CUBA: Castro in Power Notes from Cuba: A New History by Richard Gott Castros takeover After Batista fled

d from Cuba, Castro began a victory parade/march from Santiago to Havana. 2nd-8th January and Havana enjoyed a prolonged fiesta The rebels were treated as heroes a(beards and berets became symbols of the revolution.) Initially Urrutia was made President and Cardona was P.M. Castro remained at the head of the rebel army Victory celebrations Held on 26th July 1959 (anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks) peasants rode into Havana and were welcomed Repression Several hundred ex-Batista supporters were executed by firing squad Some of the trials were held in the Havana Sports Stadium and were televised Foreign journalists hailed it as a Bloodbath. Guevara personally signed over 50 death warrants and Raul Castro is said to have presided over the mass execution of 70. Raul was selected as Castros second-in-command and successor(Raul was a supporter of Communism but at this point Castro was NOT) Early Measures Crackdown on immorality (personal crusade of Urritia) brothels, gambling dens and the national lottery were to be closed down Castro limited this action by delaying it until alternative means of income could be organized for those affected Ministry of Social Welfare and Ministry of Housing set up- reductions in rents and cuts in mortgage rates Price controls introduced over telephones and electricity Prices of medicines reduced Minimum wage for sugar cane cutters Land Reform Land reform was announced in May 1959 Large estates were to be broken up (none over 1,000 acres) although there were some exceptions Very popular with peasants A government department was set up to organize the land reform- INRA (National Institute for Agrarian Reform)

Reaction in USA News of the land reform alarmed the US The reforms particularly hit foreign landowners Castro was perceived as being pro-Communist USA began to cut purchases of sugar from Cuba, forcing Cuba to look for other markets Some members of the government resigned in protest at the new measures and the indoctrination classes held within the military Urrutia was forced to resign and was replaced by Dorticos (sympathetic towards Communism) Treatment of Black Cubans There was an incident in March 1959 when Ches black bodyguards were asked to leave a beach club (Che was convalescing there) The bodyguards objected and tried to take over the club Che spoke to them and said that the time was not yet ready for an end to segregation and that it was more important to consolidate the revolution! NB: Black Cubans were not prominent in the rebel army and many had preferred Batista who was a mulatto. Castro spoke out against discrimination and acted to close down white only clubs and this angered some of his white supporters Image of the revolution Abroad The rebels were seen as youthful, energetic, charismatic men They helped to inspire the student movements that were characteristic of 1960s Supporters of the revolution set up the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in USA (NB: most famous member was Lee Harvey Oswald!) USA had initially been reassured by Urrutia as President but were extremely concerned about the land reform Initial US concerns were economic and not political (anti-Communist) The Revolution caught the Soviet Union by surprise and it was the rebels who looked to USSR rather than visa versa they needed to sell sugar Che was sent on a trip to garner foreign support and markets for Cuban sugar and made contacts with USSR. Soon after a Soviet Trade Exhibition opened in Havana

US Reaction to Cuba By 1960 Feb the CIA was already planning to sabotage Cubas sugar refineries There were some attacks on small sugar mills and a Belgian ship carrying small arms to Cuba was blown up in Havana harbour ( the iconic image of Che in his beret was taken when he visited the scene)

Sugar Exports/ Moving Closer to USSR Feb 1960 USSR agreed to buy 1 million tons of sugar from Cuba. They would pay for 80% of it in goods (mainly oil) In April Soviet crude oil began to arrive in Cuba and the Cuban government requested that the three main oil refineries ( Shell, Standard Oil and Texaco) begin to refine it. USA put pressure on the refineries NOT to process the oil The Cuban government responded by confiscating their assets in Cuba and nationalizing the oil companies USA then reduced the existing quota of sugar that they purchased from Cuba and Cuba was faced with 700,000 tons of unsold sugar USSR offered to buy the unsold crop Krushchev said We consider that the Monroe Doctrine has outlasted its time. The Monroe Doctrine dated back to 1823 when USA had declared that the Americas were to be seen within the USAs sphere of influence Castro hit back at USA by announcing the confiscation of all major US properties on the island (included banks, railways, port facilities, hotels etc)

Castros Visit to UN General Assembly Meeting in New York September 1960 Castro travelled to New York to address the Un general assembly He refused to stay in the hotel arranged for him and set up in the Hotel Theresa in Harlem (a strong African American area) Castro received great support from the crowds in Harlem It was a propaganda victory for black Americans and a snub from Castro to USA US Trade Embargo November 1960 US announced a trade embargo on US exports to Cuba (except food and medicines) Jan 1961 USA cut diplomatic ties with Cuba Bay of Pigs Invasion April 1961 (see other notes) US provided training in guerilla tactics for Cuban exiles in May 1960 Very little secrecy and the attack was anticipated Landings were organized by CIA but no US troops involved Landing site was the sea inlet known as the Bay of Pigs In the week before the landings counter-revolutionaries (those against Castro) on the island had stepped up their anti-government activities Invasion took pace on 17th April but was crushed within 2 days Poorly planned and Castros troops were well prepared Of the 1,500 exiles who took part- 100 were killed and 1,200 captured

Survivors were paraded and interviewed on TV by journalists. Castro personally interviewed some of them (he asked the audience what should be done with them and they shouted To the Wall!) Only 5 were executed and 9 sentenced to 30 years in prison. The rest were detained (eventually sent back to USA a year later in return for food and medicine) The attack reinforced Latin American belief that USA could not be trusted and drove Castro further into camp of USSR USA began a covert scheme called Operation Mongoose to bring down Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis October 1962 See other notes The Campaign to Eradicate Illiteracy 1961 1961 saw a big push to improve education in Cuba 40% of Cubans were illiterate 1961 Illiteracy campaign was set up- 100,000 student teachers (teenagers) were given the task of travelling the country teaching people to read and write They received a uniform and a special oil lamp with which to travel at night. This caught the imagination of the world and was seen as a great aspect of the Revolution Cuba became famous for devoting money towards a free national schooling system and also for its willingness to innovate and experiment Castro and the Soviet Union Castro visited Moscow in April 1963 (Soviets sent their new plane Tupolev-114 to collect him big prestige for Castro) Krushchev (Soviet leader) was eager to ensure that Castro remained in the Soviet camp rather than moving towards the Chinese Communists He stayed in USSR for a month long visit Discussions about Cubas economy Castro was persuaded that Cuba should focus on sugar production rather than economic diversification which was being suggested by Che Guevara USSR promised to purchase Cuban sugar at least until 1970 (gauaranteed market!) Exodus from Cuba 1965 of Middle Classes Cubas embrace of Communism increased the numbers of Cubans seeking to leave the island In the first two years after Castros takeover it is estimated that 40,000 left 1961- 80,000 1962- 70,000

Most went to Florida (particularly Miami where there was already a thriving Cuban community) many believing that they would one day return to Cuba Many children were sent unaccompanied Operation Pedro Pan to escape Communist indoctrination After the Missile Crisis commercial flights were halted between Cuba and USA so they had to leave by boat- a risky journey and there were fatalities at sea In 1965 Castro, in an attempt to make this a safer and more orderly process, set aside Camarioca as a harbour which would allow boats to come to collect any Cubans wishing to escape. Those who left had to give their homes and property to the government. Thousands left but there were still many boat sinkings. An agreement was reached between Castro and President Johnson to set up flights for those wishing to leave (flights continued until 1971) US government paid for the flights and provided $100 to each family. By 1970 260,000 had left (by end of 1980s- 1 million) In the early years this exodus was a loss of professional and technical skills for Cuba mostly middle class wealthier people left

Cubas Involvement in Other Countries Cubas main representative in foreign affairs was Che Guevara Latin America Che Guevara We have shown that a small group of resolute men, supported by the people and not afraid to die if necessary, can take on a disciplined regular army and completely defeat it. Cuba actively encouraged revolutionary movements in other parts of Latin America and Che became the most involved in this. He wrote books on guerrilla warfare Cuba provided military training, some financial assistance and weapons to hose wishing to organize revolutions in other countries Small scale expeditions were launched against the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina (Ches homeland) Africa Cuba also looked to Africa as a continent that was ready for revolution and prepared to help groups there who were fighting against repressive governments eg: Guinea_Bissau - help was sent to those fighting for independence from Portugal Angola.- Soldiers were trained to help liberate Angola Algeria Cuba supplied weapons to Algeria in its struggle for independence from France and also sent public health workers to Algeria The Congo. -A unit trained and led by Che Guevara was sent to the Congo in 1965 to assist rebels fighting there. (According to Gott, Che Guevara misunderstood the situation in Africa. His vision was that the rebels in various African states would aid each other and fight to liberate other

countries. The reality is that most of the rebel forces were concerned only with their own internal situation. -The Cubans were internationalist and were fighting for world revolution.) The Cubans , led by Che, remained in the Congo for 7 months but were eventually driven out by South African mercenaries

Ches Expedition to Bolivia and Death in 1966 In 1966 Che led a group of Cuban troops to Bolivia to join with the Bolivian Communists who were fighting for control. Che expected to be in charge of the guerrillas but the local Communist leader, Monje, disagreed and Che was left alone in the Bolivian bush with only 16 Cubans, 3 Peruvians, and 29 Bolivians. Che was captured and executed Cuba and the USSR 1968-85 In 1968 Castro acted to end all private businesses in Cuba. This affected bars, grocery shops, garages, carpenters and anyone who operated a private business. Castro said that it was time to crack down on lazy persons in perfect physical condition who set up some kind of vending stand, any kind of small business, in order to make 50 pesos a day.

Castros Attitude to the Prague Spring Crackdown Castro Surprised many people when he spoke in support of the Soviet crackdown on Prague in 1968. The Czech Communists, led by Dubcek, had tried to secure some degree of independence from USSR. Most Cubans imagined that Castro would adopt the stance of Che Guevara who had been a critic of the Soviet model. (Why? Some historians have said that the Cuban Revolution had initially adopted Communism because the Movement lacked its own ideology and needed protection from he USA. Castro can be seen as a pragmatist.) Castros Drive to Improve the Sugar Output and Failure of the Sugar Target of 1970 In 1970 Castro proclaimed that they would bring in a 10 million ton sugar harvest Cuba had a guaranteed price and market in the Soviet Union. The Battle for Sugar took place Nov 1969-July 1970. Holidays cancelled whole country mobilized to meet the target. (The target was NOT achieved but they did make 8.5 million tons.) NB: Gott makes the point that this was solely Castros idea and that here was very little economic planning from economists in Cuba. Brezhnev Years: 1972-82 Increased Soviet Influence Under President Brezhnev Russian influence increased in Cuba and Russian advisers worked with factory managers on planning. In July 1972 Cuba joined Comecon and there was an increased Soviet subsidy to the economy. The Russians agreed to increase the price they paid for sugar and all debt repayments were to be delayed for 15 years. In 1976 the first 5 year plan was introduced. (following Soviet model)

Cuban Help for Angola In 1975 Castro sent a large troop contingent to help the revolutionary army of Agostinho Neto in Angola who were facing defeat from the South African invasion force. This was planned as a short mission but Cuban troops were still in Angola 15 years later. Cuba and USA 1976-79 Nixon had been very anti-Castro. Therell be no change toward that bastard while Im president. 1976 Jimmy Carter became president and US policy was more friendly towards Cuba. He eased US reconnaissance flights over Cuba and eased restrictions for US citizens travelling to Cuba. US Embassy was reopened in Havana. Relaxation in Relationship with Cuban Exiles Meeting between Castro, Benes (Cuban exile in Miami) and Committee of 75 Cuban-Americans November 1978 Castro announced that he would begin releasing some of the prisoners in Cuban jails (3,,238 were being held for crimes against the state) and also told visiting US delegates in 1978 that he would now permit visits to Cuba from Cubans living abroad and there was a relaxation in travel. More than 100,000 Cuban-Americans took up the offer and went to Cuba to visit their families in 1979. Second Exodus: Mariel Boatlift 1980 1980 saw increasing instability in Cuba. In April a group of Cubans seeking asylum broke into the Peruvian Embassy in Havana. Within days 10,000 Cubans had sought asylum in the Embassy. Castro took charge of the situation and organized government demonstrations of hostility outside the homes of those who had entered the Embassy. After prolonged negotiations the would-be migrants were permitted to leave by air for Costa Rica and then on to Peru. This was followed by a mass exodus and hundreds of small boats came across from Florida, landing in the harbour at Mariel and thousands sought to leave again. Most of them were economic migrants any of them ended up in prisons in USA. After 4 months the USA called a halt to admitting the exiles.

Cuba breaks away from USSR In 1983 USSR (under Andropov) told Cuba that the Soviet Defence guarantee (in place since the Cuban Missile Crisis) could no longer be extended to Cuba.

Cuba began to move away from Soviet influence. When the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba was left without its former support.

The Special Period Castro has called the period from 1989 (collapse of the Soviet Union) until the present the Special Period. The Cuban economy declined drastically with the lack of markets for sugar and no more imports of oil from the Soviet Union.This caused considerable hardship for the Cuban people horse-drawn carts replaced cars etc Gas, water and electricity supplies were cut of for short periods to conserve energy. Food and clothing were rationed Industries that depended on foreign imports were closed down Nevertheless, great efforts were made to preserve free education and health care Foreign observers expected the downfall of Castros administration. There were anti-government protests eg: :Down with Fidel painted on walls etc One plan to boost the economy was to encourage tourism and the State began to invest in the tourist industry. Foreign partners were encouraged and the number of joint ventures increased 1990-1993 In 1993 the US $ was legalized as currency in Cuba. This was a blow to revolutionary pride but was an act of economic realism. However, it did give rise to inequality (people with dollars- gained largely through the Black Market, the tourist trade or remittances from Miamiwere much better of than those who did not. In 1993 small businesses were again allowed (private bars and restaurants had been closed since 1968) and hundreds of small businesses were set up. The most dramatic change was the introduction of paladares or private restaurants. BUT these proved so successful that Castro ordered them to be closed. He believed that they were against the revolutionary spirit of equality. Two years later they were allowed to re-open but were limited to 12 tables only. There was also a return to some private ownership of farms (cooperatives to replace the old state farms) Private markets were reestablished. Castro himself still spoke in favour of Socialism believing that it was more just, more honourble and more humane

Another Exodus to USA In 1994 economic unrest led to anti-government demonstrations. Restrictions were once again lifted on those wanting to leave the country and thousands left for the USA. US economic restrictions against Cuba have continued.