IB History 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.