History of the Cuban Revolution

A History of the Cuban Revolution presents a concise socio-historical account of the Cuban Revolution of 1959, an event that continues to spark debate 50 years later. * Balances a comprehensive overview of the political and economic events of the revolution with a look at the revolution's social impact * Provides a lively, on-the-ground look at the lives of ordinary people * Features both U.S. and Cuban perspectives to provide a complete and well-rounded look at the revolution and its repercussions * Encourages students to understand history through the viewpoint of individuals living it * Selected as a 2011 Outstanding Academic Title by CHOICETable of ContentList of Illustrations viii Series Editor s Preface x Acknowledgments xii Introduction 1 Talking about Freedom 2 Scholars Weigh In 4 Why Revolution? 6 Comparing Capitalism and Socialism 9 Latin American Attitudes 14 1 Cuba through 1959 18 Colonial History 18 The Colony in the Republic 25 Revolution: A War, or a Process? 34 2 Experiments with Socialism 44 Analyzing the Situation: Economic Backwardness 45 The 1960s: Experimentation and the Great Debate 48 The 1970s: Institutionalization and the Soviet Model 55 Democracy: U.S. and Cuban Style 56 Cuba in the 1970s: How it Worked 57 1986: Rectification 61 How Democratic was Cuban Socialism? 62 3 Relations with the United States 65 The United States and Cuba 66 In their Own Words: U.S. Policymakers Respond to Revolution69 Covert War: Up to the Bay of Pigs 76 Covert War: After the Bay of Pigs 79 The Missile Crisis 82 After the Missile Crisis 85 The War Continues 86 4 Emigration and Internationalism 91 Miami 94 Cuba s Global Reach: Beyond the Cold War 97 Cuba and Black Internationalism 98 Cuba in Africa and Latin America 100 Civilian Aid Missions 103 5 Art, Culture, and Revolution 106 Literature 110 Film 116 Music 120 Sport 122 Dance 125 Political Culture 126 Food 131 6 Cuba Diversa 134 Race 135 Gender 141 Sexuality 144 Religion 149 7 The Special Period : Socialism on One Island153 1993 95: Rapid-Fire Reforms 154 Social Impact of the Market Reforms 157 Limits to Capitalism 159 Charting New Territory 162 Contradictions: Inequality and Jineterismo 164 Opting to Leave: The 1994 Exodus 168 Debate and its Limits during the 1990s 171 8 Cuba into the Twenty-First Century 176 From Perfeccionamiento to Recentralization 177 Civil Society into the New Century 183 Disillusionment 186 Bush-Era Policies 188 Cuba, Venezuela, and the ALBA 189 Cuba after Fidel 190 Conclusion 193 Notes 196 Bibliography 214 Index 228Review QuoteApproaching Cuba s revolutionary experiment withthird-world socialism from a decidedly sympathetic, progressive,and anti-imperialist standpoint, Chomsky does not shy away fromairing the revolution s dirty laundry even if she places mostof the blame for its troubles squarely at the feet of its morepowerful neighbor to the north. LatinAmerican in Focus: Cuba (ABC-Clio, 2013)"This excellent short history covers a number of themes whilemanaging to be exceptionally insightful... Chomsky brings abalanced breath of fresh air that not only informs readers but alsoilluminates the topic. Summing Up: Essential. Alllevels/libraries." (Choice, 1 August 2011) "This fact alone makes Chomsky's volume a welcome addition tothe historiography of Cuba, and more broadly, Latin America ...Chomsky's book is concise (less than 200 pages of text) and highlyreadable, two characteristics favorable for course adoption." (TheAmericas, 1 July 2011) "In the case of the Cuban revolution, this book fulfils thatintent and appears as a useful addition to the available teachingmaterial. Its division in chapters that can stand alone, basedaround the themes of economy and politics, relations with theUnited States, migration, culture, diversity, the special periodand Cuba in the 21st century, would allow teachers to useparticular sections as class material in a wide range of courses.Tighter editing for the next edition could make it more usefulstill." (Reviews in History, 9 June 2011 "An overview of the political and economic events is combinedwith a look at this social impact through an examination of thelives of ordinary people." (Times Higher Education Supplement, 24February 2011) This book is a useful textbook for undergraduate studentsand a welcome addition to the historiography on the CubanRevolution. I would even strongly recommend it to any touristvisiting the island since it is concise, very well written, andeasy to digest. (Hispanic American HistoricalReview, 1 August 2012)Biographical NoteAviva Chomsky is Professor of History and Coordinator of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Salem State College in Massachusetts. Her previous books include Linked Labor Histories: New England, Colombia, and the Making of a Global Working Class (2008), winner of the New England Council of Latin America's Best Book Prize, They Take Our Jobs! And 20 Other Myths about Immigration (2007), and West Indian Workers and the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica, 1870-1940 (1996).