History of Cuba

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History of Cuba
Governorate of Cuba (1511–1519)
Viceroyalty of New Spain (1535–1821)
Captaincy General of Cuba (1607–1898)
US Military Government (1898–1902)
Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)
Republic of Cuba (1959–)
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The island of Cuba was inhabited by various Native American cultures prior to the arrival of the explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After his arrival, Spain conquered Cuba and appointed Spanish governors to rule in Havana. The administrators in Cuba were subject to the Viceroy of New Spain and the local authorities in Hispaniola. In 1762–63, Havana was briefly occupied by Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions between 1868 and 1898, led by General Máximo Gómez, failed to end Spanish rule and claimed the lives of 49,000 Cuban guerrillas and 126,000 Spanish soldiers.[1] However, the Spanish–American War resulted in a Spanish withdrawal from the island in 1898, and following three and a half years of subsequent US military rule,[2] Cuba gained formal independence in 1902.[3]

In the years following its independence, the Cuban republic saw significant economic development, but also political corruption and a succession of despotic leaders, culminating in the overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista by the 26th of July Movement, led by Fidel Castro, during the 1953–1959 Cuban Revolution.[4] The new government aligned with the Soviet Union and embraced communism.[a] In the early 1960s, Castro's regime withstood invasion, faced nuclear Armageddon,[b] and experienced a civil war that included Dominican support for regime opponents.[c] Following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968), Castro publicly declared Cuba's support. His speech marked the start of Cuba's complete absorption into the Eastern Bloc.[9] During the Cold War, Cuba also supported Soviet policy in Afghanistan, Poland, Angola, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.[10] The Cuban economy was mostly supported by Soviet subsidies.

With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 Cuba was plunged into a severe economic crisis known as the Special Period that ended in 2000 when Venezuela began providing Cuba with subsidized oil. The country has been politically and economically isolated by the United States since the Revolution, but has gradually gained access to foreign commerce and travel as efforts to normalise diplomatic relations have progressed.[11][12][13][14][15] Domestic economic reforms are also beginning to tackle existing economic problems which arose in the aftermath of the special period (i.e. the introduction of the dual currency system).

  1. ^ "Victimario Histórico Militar".
  2. ^ "CIA World Factbook: Cuba: Introduction: Background". Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  3. ^ "A guide to the United States' history of recognition, diplomatic, and consular relations, by country, since 1776: Cuba". US State Department – Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  4. ^ Rumbaut, Luis E.; Rumbaut, Rubén G. (2009). "Cuba: The Cuban Revolution at 50". Latin American Perspectives. 36 (1): 84–98. doi:10.1177/0094582x08329137. JSTOR 27648162. S2CID 154491534.
  5. ^ "Cuba (09/01)".
  6. ^ a b c d Clodfelter 2017, p. 637.
  7. ^ a b Tunzelmann, Alex von (2012). Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder and the Cold War in the Caribbean.
  8. ^ ""The Assassination of Rafael Trujillo"". Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  9. ^ George, Edward (2004). The Cuban Intervention in Angola, 1965-1991: From Che Guevara to Cuito Cuanavale. Routledge. p. 42.
  10. ^ Cuban Communism. Transaction Publishers. 1995. p. 167.
  11. ^ "Cuba receives first US shipment in 50 years". Al Jazeera. 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Permit2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Obama hails 'new chapter' in US-Cuba ties". BBC News. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  14. ^ "Cuba's love for Obama swells: Bay of Pigs veterans reflect on the 'inconceivable'". The Guardian. 17 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  15. ^ "US flag raised over reopened Cuba embassy in Havana". BBC News. 15 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.


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