Cuba In The 19th Century

The history of the relationship between the United States and Cuba is a very interesting one. The two countries shared a very healthy and benevolent relationship during the nineteenth century. From around 1868 to 1898, thousands of Cubans of all ages and classes migrated to United States (Perez Jr., 167). This was also the time when presence of the American people and their culture proliferated increasingly in Cuba. The Cuban society was slowly emulating the American culture within itself (Perez Jr., 168). Cuba was the ultimate destination that provided various luxuries to the people from North America (Perez Jr., 175). However, due to some factors the relationship between these two countries deteriorated in the next few decades. Firstly, as …show more content…
The country was struggling and the homes lay in ruins (Perez Jr., 171). This opened the door for the North Americans to enter Cuba in search of opportunities and profits. Almost throughout the nineteenth century, North Americans made huge reforms in the Cuban societies. They operated many sugar mills, built the railroads, worked in mines, farms etc. Many trading companies and boarding houses were operated by North Americans. (Perez Jr., 170-171). North Americans looked upon Cuba as a place where they could make their fortunes and be successful. Many new Cuban towns were established by North Americans with names such as McKinley, Ocean Beach, Riverside, Garden City, Palm City, Omaha, Bartle etc. (Perez Jr., 172). Apart from this, Cuba was also a destination where many Americans could enjoy their holidays away from their hectic schedules. Cuba was a place that offered tropical adventures and other luxuries such as alcohol, drugs, gambling and prostitution (Perez Jr., 175). Meanwhile, Cubans also travelled to America in search of work and opportunities. America was a place where Cubans could fulfill their dreams of being successful and achieving stardom (Perez Jr., 173). This interaction of the Cuban society to the America and the Americans, led to a great change. The Cuban society started getting influenced by the North American culture on a high scale. The habits, preferences and tastes of the Cuban …show more content…
Firstly, the U.S. backed the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista who was continuously defied by revolutionaries like Fidel and Raul Castro (Chasteen, 271). Furthermore, Marxist ideology, which was gaining considerable popularity in Latin America in 1950’s, contributed hugely towards the weakening of the relationship between these two countries. According to Marxism, capitalism was a huge reason for class exploitation and according to the Leninist theory, imperialism from an outside country resulted in the profit of the capitalists (Chasteen, 269). A combination of these two theories seemed totally convincing in the scenario of Cuba and U.S. Cuba was facing some serious issues of poverty and rapid population growth. (Chasteen, 269-270). A great revolutionary, Fidel Castro in his speech, “History Will Absolve Me” thoroughly highlights the struggles of Cuba as a country and how the upper-class people were directly responsible for it. Castro states that industrialization, housing, unemployment, education and health were the six major problems that Cuba was facing (Castro, 309). Castro further claims that thousands of children die every year due to the lack in medical facilities in the country and government officials who steal millions are responsible for it. (Castro, 311). After mentioning many