Cuba's 1958 revolution and its historical significance

¶ … Revolution of 1958 inevitable?

Cuba. This island is known everywhere in the world. Everybody knows such names as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Also Cuba is associated with Caribbean crisis, which had frightened both the U.S.A. And USSR. That's all that common person knows about this land and nation famous for specific culture and interesting history (especially of the 20th century). Cuba has always been a region of American interests in the Caribbean Sea and its 45-year resistance against capitalism (in fact -- American politics) impresses everyone, even person hostile to Cuban regime.

Cuban influence on worlds politics during the Cold War and nowadays is important and worth paying attention to. Cuba is still one of the last Communist countries of the world.

Many years have past, Communism had a great success but it died after Soviet Union collapsed. Now China and Vietnam try to democratize and capitalize own economics. Only Cuba and North Korea are still devoted to Communism. But even there we can find some ideas of capitalism. The majority of Socialistic revolutions (older and younger that Cuban) are history already. Some scientists admit that Cuban revolution took place in the most complicated situation and practically had no chance to come true. But Cubans proved their moral strength and they still succeed protecting the Revolution. Cuban revolution created the first Socialistic state in this part of Earth. Now I'll try to find out why Cuban Revolution of 1958 was inevitable. Also it is very interesting and worth studying that Cuba was not the most developed country of Latin America and many people explain the Revolution with Fidels charisma, Russian success and American miscalculation. As historian Jules Benjamin in his book -- The United States and Cuba -- wrote, United States and Cuba had always very uneasy relations.

Cuba had a very tragic history before the middle of the 20th century. Spanish and later -- American influence was not good for this island nation. We cannot name American influence of that time democratic because United States and owners of different companies considered Cuba as a colony. This influenced future revolution a lot.

Let us analyze Cuban economics and American influence on this island country.

The basic sphere of pre-Revolutionary Cuban economics, as all historians say including Marifeli Perez-Stable in the book -- The Cuban Revolution --, was producing sugar for export to the United States. 25% of best lands, 36 big and well-equipped sugar plants belonged to United Fruit and other American corporations. They produced 42% of sugar. Another 58% were produce? By Cubans but were also controlled by Americans.

But sugar was not the only sphere of American monopolies interests. They controlled 23% of industry, 90% of electrical and telephone infrastructure, 50% of railways. For example telephone and telegraph belonged to the filial of ITT. Electricity and lands in some provinces belonged to Cuban American Sugar Company. These two companies were connected through Morgan bank group and received support from Department of State and CIA.

National Cuban capitalists were associated with American capital and had interests both in Cuba and Miami. Different American companies wished to have a filial on this island involving some part of Cuban capital. So, the whole infrastructure of the island, industry and other spheres of national economics were leaded by the United States.

Cuban historian Tablada admitted that in 1950-ies Cuba had developed road infrastructure, developed telephone, telegraph, television and radio.

Cubans didn't like that and wanted to rule themselves in their country and work only for their native land. The majority of Cuban population was peasants and the main reason according to this fact was shortage of land. Local landowners and American corporations had bought state and private lands in the beginning of 20th century for very low prices, so the majority of population was left with no land. Some of them had to become workers there; some captured state land in the mountains that were very bad to plant anything on . People who were considered peasants had neither equipment nor electricity. They didn't have any schools and hospitals, lived in terrible poverty. Any private owner of land could loose his land if some coffee company loved his land in the mountains. Such -- owners -- were considered -- independent -- . Other peasants didn't have even such -- independence -- . According to the contract concluded with sugar or tobacco company peasant had to pay rent payment, sell all goods only to this company and take different credits. Monopolies bought their production for an extremely low prices and this was making peasants and their families poor.

Some companies or real landowners never concluded any treaties with peasants to be able to drive away them anytime they wanted. When Fidel Castro was incarcerated in jail he said in the court that 200 thousands of Cubans had no any land to feed their families and 30 thousand of caballeros of best lands belonged to monopolies but were empty and nobody planted anything on them.

The majority of Cuban population was getting poorer every passing year. If to compare average income of every family in 1955 and the same income in 1945, we can figure out that it had lessened in 2 times. If to look at the same income of average family in the U.S.A. we'll see that it was 5 times more. The situation in Cuba was very complicated and government did nothing to help own nation to live and work, to feed own families and raise national economics. Catholic University Union provided different social researches in 1956-1957 and here are the results: about 33,5% of those who could and wanted to work were jobless, only 4% of them could afford themselves eating meat, 1%- fish, 11% - milk, 3%-bread, only 57% of Cuban citizens were literate and 6% had water supply at home. These figures horrify today but that happened not that long ago -- less than 50 years ago. It is hard to believe that in 20th century people living several miles away from Miami lived practically in Middle Ages and their conditions of life, attitude to human were the same.

Not that long ago Raul Castro -- Fidels brother and now -- Minister of Defense, said during some interview that when being a child he remembered his fathers small farm surrounded by American sugar and Nickel corporations and wondered what belonged to Cubans in Cuba.

But Cuba was not only a huge sugar plantation. It became a region famous for its industry of entertainment, which included sex-tourism. Our President George W. Bush played attention to this problem, which takes place now as he thinks. Many rich people from the United States of America and some other countries visited Cuba to play different games of a chance and satisfy their sexual desires. No one nation could submit this.

American monopolists and oligarchs turned Cuba into dependent territory, not a colony but dependent because of profitable regime ruled from the offices of these monopolies. Mafia created a system of total corruption, which was spread on the government, political parties and professional unions. The power was provided not only using legal methods. Cuba suffered a lot from numerous terrorist formations supported by different important officials and criminal leaders. These formations were used to solve different problems. For example, first leader of first Communist party J.A. Melia was assassinated by terrorists. Peasant leader Niseto Perez was assassinated as well. Such murders became usual events during Batistes reign. Both terror and propaganda were used to control the nation. Mass media was convincing Cubans that Communism was great evil and they would live even worse if Communists win. To illustrate this influence on millions of people I can set a very interesting example. Once during the meeting Fidel Castro asked peasants: -- Do you stand for Socialism? -- No! -- they answered. Then he asked them if they wanted an agricultural reform to be provided, they said -- yes! -- . Then he wanted to know if they wanted their kids to study at the university, if they wanted free medicine. People answered -- yes! -- . To sum up what he had said Fidel told them: -- Yes! All these ideas are Socialism -- . Peasants understood him.

Cuban businessmen didn't have such freedom of their business and rights that in other countries of Latin America. Cuba didn't have popular and respectable political parties. Total corruption and criminalization of power pushed respectable and clever people away. The majority of nation was united by idea of resistance, of great wish to live and work for themselves, for own country. Also people were united by tradition of fighting for independence against Spain in 1868-1898. As a result of this fight Catholic Church lost influence on the majority of population. Catholicism was spread among reach people who lived in towns. Poor peasants and town inhabitants believed in different half-pagan Afro-Indian religions. But in other countries of Latin America Catholic positions were still strong.

All these conditions influenced uniting of peasant and town inhabitants interests. They knew who their enemy was and were ready to fight against him and win. It didn't matter who they were: peasants, workers and businessmen were ready to fight together. So the main participants of the future Revolution were: proletarians, peasants, students and small businessmen.

The whole nation hated own government and, sure, some people united in different parties and organizations to fight for their rights. The most popular political movement was the Orthodoxies. Many young men considered this movement as the only chance to win and change something in their homeland. There was one great person among them -- lawyer Fidel Castro. Orthodoxies considered Communist their allies. For example when government was going to send Cuban troops to fight against Korea as United States wished, Orthodoxies and Communists went out to the streets and many people joined them. They protested against this action and government had to leave troop at home.

Inevitable future victory of Orthodoxies in future elections forced general Batista to takeover. E. Chibas, the leader of Orthodoxies movement, protested against this and shoot oneself during the TV translation of his pre-election speech, but Batistes people managed to stop the translation. His successors and followers refused leading young people who wished fighting. This can be explained by fact that Chibas accepted only legal ways of resistance. Their party disintegrated. Young people didn't have any legal ways, so they were forced to start armed rebellion.

Another and not less important reason of nation's anger was Batistes regime. As Alina Fernandez wrote in her book -- Fidel Castro -- My Father -- Batista was a usual sergeant in the army but he had great influence on those who he served with and very soon became very famous and was elected a president in 1950. His presidency lasted for 4 years. Being an army general he was an extremely cruel person who killed thousands of people if they didn't agree with his actions. Sure, this influenced future revolution a lot because Batista was and embodiment of monopolists wills their occupation. In 1952 he captured power and proclaimed himself Cuban President. But Cubans thought that cruelty in their country would come to an end. Batista didn't realize that. His absurd cruelty and criminal encirclement made Cubans sure that they could not live this way any longer. It was very important that every citizen realized he had to fight to survive.

Batista did nothing to improve the situation in Cuba. Poor people were still poor, government and other state structures were still extremely corrupted. Batista was not supported by people at all. But he did two serious mistakes. He didn't even try to win nations trust. But the main -- he didn't win respect and trust of rich land and industrial owners. Batistes illegitimate power was supported by terrible repressions. That's why small businessmen supported program of the main Batistes opponent -- Fidel Castro. Castro proposed self-sure nationalistic program and promised businessmen good conditions of their business. Castro published 25 exposures of that regime in the press. Another Batistes mistake was his self-confidence and he didn't consider F. Castro as serious opponent. Maybe that's why he let him come out of jail after 2 years of imprisonment instead of 15.

Another moment that has to be paid attention to is ideology of revolutionaries. Many people think that Castro and his followers were Communists. That is wrong. Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara wanted their homeland to be free of American monopolies, free of local criminals and terrorist formations and the main -- free of corrupted officials. They didn't even think about Communist during the Revolution. They just leaded partisan (guerilla) formations to fight against the regime they hated. In summer 1959 Fidel Castro was taken an interview by one American journalist and said: -- I have never been a Communist -- . Fidel gained his authority being a member of Orthodox student's movement. Even radical Che Guevara didn't consider Cuba as a future Socialistic country. All these Revolutionaries wanted the victory of democracy, anti-imperialism as Soviet and Cuban historians say, and national independence. Only when several months passed after the Revolution Fidel found new ally -- Soviet Union. He knew that being independent he would never succeed. That's why, as historian Hugh Thomas announces, Castro decided to start constructing Communism in Cuba because in this case he would be protected by the strong country -- Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics. The reason of this was American hostility to new power. USA refused buying Cuban sugar and produce oil at Cuban oil plants. So, it didn't matter it was Communism or something else, because respectable and strong support and protection were necessary. And Castro received them. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushov helped Cuba a lot.