Notes for Aims and results of policies: Castro's domestic policies - social policies - IB | RevisionDojo
Aims and results of policies: Castro's domestic policies - social policies Notes
Domestic Policies: Social Policies
The 1961 Literacy CampaignTip
Questions about social policies will demand you work with education, health, youth and gender policies and policies regarding religious groups and minorities.
Please bear in mind that you don’t need to cover all these aspects!
Make sure you know at least three of them back to back.
Gender and minorities can appear as stand alone questions.
Education
The 1961 Literacy Campaign
Before 1959, rural Cuba had widespread illiteracy and poor access to education.
In 1961, Castro declared the “Year of Education” and launched a mass literacy campaign.
271,000 brigadistas (teachers and volunteers) taught reading and writing, mainly in rural areas.
Military barracks were converted into schools; more schools were built between 1959–1962 than in the previous 58 years.
Illiteracy dropped from 24% to 4% by 1962.
The campaign both educated the poor and politicized youth, tying education to revolutionary values.
Education as Ideological Training
After 1961, all private schools nationalized; education reshaped to produce loyal revolutionaries.
Curricula focused on revolutionary heroes; libraries purged of counter-revolutionary texts.
Teachers trained in the USSR/Eastern Europe; dissenting educators dismissed.
Schools emphasized ideological training, with students expected to join volunteer labor and monitor teachers’ political views.
Self review
The Literacy Campaign of 1961 can be seen as the most relevant success of Castro’s domestic policies.
Make sure you take notes of it for questions that demand that you assess or evaluate policies.
In the following Historiography box you have more nuance to present a successful assessment.
Historiography
An assessment of the Literacy Campaign (1961)
Positive view:
Education as social justice and revolutionary inclusion; “heroic and unprecedented” mass mobilization of 250,000 volunteers (many women and youth).
Promoted literacy, class consciousness, and national unity. Elevated women’s roles and framed education as a human right.
Critical view:
Literacy used as ideological indoctrination; materials infused with propaganda, promoting political loyalty over independent thought.
Gains in literacy acknowledged but seen as reinforcing authoritarianism.
Youth policies
Children and teens drawn into state-controlled organizations (UJC, José Martí Pioneers).
Schools and groups instilled loyalty, discipline, and civic rituals tied to the revolution.
Youth took part in literacy campaigns, harvests, and agricultural work, blending ideology with productive labor.
Case study
José Martí Pioneer Organization (Organización de Pioneros José Martí)
Founded in 1961, modeled on Soviet youth groups, for children 6–15.
Aimed to instill Marxist-Leninist values: obedience, collectivism, sacrifice.
Named after José Martí, linking independence heroism to revolutionary ideals.
Children wore blue/red scarves, pledged to be “like Che,” and joined rituals, songs, community service, and drills.
Worked with the Ministry of Education: textbooks promoted revolutionary heroes, and participation was near-universal.
Noncompliance could mean academic penalties or blocked advancement.
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What state initiative was launched in 1961 to address housing?
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Note
After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro's government launched a series of ambitious social policies aimed at transforming Cuban society. These policies were designed to address the inequalities and social injustices that existed under the previous regime.
The revolution aimed to create a more egalitarian society through comprehensive social reforms
Social policies were seen as a way to legitimize the new government and gain popular support
The government prioritized areas such as education, healthcare, and social welfare
DefinitionSocial Policies
Government actions and programs designed to improve the well-being of citizens and address social issues.
Analogy
Think of Castro's social policies as a complete renovation of a house - instead of just fixing a few problems, the government aimed to rebuild the entire social structure from the ground up.
