Rise to Power and Corruption

Reuben Bonne-Année

Fidel Castro

Rise to Power and Corruption

        Throughout the course of history, dictators have used a combination of tactics to remain in power. One of the dictators, Fidel Castro was able to adopt and keep power of Cuba for nearly five decades with little upheaval. Castro did this by promising a new hope of freedom for the island of Cuba from Fulgencio Batista, another corrupt president in Cuba’s history of revolution. Due to the implementations of rules and freedoms that Fidel Castro instated, and the black market, Castro was able to stay in power with little uprisings despite the economic status of Cuba at the time.        

        To fully understand the reasons for the Cuban Revolution it is necessary to delve into the history of Cuba, starting in 1511. Cuba was colonized by Spain and was used primarily as a sugar plantation island.^[1] The original indigenous people of Cuba were nearly all wiped out through a combination of military conquest, enslavement and diseases introduced by the Spanish.^[2] When Spain originally colonized Cuba, the population was around 50,000 people and increased exponentially due to the influx of slaves from Africa.^[3] The slaves and the remaining aboriginal people became inspired by the surrounding revolutions in the Caribbean and North America, and started one of their own. Carlos Manuel de Cespedes freed his slaves and call for unity in order to fight for their freedom.^[4] Cespedes, Antonio Maceo, José Marti and free mixed Cuban women joined together and formed a pantheon of Cuban independence leaders. Cubans who fought for freedom did not also fight for racial equality leaving a division between Afro-Cubans and whites. In 1968 President McKinley refused to accept Cuba’s Independence and ordered an invasion of the island and established a four-year military occupation. The United States withdrew in 1902 leaving a Platt Amendment, which turned Cuba into an U.S. protectorate.^[5] This amendment also left the control in the hands of the United States when it came to Cuba’s foreign and economic policies. The intrusion brought Cuba into a period of extended economic distortion, political corruption and repression leading up until 1959.^[6] The relationship between Cuba and the United States changed the future of Cuba’s politics and economy. Although the United States withdrew, Cuban politics remained hostage to the United States while investors took control of over 60 percent of Cuban land in 1905, and 90 percent of the Cuban tobacco trade, Cuba’s iron, copper and nickel mines, railroads and electricity and telephone systems.^[7] The United States’ intervention destroyed and prolonged the Cuban struggle for independence. Cuban citizens revolted with intellectual movements that challenged U.S. domination and encouraged Cuban nationalism. These Cubans also began to read and share the ideals of writings by Karl Marx, Engels, Trotsky and Stalin.^[8] A new government took control of Cuba and banned social and labor organizations causing mass upheaval and eventually led to the replacement with a new revolutionary one. This government of radicals was the first government in Cuban history to not be controlled by the United States. The provisional government led by Carlos Manuel Cespedes, dedicated itself to transforming Cuba by creating the Ministry of Labor, raising wages, and legislating an eight-hour work day.^[9] This government continued to challenge foreign control, and took control of U.S. plantations. When the government became too radical, even for Cubans, a group of low-ranking officers, led by Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government and took control of the island. The United States backed Batista with arms and capital. Batista, while in office eventually made peace with existent Cuban communists and enacted labor reforms. As reformations continued, though, the gap between goals and ideologies (communism), and political and economic reality grew farther apart.^[10] Life in Cuba only worsened as in 1950, when 1.5 million citizens were jobless and starving. This was due to the fact that Cuba’s wealthiest controlled 43 percent of the country’s income^[11]. Batista grew increasingly corrupt and as a result a new revolutionary group led by Fidel Castro, the son of a wealthy planter from Oriente dedicated themselves to bringing down Batista. Though Batista claimed that Castro and his followers were communist, Castro promised to restore free fair elections after Batista cancelled them and declared himself president for life.^[12] When an attack failed, Castro was captured and imprisoned but continued to speak out against the illegitimate authority of Batista’s government. Castro returned to Cuba after being released and exiled to Mexico. On December 31, 1958 Castro forced Batista to flee and took control of the Government. He returned to Cuba welcomed by cheering crowds.^[13]                                                                                Castro’s support continued to be unanimous throughout Cuban citizens due to the wanting to rid Cuba of Batista and the corruption that surrounded him.^[14] The citizens however were not looking to apply radical changes to their economic or political systems.4 The poor believed that Castro would better their lives, however, the revolution was not a revolt for the poor, Cuba was considered one of the wealthiest countries and also had a well-developed educational and health systems.^[15]

        Castro was regarded as a hero by the U.S. as well but relations between the two only worsened.^[16] Within weeks of taking possession of Cuba, Castro and his lieutenant, Che Guevara put hundreds of Batista supports on trial, most were hastily convicted and were lined against a wall and shot. Later in 1959, Castro began to take charge of American owned companies in Cuba.^[17] While the conflict between the U.S. and Cuba cooled, Cuba and the Soviet Union grew closer together. The Soviet Union viewed Cuba as strategic point against the United States nearing the Cold War era. On April 17, 1967 the U.S. sent 1500 men to the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Since Kennedy didn’t back his naval or air support most of the men were killed or captured creating a gigantic propaganda success for Castro.^[18]