Impact of Cuban Revolution on Cuban Culture
The Cuban revolution was a non-communist revolution. Its purpose was to oust Fulgencio Batista (Cuba’s dictator in the 1950″s) and re-establish the constitution of 1940. There were many different political groups involved in this effort; the majority were sincerely interested in improving the life of Cubans. Only handfuls were communists. But the communists grabbed all the power by eliminating their rivals. Unfortunately, most Cubans were politically naive, and the result was a brutal dictatorship. The revolution was a significant change for the poor Cuban citizens, the vast majority of the population. It did not only overthrew a corrupt and repressive dictatorship, absolutely submissive to the interest of American government, corporations, and mafia, it also changed the status quo of people, and they felt in command of their lives, even if the time showed it was only an illusion but took many years for them to realize it.
There was an agrarian reform in which land was redistributed, part was given to those who worked it, and the rest was kept by the government to create state-run agrarian enterprises. This was also popular and gave Castro the support of the peasants who felt owners of the land and their lives. But these policies also failed over time. The state-run farms were largely unproductive for the same reason for the fixed salaries, which were also a lot lower than the ones on factories or service institutions. People started to immigrate to cities seeking better salaries and opportunities, and those left behind were doing the same thing of working the less possible and not caring about the product of their work. The private peasants did better, but they were crippled by the fact that they could not sell their product to anyone else but the state which fixed low prices that made them disgruntled. Fidel started to look for ways to stimulate the production of the state-owned farms, but the demise of the Soviet Union sent those plans to drawers permanently.
Additionally, after the nationalization of the economy, practically everybody able to work could get permanent employment with salaries which were fair for the times, this brought immense relief for the Cuban working class who was severely treated before and was always having the shadow of unemployment hanging over them. With the time this system fired back since people were working for fixed salaries regardless of productivity, they lost interest in the product of their work and tended to work as little as possible. The government was hoping to sort this with moral stimulation, creating emulation systems that awarded diplomas and distinction, but at the end of the day, it became meaningless. All this, coupled to the impact of disastrous voluntaristic economic campaigns based on Castro’s delusions of being an economy genius, made the Cuban economy totally inefficient with a permanent deficit that needed to be covered by massive Soviet subsidies.
Also, people who were living in rented houses for a certain number of years were declared owner of their homes, for other the rent was limited with the possibility of becoming owners after 20 years paying rent. The government made ambitious plans for the construction of new houses in the form of multi familiar buildings. In the late 70s and the 80s, they also incentivized people to build their own houses, selling them the construction materials. Once again, this came to an abrupt halt with the disappearance of the Soviet Union. From then forwards, very little new housing has been created in Cuba, and many are in very precarious conditions due to lack of maintenance.
Moreover, the institution of universal health care with free access for everyone is undoubtedly one of his most acclaimed policies. Public health services in Cuba before 1959 were inferior and totally inaccessible for a large part of the population. It took an immense effort to build the dense network of public health services facilities currently available on the island and to form the large amount of health professionals that run it. It was always a prioritized program followed by Fidel personally, and he made sure of providing all the necessary means for its running and growing despite the economic situation of the country. Cuban people had, for many years, the absolute relief of knowing that in the event of a health problem, they will receive immediate attention at very good standards. I have avoided saying that health services are free because they aren’t, but going further into that exceeds the purpose of this answer. After 1990 the whole system entered progressive deterioration due to the general crisis and nowadays is still in place but with enormous difficulties and constraints.
Furthermore, education has been another banner of Fidel’s social programs, and it has also been a formidable feat that took a lot of effort and resources. It transformed Cuba in one of the best-educated people in the world, actually with a surplus of people with tertiary education. But the policy is not as benign as it may seem. The only schools available are all government-run and teach, along with the usual stuff, the ideology of the regime. There is no option, no alternative. You have to accept to be taught every day the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism, inculcated the permanent cult of Fidel Castro’s personality, and receive all types of information according to the prism of government views. And the worst part is that when you finally graduate, you are bound to work for life for the government only and wherever you are deployed. Not compliance with that may lead to your qualification been forfeited and deregistered. In summary, the whole system is aimed at the creation of a highly educated workforce, cheap and always available, to be used in whatever way the government needs.
After the 1959 Cuban revolution, the relationship between Cuba and inter-American firms was questioned as well as in 1962; there was a collection of ballots by Kennedy in an attempt to remove Cuba from inter-American firms. It is in this period that the governance of Cuba had to be handed over to the United States from Spain. It started to be ruled by military management of the U.S. In this time, the Cubans had to occupy public offices and community offices when compared to when it used to be ruled by Spanish.
Also, it was through the Cuban revolution that significant development were achieved as well as Cuba became a Latin America’s role model, by the leftist parties that were well-known and by dissatisfied academics and scholar of middle-class basis. As the years moved by, Latin America started experiencing an increased rural guerrilla battle as well as urban radicalism, as a reply to stark diligence in political domination and public disparities. However, the upsurge made Cuba increasingly motivated; thus, delivering training as well as a material provision towards guerillas. Such a Latin American reaction led to the formation that was embraced keenly by the U.S.
In conclusion, the Cuban revolution was necessary to free the Cuban people from the oppression of the rulers who, during the neocolonial, kept the Island subordinate to the interests of the government of the United States. In contrast, the Cuban people had no schools, no hospitals, and health indicators, and education was terrible. Cuba was ruled by a cruel dictator named Fulgencio Batista, who governed with the backing of the U.S. government in the interest of various American businesses. The revolution changed the culture of the Cubans and its international relations with other nations, including the United States.
Bibliography
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Lipman, Jana. “The United States And The Cuban Revolution.” Diplomatic History 35, no. 1 (2010): 155-158. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7709.2010.00940.x.
León, Dayma Echevarría. “Gender Socialization And Patriarchal Culture In Cuban Enterprise Management.” Cuban Studies 42, no. 1 (2011): 97-106. doi:10.1353/cub.2011.0008.