In 1492 Columbus "Discovered" the Island of Cuba
and the 14 native Indian (mulatto) tribes that lived there and
claimed the island for Spain. In the ensuing hundreds of years of
pirates, sugar and rum production and slave immigration from Africa, the
natives were all but eradicated. The three races of Cubans exist to this
day: White from Spain, Native Indians and Black from Africa. The Spanish presence increased until
the late 1,800s when Jose Marti, Cuban born of Spanish parents, fomented the overthrow of Spain with US
help. This succeeded in 1899. Marti had died in 1895, though, before
the Spanish defeat.
All over Cuba there are references to "The Revolution".
This is not about the Castro takeover in 1959, but about the 500 year
old struggle for independence since the original Spaniards arrived in
the 1,500s.
The US and Spain finally decreed that Spain would no longer rule, but
in Spain's place the US became the virtual governor through a US act
that allowed supervisory intervention if required as society progressed.
Cuba was ruled by various dictators ending with Batista, and that
situation endured until the late '50s when Castro and Che Guevara met
in Mexico to plot the overthrow of the Batista regime. It succeeded in
1959 and the current State of Cuba was born. Along with this, Cuba
nationalized most foreign business, and many educated Cubans and most
foreign nationals (All US nationals) left the country. The outraged US
also imposed sanctions
that live to this day. (no trade, no travel, no foreign aid, no
communication) Almost all US vehicles in Cuba are 1958 or older and many
are still running, albeit with many patches and repairs.
With Soviet help, the Communist Dictatorship stabilized the country
until the attempted US invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and the
Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
With the missiles removed after a US blockade, and with Soviet backing, Cuba continued
under socialism until the demise and concurrent funding withdrawl
occasioned by the 1991-1993 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since then, it has been a hard time for Cuba as the realities of
international finance have devalued the peso, and most Cubans use US
dollars as their means to survival. Castro's tourist and exporting
policies have eased this a little, but not enough, as the minimum wage
is about 8 US Dollars a month, and even well off Cubans are poor by
other North American standards.
There seem many limitations in Cuba: One house per lifetime that
cannot be sold; doctors and workers in similar financial situations;
tourist trade workers earn more in tips than professors or other
professionals' salary; Goods are too expensive or not available at all and
government watches everything. (No travel, independent thought, free
speech, etc.) But the Cubans seem happy for the most part,
education for all is free, housing is arranged by the state and all
forms of medical care are free, including plastic surgery. Education is
said to be first rate, but facilities are limited. The same applies to medical
care, but not much modern equipment is available, so advanced procedures
may be unavailable.
It is unknown how Cuba will fare when Castro
exits. No apparent succession exists and Cuba is isolated in the western
hemisphere. It is very historical in nature and, except for occasional
hurricanes, with a mostly great climate, so tourism will likely
continue to be an economic boost. (Moreso if US citizens are again
allowed to visit.) The people seem to want a better life, but they
also want what they have. In a society changing from socialism to
democracy, like the Soviet Union, this may be a
challenge.
