Long term causes:
Factor 1. Social/Political: Rule of Fulgencio Batista
- Under Batista, the Cuban people were subject to a substandard way of life as Batista opened the doors to the Americans to come into Cuba and turn it into their playground. In fact, Cuba was also known as the "hedonistic playground for the world's elite" and the "latin las vegas". This is a result of Batista's close corroboration with American gangsters such as Meyers-Lansky.
Facts to prove point:
By 1959,
1. 25% of Cubans were chronically unemployed,
2. 75% of all dwellings were made from palm trees,
3. 91% of all households had no running electricity of any kind
4. 50% of all households had no toilets or sanitary system of any kind
Historiography:
The above facts are taken from Eric William's book: From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean 1492-1969, Vintage Books, New York, 1984.
1. Eric Williams is an American, and given America's terse relations with Cuba there might be a slight exaggeration of the numbers to portray Cuba in a slightly worse light.
2. Given the benefit of hindsight, the numbers could be slightly inflated in order for him to craft his argument that social dissatisfaction was a cause of the revolution
3. However, even taking inflation into account, these numbers are still demonstrative of a substandard way of life for Cubans
Factor 2. Economic: Economic Policies of Batista
- Under Batista, not only did he cause his people strife by letting the Americans and other wealthy individuals run riot in his country, however he also opened Cuba's trade doors, further stoking the dissatisfaction that the people harboured towards him.
By 1959,
1. Cuba's sugar accounted for 33% of its total GDP and 80-90% of the sugar industry was owned by foreigners and private companies.
2. 9/10 of the largest "centrals" (sugar mills - pro tip, use subject specific terminology for more points) were owned by the Americans.
3. Social/Political: Castro's Ideology
- Castro was a follower of the revolutionary Jose Marti and was a socialist who wished to be rid of the capitalist system. He also had tremendous support from the people for his refreshing viewpoints and his promise to install a system better than the despotic rule of Batista.
Facts to prove point:
1. Between 1952-1953, Castro's movement gained 1200 supporters
2. He had enough support to even establish an underground newspaper called "The accuser"
3. To demonstrate the support he had, "The accuser" managed to print 27,500 copies of his famous speech "history will absolve me" after he was captured in the Moncada Barrack attacks 1953.
4. Castro was not dogmatic but classed his ideology as "utopian marxism". He followed "bolivarian marxism(named after simon bolivar)" and he was a nationalist who was ready to fight for his country. He had a romantic view of the revolution.
Primary Source:
Quote from Castro:
"I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition."
Historiography:
1. Samuel Farber, Writer born and raised in Cuba said this of Castro: "He had a remarkable political radar and rapport with the people"
- Potentially biased due to Cuban upbringing and nationality
Short Term Causes
Factor 1. Military: Castro Arrives on the Granma
- It can be said that the short term cause of the Cuban revolution was when Castro landed on the shores of Niquero Cuba.
Facts to Prove Point:
1. On December 2nd 1956, Castro arrived on the ship the Granma with 82 men.
2. The ship was only designed to hold between 12-25 men.
3. Upon arriving, Castro's men were ambushed by Batista's forces and they were left with 20 men who scattered into the Sierra Maestra Mountains.
Primary Sources:
Castro said in 1959: "I began the revolution with 82 men. If I had to do it again, I would do it with 10 or 15 and absolute faith. It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and a plan of action."
- Demonstrates the complete commitment of Castro to his cause
This sets the precedent for the course of the Cuban revolution between 1956-1959. Before moving onto the course of the Cuban revolution, you might want to examine the following questions:
1. Examine the role of _____ in the causation of one war
2. To what extent was _____ responsible for causing a war
You may replace the blanks with any one of the factors above.
For example if we take question 2., it might ask "To what extent was (ideology) responsible for causing a war?
How would you answer this question? Which one of the above factors is most significant?
Pro tip: For top marks, remember to add a mini COPVL after some stats, or to assess the merit of historiography used. Maybe once or twice for each of the above throughout the essay.