Comparative Politics: A Look at Cuba

INTRODUCTION

What makes a sovereign country truly independent is its ability to face economic and political challenges head on. This direct approach to tackling societal problems instills a certain integrity and loyalty from a government to its people. Whether it be political and economic involvement from the United States or the specific aid sent from the Soviet Union, Cuba has struggled to express its complete sovereignty following the Spanish-American War. The inability of the nation to break free from foreign dominion revolves around the premise of financial insecurity and the aspiration of Cuba to be a world player. However, with financial insecurity comes both political and militaristic instability as well. Thus, due to the relatively young nature of the country along with its desire to be recognized in a global arena throughout the 20^th century, Cuba has long been forced to accept political and economic conditions from other political powers that have restricted their facility to have a voice.

THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE

            By the end of the 19^th century, Cuba had struggled for its independence from Spain multiple times. It wasn’t until the Spanish-American War in 1898 that Cuba would become free from Spanish control. With the militaristic aid of the United States, Cuba was able to come out a free nation and by 1902 gained formal independence. The assistance from the United States didn’t come for free though. The years following the Spanish-American War would be dominated by U.S. involvement both politically and economically. The mantra of ‘U.S. interests first and Cuba’s second,’ would resonate in American politics until the mid-20^th century beginning with the rule of Fidel Castro.

U.S. INVOLVEMENT

            As Cuba emerged a free nation, it needed support, both economically and politically, to get started. Since the U.S. had so generously defended its neighbor to the south at the end of the 19^th century, American involvement was unavoidable.

“Social disarticulation marked the early republic. The planter class had little choice but to relinquish economic reconstruction to foreign capital and bind its well-being to U.S. investments. The consolidation and expansion of Spanish interests also limited Cuban opportunities in commerce, industry, and the professions.” (Perez-Stable, 37)

The United States knew very well its intentions in Cuba - to expand its sphere of influence and acquire an economic base to the south. Of the first political moves the U.S. took towards Cuba, was the Platt Amendment. The amendment was an addition to the Cuban Constitution stating that the United States had the right to "intervene in Cuba in order to protect U.S. economic and political interests and to protect the life of U.S. citizens in Cuba." The amendment, passed in 1899, would ensure political and economic relations with Cuba for the next 50 years. Of the many conditions that came with the Platt Amendment was the right of the United States to establish a military presence on the island. Cuba would be forced to sell or lease any party of the island for the establishment of American naval bases. This idea soon came to fruition with the creation of the American Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, in 1903. With a physical presence on the island, the U.S. could better manage its southern “playground.”

            As far as economic affairs are concerned, the reliance on Cuban sugar by the United States proved to be the grounds for American economic involvement on the island. With the 1903 reciprocity trade treaty came a 20% tariff reduction in the U.S. and a 20%-40% tariff reduction on American products in Cuba. The total reliance on sugar production in Cuba proved to be the driving force of the economy. As a result, when sugar production suffered, so did the Cuban economy. There was also little motivation to create new industry because of the overreliance on sugar. All the while, the United States was sitting back and enjoying the economic and political luxuries that this tiny island was producing for it. However, with the emergence of Fidel Castro as a political leader in the mid-20^th century and growing tension between the two countries due to American hostility to Castro’s socialist plans, the United States eventually broke relations with Cuba and placed countless embargos on Cuban relations. Out of all this came a new protector for Cuba, the Soviet Union.

SOVIET INVOLVEMENT

            With the United States out of Cuba, alternative foreign relations needed to be made quickly if Cuba wanted to regain its grip both politically and economically. It seemed only logical that the other global superpower of the time (and adversary of the United States) would step in. The Soviet Union soon replaced the U.S.’s position in Cuba and quickly made its mark in the political and economic landscape of the small country. Since American demand for Cuban sugar was no longer, the Soviets filled the spot and, in exchange, provided the island with cheaper oil. By 1972, Cuba joined the Soviet-formed CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) which sought to unite communist states on economic grounds. This major step economically tightened the grip the Soviet Union had on Cuba while reassuring the island financial stability for a time.

            Soviet political influence in Cuba came almost immediately after the United States’ withdraw from the country. In 1962, the first major political step taken by the Soviets towards the Cubans was facilitating the military artillery used during, what came to be known as, the “Missile Crisis.”  In an effort to portray Cuba as a nation that wouldn’t budge to the United States, Khrushchev effectively equipped Cuba with armory that made the U.S. rethink harsh treatment towards the small country. When the issue finally got resolved, it wasn’t Cuba who negotiated with the U.S., it was the Soviet Union. This motion instilled the grudge that the U.S. still had towards Cuba while making it clear that the Soviet Union would call the shots as far as Cuban foreign policy was concerned. The control that the Soviet Union had on Cuba wasn’t anything they weren’t used to. Similar control was most definitely seen during the years of U.S. occupation in Cuba.

CONCLUSION

            With as far as Cuba has come over the past couple of centuries, it is hard to say whether or not they were ever completely “independent.” Whether it was U.S. involvement in the early 20^th century or Soviet influence in the latter part of the 20^th century, Cuba never got the chance to fully express its own agenda on a global scale. Furthermore, neither the U.S. nor the Soviet Union helped Cuba in the long run. Whereas both countries helped consume the major Cuban export of sugar, it pigeonholed the economy and made it completely reliant on a single crop. On a political basis, the U.S. tried to impose its own traditions and government on foreign soil (which we know has all too often resulted poorly) while Cuba tried harder and harder to resist. This resistance was relieved with Soviet political influence which sought to promote communist ideals; however, in the long run it was these ideals that have further exemplified Cuba’s inability to sustain a common peace amongst the citizens. The artillery that was briefly seen in the early 1960’s from the Soviets to Cuba was short-lived and artificially inflated the political power of Cuba towards the United States. Neither country’s involvement in Cuba truly benefited Cuban desires to become “independent;” the country instead rode on the coat tails of foreign interest. The key lesson to be learned is for a developing nation to learn its boundaries and be careful of getting ahead of its time. Cuba is a perfect example of a government trying to rapidly emerge its birthing nation into a global arena too soon. By leaching on to the two biggest superpowers of the time, Cuba’s fate (both politically and economically) rested in the hands of others. The inability for Cuba to resist the pressures of foreign involvement and the reliance on foreign involvement can accurately characterize 20^th century Cuba.


WORKS CITED

1. Perez-Stable, Marifeli. The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy.
          New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.