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Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the consolidation of power in a single leader or small group, limited political pluralism, repression of dissent, and little to no accountability to the public.
Censorship
Censorship in Cuba was a systematic government policy designed to eliminate dissent and control all forms of communication, including print, electronic media, arts, and academia.
Cult of Personality
The use of mass media, propaganda, and state-controlled information to create an idealized and heroic public image of a leader, demanding unquestioning devotion. Stalin's cult portrayed him as an infallible genius and the father of the Soviet nation.
Literacy Campaign
The Cuban Literacy Campaign (Campana de Alfabetizacion) was a 1961 nationwide programme in which approximately 250,000 volunteer teachers (brigadistas) were sent to rural areas to teach reading and writing. It raised Cuba's literacy rate from around 60% to 96% within a single year.
Marxism-Leninism
Communist ideology emphasizing class struggle and revolution; Mao later adapted it to focus on peasants rather than industrial workers.
Propaganda
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view. States use propaganda through media, education, and public events to shape public opinion.
Totalitarianism
A system of government in which the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life, including political, economic, and cultural domains.
Vanguard Party
A small, tightly organised party of professional revolutionaries that leads the working class toward revolution. Developed by Lenin in What Is To Be Done? (1902), the vanguard party concept argued that the proletariat could not achieve revolutionary consciousness on its own and needed a disciplined elite to guide it. This became the organisational model for the Bolshevik Party.