States from the dangers of communism. This 50 year embargo has several original goals. The United States wanted Cuba to open up its economy and establish a democracy; weaken Cuba’s communist government; and force Fidel Castro out of power (Scott). These original goals were employed to essentially help Cuba from itself and to make a stance against communism by the United States. Though a stance has been made Castro resigned, his closest supporters are still in power, living up to his original views and goals. The said embargo only hurts the normal man of Cuba as well as American businesses who could be selling and trading with Cuba. The more free exchange of people, customs, and ideas, the more the Cuban people will learn about freedom and democracy, thus having an embargo such as the one the United States has on them only hinders the progression towards democracy.…

    • 2014 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Manuel Noriega

    • 2226 Words
    • 9 Pages

    What importance does this have to Noriega and Panama? On January 1, 1959 Fidel Castro led a successful coup against the government in Cuba which at the time was controlled by Fulgencio Batista. By Castro taking control of the Cuban government, he placed communism within a close range of America. This was important because it was feared by most Americans that this takeover by Castro would lead a domino effect throughout Central America, and third world countries further extending the arm of Communism and the reach of the Soviet Union.…

    • 2226 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cuba changing its ways to communism has not only had a huge impact on the world but it has greatly impacted my family. My great grandfather “Aurelio Baldor” founded the Baldor School in Havana, Cuba in 1932. With the arrival of communism in 1959, the school began experiencing some problems. Raul Castro had plans to arrest Aurelio and shut down the school but one of his top commanders prevented the arrest because he greatly admired Baldor for his achievements as an educator and for his creation of the Baldor Algebra textbook. Aurelio later sold the text book in order to buy school buses for the school. One-month later, that commander mysteriously died. His death gave my family the option to either leave Cuba or be forced into the military. They made the obvious choice and left their entire life behind in 1960. In 1960, Raul took over the Baldor School and changed it into a government run facility.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cuba is an island nation that was adopted in 1902. One third of it consists of mountains and rolling hills. It lies in the West Indies, and is said to be a beautiful island. Havana is Cuba’s capital, and the center of government for Cuba. Some important cities are Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey. Santiago de Cuba is near the south-eastern area of Cuba, and has a population of about half a million people. It’s considered the second most important city in Cuba, probably because it’s an important sea port. Camagüey is the fourth largest city in Cuba, according to Wikipedia. The symbol of Camagüey is a clay pot, mainly because there are clay pots everywhere. They can be very small, or very big. They’re used to capture rainwater to be drunk later. The population of Cuba is precisely 11,224,761 as of this exact day, according to trueknowledge.com. The currency that Cuba uses is Cuban Pesos, and 1 Cuban Peso equals 1 U.S. dollar. Their currency is the same as ours, in terms of wealth.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cuba Essay Example

    • 1669 Words
    • 7 Pages

    I chose to write this essay on Cuba, because Cuba is the largest island in the West Indies. Not only because is it the largest island, Cuba is the Country where my step father and his family are from. I also chose to write about Cuba because it is an island that is close to my family's home land, Puerto Rico. Ever since my mother and step father got married I realized that I am going to learn a lot about Cuba. My step father loves his country, so he talks about it all of the time. I noticed that his Spanish was not like ours. He speaks much faster and louder. He also has different names for different things. Like for example, Puerto Ricans call a stove an estufa, Cubans call it the cocina. A cocina to us is the kitchen instead of the stove. I always thought that all the Spanish Islands like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba were all alike, since they were close by. I thought wrong because as soon as I got to know my step father, I realized his culture was way different.…

    • 1669 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fidel was friendly with the Soviet Union which upset the United States government. The Castro government controlled businesses and trade. The government controlled the people’s employment and set their salaries. The Cuban people had no say in how the government was run. The people no longer could worship freely, the labor unions had no rights and the newspapers were run by the government. Although Castro created a universal health care system and built many schools, the people had no control over what was taught in those schools. The government imprisoned and punished people who disagreed with their ideas. Many Cubans were saying “Inventar, Resolve, y Escapar” which means to be inventive, look for solutions to your problems, and escape Cuba as soon as possible. By limiting the rights of the people and antagonizing the U.S. and other countries, Fidel Castro hurt the Cuban economy and the Cuban…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Was Fidel Castro A Hero

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A great cause of animosity was how the new government treated dissenters of their government. Many of Batista’s former officials and supporters were imprisoned and executed without trial, and thousands of Cubans labeled ‘enemies of the revolution’ were tossed into jail. It angered many Cubans that these people had been subject to such inequality. However, this was merely the beginning of the government’s many controversial decisions. Many also objected when the government instituted strict regulations on the people. These rules dictated almost every aspect of the people’s daily lives, including food rations, religion, and occupation. Soon Castro’s government had banned strikes and elections, and censored many artists. All media, including theater, art, literature, music, and cinema, had to support the revolution, greatly limiting freedom of expression. Ironic that a party based on the ideas of Cuban nationalism and freedom would eventually restrain the population itself, isn’t it? Despite their emphasis on Cuba’s “right to control their own destiny”, Cuba under Castro was racked by multiple recessions and failed reforms, such as the “new man” reform created by Che Guevera. During the “Special Period”, Cuba’s peso failed and they were forced to rely on foreign currency. Tourism became a major industry, and Castro’s government treated the tourists much better than they did the Cubans. Cubans were not allowed to go to tourist areas and were told not to get involved with foreigners. The government, impoverished, let Cuban homes crumble, Cuban people go without food and other goods, all so that they could pay off their debt. People unable to survive on the government’s wages turned to crime in the black market to put food on the table, and regularly built boats to try to flee to other countries. Castro’s…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Write An Essay About Cuba

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cuba has many special things about it such as but not limited to its beaches, the culture and the food. As of 2010, Cuba’s population was 11,264,141. Cuba is also famous for Fidel Castro, the countries leader who has been running the country for over 30 years. Unlike the United States of America, Cuba does not have a democratic government; Cuba is run as a communist country. Communist means the people do not elect its government.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cultural Changes In Cuba

    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Cuba is changing. The “special period” has ended and Cuba is progressing out of its heavily ruling fist. A change in power and new relations with the United States has sparked cultural changes in Cuba, but not without dissonance. One of the largest fears in Cuba is of how to implement new policy and adapt to new ways of thinking. Amid signs of change and growth, many Cubans are hesitant to believe in a new structure of government and are tending to resort back to old habits and following old practices…

    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In comparison to other ruling communist parties around the world, the communist party in Cuba retains a stricter approach and adherence to the tradition of Marxism – Leninism and the traditional Soviet Model. In addition, the Cuban Political System is described as authentic which is based on the unique history of the struggle for equality amongst individuals as well as independence.…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays