When Columbus came to Cuba in 1492, he and his predecessors would
probably never have imagined of this island's outcome within the centuries
ahead. From conquering the country, to its independence, to the totalitarian
regime put into it, all these major events have made the island what it is
today. Before giving the whole story about the Communists, one must understand
how the country was born so here's a little bit of a background history:
Spain had conquered Cuba in 1511 under Diego
Velasquez. Frequent insurrections failed to end Spain's harsh rule. From 1868
to 1878 occurred the armed rebellion known as the Ten Year's War, led by
plantation owner Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, a co-author of Cuba's declaration
of independence. After the loss of more than 200,000 lives, the revolt ended in
failure.
In 1933, Fulgencio Batista led a "sergeants"
revolt" that toppled the despotic rule of Gen. Grarado Machado and it was
at that time that Batista became the most powerful man in Cuba. He was elected
president in 1940 and made himself chief of state with dictatorial powers.
Years of corrupt government, terrorism and embezzlement made by the United
States led to a revolt in 1958 under the leadership of Fidel Castro.
Batista fled to the Dominican Republic and the
Fidelistas were in control of Havana. Castro then became premier at the young
age of 32. At first people applauded the downfall of Batista and hoped that
Castro could bring the country the prosperity it had wished for. Unfortunately,
before long, people came to realization that the new regime had embraced
Communism.
At home, Castro's regime has created the most
repressive police state apparatus in the Western Hemisphere. Cuba is like the
George Orwell nightmare predicted in the book "1984" except that this
time the country is set in the tropics with big brother sporting a beard and
cigar. Cuba never believed in human rights as Castro refused to ratify any
major international law protecting these human rights. As well, he refuses to
sign the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Castro formed
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), which operate on almost
every block in Cuba.
They are the perfect example of the thought police as
their mission is to spy on neighbors and reporting back to the regime. Castro
also doesn't believe in being defied as he still has large numbers of
individuals incarcerated in prisons for political crimes ranging from speaking
against the regime to trying to leave the island. The only difference between
Cuba and Oceania is the tele screen in every household. Cubans don't own that
but are replaced by more spies to do the job instead.
Fidel Castro's picture hangs on all walls in major
building and even outside. This is also a strong resemblance to big brother's
image hanging everywhere saying that he's "watching you". Instead of
those words, Castro has his own words that say: "History will absolve
me".
How does Fidel Castro's leadership qualities, allow
him to remain the political leader of Cuba for so many years?
First of all, his machismo, his independence, his
appeal to Cuban patriotism- his traditional appeal to the Cuban poor and stance
against the rich, he's a strong man and a boss. He uses his considerable
charisma to appeal to the people on a cultural level. In this sense, he is a
master politician. Furthermore, he has significant support among the poor and
the Afro-Cubans because they identify him with their interests against the
lighter-skinned Cubans up the middle and upper-classes who he deposed in the
late 1950's.
Another reason is his courage as he played the role of
the independent Latin American leader who could successfully stand up to the
giant of the north-the United States of America. In reality, Fidel Castro is
responsible for every appointment. As president of the Council of Ministers,
chairman of the Council of State, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces (FAR) and first secretary of the PCC (Cuban Communist Party), Castro
controls everything and anything that can make him more powerful.
A. Xh - U.S.A
