Cuban Revolution
The Cuban revolution is one of the many revolutions recorded in the world. People fought for what they believed in and what they wanted. The Cuban revolution marks a crucial historical moment in Cuban History. The Citizens escaped the tyranny of Baptists under Fidel Castro’s leadership. The evolutionary process was later documented in a transcript of Fidel Castro’s speech on 2nd December 1961 and the book written by Guevara on Guerilla Warfare. The two pieces of documents presented two different views on the lessons on Guerrilla warfare. Some of the thoughts mirrored each other while others completely differed.
Similarities
The two articles talked about the whole process of guerilla warfare. Both individuals recognized the need for the involvement of commoners in the process of revolution. Castro and Guevara acknowledged that rebellion was a slow process that required ample time to prepare. Preparation was an essential process of the formation and performance of revolutionary activities. Adequate training makes everything possible and limits the number of causalities faced by revolutionists. The two individuals also acknowledged that popularity weighed heavily in the process of revolution. Both leaders also supported communism and identified guerilla warfare as a fundamental tool for bringing social reform. The acknowledgment caused the individuals to treat Guerilla soldiers as social reformers that were willing to go extra miles. The two individuals also acknowledged that weakening the enemy was a crucial part of taking over control from poor leadership. The war required sacrifice and dedication from every individual. The individuals had to prepare for the losses accompanied by war. Lastly, both individuals saw the necessity for the education of the masses. The knowledge was supposed to prepare citizens for the change expected in the future.
Differences
In the beginning, Castro believed in the need for aligning the perfect conditions for staging a revolution. Fidel thought that the only way that the revolution would succeed is by using ideal conditions in the fight. However, the perfect conditions were not necessary for revolution, as documented by Guevara and later learned by Fidel. Fidel’s first attack failed miserably, and they were captured before they had made any progress. Guevara notes that for the revolution to take place, soldiers must fight within the conditions present at the time, not waiting for alignment of perfect conditions. At first, Castro believed that the war required many soldiers for effectiveness; however, the defeat at Moncada taught him that revolution did not need enormous numbers for change to begin. In his second attack, he had around thirty men and still won despite the numbers being against them. Guevara notes that a revolution does not depend on the size of the army but the commitment and dedication of the revolutionists. The command should have the capability of weakening the military through small but effective attacks that give the attackers an advantage. Guevara talks about indoctrination as a crucial aspect of the revolution in his book. On the other hand, Fidel clarifies that they taught the peasants and did not indoctrinate them. According to Fidel, the peasants had the right to choose their options and not have to follow what they were taught. Indoctrination acts as a form of recruiting individuals by force; thus, Fidel could not side with the idea that his revolution forced individuals to behave in a precise manner.
Despite the differences in Fidel’s speech and Guevara’s book, the two identified key aspects that made the revolution successful. The revolution was founded on a cause that attracted forces from individuals from different places. The use of propaganda also favored the revolution since; Castro reached and gained popularity among citizens. Lastly, communism and able leadership made the revolution possible despite the odds.
Fidel Castro’s Dictatorship
Fidel Castro tried to distance himself from dictatorship throughout the revolution process of overthrowing Batista from power. Castro believed that dictatorship was the primary cause of problems that plagued Cuba. In his 2nd December 1961 speech, the leader declared that he always gave reasons for his orders to avoid dictatorship. The leaders stated that telling individuals the reason for the actions gave them power and authority that was not present in a dictatorship. However, analysis of the activities that took place in the country after the Moncada assault shows that the ideology completely changed, and Castro ended becoming a dictator.
The dictatorship traits resulted from changing the country from a capitalist country to a communist state. The move meant that Castro had to eliminate private businesses to make Cuba a communist state. Fidel’s action angered wealthy business owners in the country and neighboring states that were against the USSR’s ideologies of communism (McDermott 18). After assuming power, Castro was forced to become a dictator to consolidate power. Castro began by killing Baptist supporters to avoid a coup that would stem from the individuals. He wanted to prevent the possibility of having betrayers in the new government. Castro also failed to implement the land reforms promised to peasants before the assumption of power. Instead, he focused on battles with the US for the part they played in supporting Batista against his revolution.
The assent into the presidency made it easy for him to obtain complete control over the social, political, and economic aspects of the country. First, Castro took over all US-owned businesses in the country. Fidel wished to rid the country of US influence for them to focus on communism. The land reforms would have made it hard for everyone to become equal in the country; thus, he did not pass the improvements for the government to own the land. Castro then went ahead to convert Cuba to a one-party state and fully support the USSR in its wars abroad.
Fidel controlled media outlets to avoid US influence in rallying the citizens against his reforms. His primary wish was for the country to rid itself of US influence; however, the actions caused a war between Cuba and the US (McDermott 21). The United States broke off trade relations and coordinated various assassination attempts against President Castro. Luckily, Fidel survived all the efforts and continued the war against the US at the expense of Cuba’s economic downfall, especially after the fall of the USSR (McDermott 22). The situation caused various individuals to flee the country to the extent that Castro gave the defectors a window to escape and seek asylum in other countries.
Castro retained the power to the Castro family from 1960 to 2018 through his dictatorship methods. He ruled from 1960 to 2008 when he gave power to his brother since he could no longer lead the country due to health reasons. Castro’s brother ruled until 2018 when he stepped down and gave authority to Miguel Diaz-Cane. Fidel Castro ruled the country towards equality and communism despite criticism from human rights activists.
Work Cited
McDermott, April Ann. “A Study of Fidel Castro: Motives Behind the Cuban Revolutionary.” (2016).