Emergence: Conditions for Castro's rise to power Notes

Conditions for the Rise to Power of Fidel Castro: Political, Economic and Social

Political and Economic Dependency

1. Cuba got its independence in 1898, after Spain’s defeat in the Spanish–American War.
2. This means that Cuba’s independence movement, led by José Martí, was only able to secure independence from Spain with the aid of the US.
3. Because of this, Cuba became a nominally independent republic, but was under significant U.S. control via the Platt Amendment (1901), allowing U.S. intervention in Cuban affairs.
   1. This external domination bred nationalist resentment.
4. Because of this lack of true independence, Cuba’s economy relied almost entirely on sugar exports to the U.S., making it highly vulnerable to market fluctuations.
5. The monoculture economy consolidated dependency: Cuba was devoted to sugar cane production, preventing industrialization and cementing Cuban poverty and American domination.
6. U.S. companies dominated key sectors, from sugar plantations to utilities, leaving Cuba economically dependent and politically subordinated.
   1. By the 1950s, U.S. companies owned nearly 70% of Cuban arable land, 90% of the telephone and electricity services, and 50% of the railways.
   2. They also controlled 40% of the sugar production and 25% of bank deposits.
7. Major corporations like United Fruit and ITT dominated key industries.
   1. This economic dominance fueled resentment among Cubans, who viewed U.S. influence as a neocolonial holdover that benefited elites
   2. This left much of the population in poverty and dependent on foreign interests.

Social Inequality

1. Despite pockets of prosperity, most rural Cubans lived in poverty, with limited access to healthcare, education, or electricity.
2. Seasonal unemployment and illiteracy were widespread in the countryside, fueling popular discontent.
3. Although Cuba produced other crops like tobacco, coffee, and rice, none matched the economic dominance of sugar.
   1. Sugar accounted for up to 80% of export earnings in the 1950s.
   2. However, sugar cultivation and harvesting were highly seasonal, concentrated between January and May.
4. The intense labor demand during harvest was followed by months of near-total unemployment.
   1. Particularly for manual laborers and rural workers.
   2. Alternative employment was scarce because Cuba lacked agricultural diversification and industrial development.
5. Most small farmers couldn't switch crops or rely on state support, and mechanization further reduced year-round work opportunities.
   1. As a result, many laborers lived in cyclical poverty, with no stable income or access to healthcare, housing, or education.

Corrupt political system

1. Before the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Cuba was formally a republic, but in practice, its political system was deeply flawed and often undemocratic.
   1. A republic means there were three branches of state power: an elected president, a bicameral congress and a judiciary.
2. Cuba adopted a democratic republican constitution in 1901, revised in 1940, which was seen as progressive for its time.
   1. It included universal suffrage, separation of powers, labor protections, and civil rights.
3. In practice, the system was undermined by widespread corruption, electoral fraud, and U.S. interference.
   1. Even during democratic periods (1944–1952), systemic graft and patronage eroded public faith in institutions.
   2. Fulgencio Batista ruled as an elected president (1940–1944), but returned in 1952 through a military coup, suspending the constitution and ruling as a dictator.
   3. From 1952–1959, Cuba was a de facto military dictatorship, although it maintained the appearance of a republic.

Cuba's Economic Problems

1. By the late 1950s, Cuba’s economy, being the “sugar bowl of the world”, was severely affected by a significant drop in global sugar prices.
   1. This decline reduced export revenues, destabilizing government income and increasing economic vulnerability, as sugar accounted for up to 80% of Cuba’s export earnings.
   2. The price fall worsened trade imbalances, limiting Cuba’s ability to import essential goods.
2. Concurrently, rising international oil prices increased the cost of production and transportation, notably impacting sugar mills and related industries.
   1. Higher energy expenses reduced industrial efficiency and profitability, contributing to inflation as costs were passed onto consumers, thus decreasing purchasing power across the population.
3. These economic pressures led to inflation and widespread job insecurity.
   1. Unemployment rates soared to around 17%, with an additional 13% underemployed by the late 1950s.
   2. Seasonal sugar work exacerbated instability, especially in rural areas, deepening social unrest and undermining Batista’s regime.

Disunity, Corruption, and the Making of a Revolutionary Leader

1. Rural workers, urban laborers (that had supported Batista in the 1940s), students, and even sections of the middle and upper classes grew disillusioned with Batista’s regime.
   1. Yet the opposition lacked unity or strong leadership until Castro’s emergence.
2. Moreover, the main political parties such as the Auténticos, Ortodoxos, and communists failed to mobilize meaningful resistance or offer credible alternatives.
   1. Rampant corruption and internal divisions undermined their credibility and ability to mobilize broad support.
3. The Auténticos, despite holding power for much of the 1940s and early 1950s, were seen as self-serving and disconnected from popular concerns.
4. The Ortodoxos, while advocating anti-corruption, lacked strong organizational capacity and were fragmented.
5. Meanwhile, the communists remained marginal due to Cold War pressures and repression.
   1. This political weakness created a power and representation vacuum that allowed new actors like Fidel Castro to gain momentum.
6. In this vacuum, Fidel Castro, originally from the Orthodox Party, emerged with a radical and nationalist vision that promised social justice, independence from U.S. dominance, and an end to dictatorship.
7. Castro’s appeal lay in his combination of populist rhetoric, anti-imperialism, and bold guerrilla action (e.g., Moncada Barracks attack, 1953).
8. His leadership crystallized opposition forces and set the stage for revolution.