The Cuban Revolution: A Fragmented Society

A Fragmented Society

After its independence from Spain Cuba suffered from a more political instability and had gone through many changes from reformist, revolutionary and dictatorship governments. The conditions for the 1959 revolution had always been present however what let to this revolution and truly changed the forms of government in Cuba was to recognized these conditions and change them. The conditions that led to the revolution in 1959 were Cuba’s economic dependence on the United States that led to the anti-American sentiment, the divided and fragmented Cuban society that led to political corruption.

Cuba’s anti-American sentiment begin when the United States forces occupied Cuba right after its independence from Spain and passed

the Platt amendment of 1902. This amendment was added to the Cuban constitution that allowed the United States to intervene in the island social, political and most importantly economic relations. The Platt amendment reduced Cuban sovereignty and also put limits to how much Cuba could borrow economically from other forging’s countries. This amendment represented a false Cuban independence. U.S interventions in Cuban relations right after Cuban’s independence reduced Cuba’s ability to thrive as an independent nation. This intervention shaped the forms in which politics relied on foreign aid and colonial role and it created a lot political problems such as corruptive elections. One of the most notorious U.S interventions in corruptive governments was during Gerardo Machado’s dictatorship and the support it gave the army to overthrow Machado’s successor José Martí. Jose Martí was a nationalist intellectual and activist who lead the ideology advocating racial fraternity “with all and for all” (Racial Democracy pg. 26-39). Marti envisioned a new Cuba that would be independent, socially egalitarian, and racially inclusive. Sectors within the white leadership of the liberation army were interested in minimizing black’s participation in the new Cuba. White elites troubled by visible racial diversity of the island’s population and it was clear that political independence from Spain could not be attained without formation of multiracial alliance and Jose Marti created the notion of Cubaness that conciliated racial diversity. Marti brought up the issues of race and said that the abolition of slavery was not an example of generosity by Cuban masters or Spanish colonial authorities but a “conquest” by black insurgent in 1868 war (A Nation for All). It is important to note that while Marti was talking about issues of race within the Island the U.S. was dealing with segregation on their side of the land.
American economic and political influenced on Cuba were closely connected.

The United States had invested in Cuba slowly since Spain was still ruling Cuban. During the 1920’s Cuba platters were left in debt due to the collapsed of the price of the sugar during the 1920’s. However as years past the same investment in Cuba by the US became a billion dollar business. The majority of Cuban exports went to America during 1950s and by that time the United States had almost absolute controlled of the transportation, electricity, banks etc. of Cuba. This economic control took a tool on Cuba. It is also important to mention the significance of “western invasion” in 1895 because politically, United states had a heavy influence on what a civilization nation is (White), as such, political leaders set boundaries to prevent Afro Cuban mobility within political rhetoric to allow Cuba to be autonomous in the eyes of the United States. Socially, the United States presence created tension among Cuban Americans. One was the socially mobility of rural workers from their countryside to urban cities. Because the United States owned 60 percent of land, which most was used for Hershey and the Fruit Company. Work became scarce forcing rural working to seek jobs within the cities. Economically, the U.S held economic power for foreign trade and the ability to fluctuate the sugar prices. As such, the great depression was a perfect example that left the country in economic ruin. One of the advantages

of this economic control was control over Cuba’s selection of governments. This economic dependence on the United States limited and restricted the participation of Cuban leaders for governmental positions; it crippled Cuba. Cuban government officials had US’s interests as priority, which limited any other reform that would be in favor to Cuba. These interests were the primary concern for Cuban politicians.
The dependence on sugar not only affected the political system of Cuba but it also brought up to the surface the social problems.

By 1933, Cuba was in chaos, and US support for Machado was wavering. The ABC, a secret society of intellectuals willing to oppose Machado through terrorism and sabotage. The name ABC was not an acronym for anything but instead stood for the notion that what needed to done was basic and obvious. In addition to opposing Machado the ABC called for fundamental change in Cuban society and its economy for the furtherance of social justice. These included the elimination of large land holdings, public ownership of public services and the promotion of cooperatives. The ABC sought to prohibit the acquisition of Cuban land by American interests. However, sugar collapse of 1920 and Cubanidad needed to be re-interpreted cubanidad. The US had had notions of race and advancement in Cuba, and it was obligatory on cubanidad to help create a politically stable, culturally homogenous, and prosperous modern nation (Race and Social Warfare p. 189). Education was also a huge class division within Cuba. Black Cubans explained that the lack of education was the result of slavery and colonialism. Afro-Cubans treated schooling as sacred and campaigned to improve their education. However even an education was not sufficient for afro-Cubans to get white-collar employment, they needed social and political contacts to help them. There was a class and race fragmentation in

the island.
Despite obstacles, a big number of afro-Cubans attended school & eventually entered the professions. Afro-Cubans became teachers but being a teacher in the private schools was hard to obtain, most of them had to go to the public schools. This educational advancement of afro-Cubans was a demonstration of blacks’ capacity; whites perceived it as a threat to the social order and to racial hierarchies( Nationalizing Blackness).
The ambition and mobility of the blacks were a motive of alarm. Racial tensions rose and whites thought that the blacks were taking away job opportunities that they could have filled although many professionals, the overwhelming majority of those with the best jobs and upper middle class were whites because of connections. They also didn’t want to let blacks take those jobs. Afro-Cubans feared that the “primitive” cultural forms of those blacks that were uneducated served to reinforce the link between the lowness and blackness (Nationalizing Blackness). Afro-Cuban intellectuals said ‘we must elevate our social morale” because statistics showed how blacks were 3 times higher in illegitimate births and had 2 times less marriages than the whites. Blacks were denied apartments and hotels, when they tried to stay in one, owners would claim that it was full even if it was well-known blacks, services in luxurious hotels were denied. Many Africans even hid their religions behind catholic saints to try to blend in (Education and mobility). The PCC (Cuban Communist Part) and CNOC’s ability to mobilize across racial lines, and the inclusion of sugar workers, many of them from the Caribbean, helped their success. Machado’s reformist unions had been calling for the end of immigration in the 20’s when the economy was suffering. But the radicalized left called for all workers to unite. Understanding that sugar workers were crucial. The PCC even denounced the calls to deport the Spanish, Chinese, and European braceros that had stayed. In many respects, the Communists were successful in creating a pan-racial movement. However the limits of their success were caused by the huge question of workplace discrimination, and the PCC had to confront that. Cubans denounced discrimination and US racism, using it as leverage to foster anti-imperialist feelings in Cubans. Race became central to the PCC. The president Ramon Grau San Martin then had to answer to organized labor and made many great strides. He created limits on how many non-Cubans could be in a workplace. It pleased the unemployed but not the radicals, who thought it was fascistic and a tool to divide workers. Race ended up being central to the divisions that weakened organized labor. You have the 1933 Sergeant’s revolt that ousted San Martin, put Batista in place. Those disgruntled officers were from elite backgrounds, reviled the new darker army and assault on white spaces, and so opponents of all kinds to San Martin came up with rumors of black conspiracies and used race to generate chaos and confusion. There was also an element of sabotage to try to paint the picture of an impending race war. Afrocuban participation in the wars of independence is how they got at least some political inclusion(Nationalizing Blackness).
Batista was “a mulatto with some Chinese ancestry.” His political and military abilities were emphasized, and his race had to be “modified.” He was rumored to have had some indigenous blood and that was played up, because “Chilean/Mexican or Chilean-Indian= more crafty than a negro-Chinese. “Batista worked to create a political base outside of just the military. He offered order and stability to foreign investors, new opportunities for traditional actors, and amnesty and reforms to the popular masses. He presented himself as a radical populist concerned with the dispossessed. He claimed to have a revolutionary agenda. He wanted to be viewed as the incarnation of the 1933 revolution.
This political apparatus reflected the fragmentations of Cuban society. Having look at the history of Cuba, it is clear that the economic dependence on sugar by sugar and the social economic controlled of the United States continue the political corruption of Cuba that led to the revolution of 1959. It also exposed the issues of class that were continuously dragged since Spain control over the island.