Cuban Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cuban Revolution - Essay ExampleThe Cuban Revolution immediately won the support of the masses and, indeed, the revolutionary leaders popularity only increased, and expanded to accept Latin American populations, as a result of political rhetoric which emphasised Cuban independence from US domi area and the imperatives of adopting socialism to improve the socio-economic lieu of the majority (Sweig, 2004). Indeed, in assessing the causes of the Cuban Revolution and the reasons for its success, it is important to highlight the political and economic background. Politically, Cuba, as was the case with Latin American nations in general, had little self-direction and independence from Spain had not led to full-fledged sovereignty but to domination by the United States. Economically, the majority suffered from chronic and absolute poverty while a minority commanded and owned much of the nations wealthiness and resources. The fact that the Cuban Revolution was motivated by the aforementi oned conditions and determined their reversal ensured its popularity in both Cuba and Latin America. Indeed, the majority of the Cuban populace embraced Castro and his guerrillas, who appeared as young idealists. As rebel soldiers made their way to Havana they were welcomed as conquering heroes by throngs of local villagers who lie the roads and cheered the troops as they passed (Sweig, 2004). Proceeding from the above stated, it is evident that the United States policies towards Cuba are among the most significant of the revolutions causes. Before 1959 the history of U.S.-Cuban relations played forbidden in the context of U.S. hegemony over the island. Though previous administrations had resisted U.S. influence, few had rejected it outright (Perez-Stable, 1998). Indeed, throughout the history of U.S.-Cuban relations the Cuban elite, those of European origin whose wealth tied them to U.S. interests, had actively welcomed U.S. dominance. Thus, Cubans themselves, especially the elit e class, together with U.S. policymakers were responsible for stifling Cuban nationalism and for providing the atmosphere in which the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro fundamentally changed the ground level of Cuban history and of Cuban-U.S. relations (Perez-Stable, 1998).Before Castro, U.S. officials had worked closely with Cuban leaders. Prior to the U.S. intervention in the Cuban War for Independence many Cubans actively sought-after(a) U.S. rule. The Cuban elite feared the establishment of a truly democratic republic, or in their words, a Negro Republic (Perez-Stable, 1998). They played on U.S. racial fears and ethnical stereotypes, marginalizing their own countrymen. The United States wanted to maintain the status quo and unfettered access to the Cuban economy the Cuban elites wanted stability and to continue to reap the fiscal rewards of close ties with U.S. business interests. The Cuban elite also wanted power for themselves. Hence, after Spain surrendered to the Uni ted States, some members of the Cuban elite embraced U.S. control over their nation (Perez-Stable,