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22 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Cuba quality of life
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- high literacy rate
- high per capita income - relatively large middle class |
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Problems with Cuba
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- most people live in countryside (66% had no toilets)
- in countryside, 43% of adults illiterate - rural wage workers (sugarcane workers) are largest group in Cuba, but only fully employed during harvest - dependent on only sugar, which depended most on US market - gov. famous for corruption and theft (ex. Gerardo Machado, Fulgencio Batista) |
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US Influence
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- sugar depended on US market
- US help power in Cuban economy (US-owned mills, railways, utilities, etc.) - 1958: US invested more than $1 billion in Cuba - US keeps Cubans from expanding their share of ownership |
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Gerardo Machado
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- one of the worst Cuban dictators
- overthrown in 1933 in an army coup led by Sgt. Fulgencio Batista |
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Fulgencio Batista
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- took power for himself and ruled for 25 years
- overthrown by Fidel Castro (1959) |
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Fidel Castro
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- overthrew Batista
- "nationalism, socialism, anti-imperialism" |
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Castro's Trip to US
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- April 1959
- asked VP Nixon to increase Cuba's sugar quota - promised they'd be friendly and supportive of US - US officials wouldn't agree or give Castro any aid |
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Castro's Programs
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- cut expensive utility rates charged by US companies
- Agrarian reform law |
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Agrarian Reform Law
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- sugar companies owned 70-75% of arable land
- but 3% of sugar producers controlled more than 50% of production - 70,000 Cubans had no jobs & 50% of food was imported - most of the arable land was uncultivated - 1969: took estates and made them into cooperatives under the National Institute of Agrarian Reform |
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Deal with USSR
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- 1960: agrees with USSR for $200 million in trade over next 4 years
--> US takes this as allegiance to USSR |
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Cuban Petroleum Institute
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- cut exclusive contract with US oil companies
- no one in the west would sell to him, so he turned to Soviets to trade crude oil for sugar --> next day, Eisenhower cut Cuba's sugar quota |
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Sequence of Events Leading to Embargo
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$200 million agreement with USSR --> Fidel cancels exclusive contracts with US oil companies --> turns to USSR for crude oil since no one in the west will sell to him --> Eisenhower cuts sugar quota --> Cuba expropriates oil companies --> US announces trade embargo on everything except medicine (1961: all relations cut)
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Bay of Pigs
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CIA trained exiles try to defeat revolution but is a disaster
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educational reform
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- new teacher-training institutes
- in 10 years, # of teachers tripled and # of schools quintupled - young volunteers went to remote places to teach reading and writing - education free from nursery school to university ==> illiteracy basically disappeared (highest literacy rate in the hemisphere) |
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healthcare reform
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- hospitals built in remote cities/countryside
- all medical services are free ==> better health standards and longer life expectancy |
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public housing reform
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- new laws providing everyone with housing
- families don't have to pay more than 10% of their income for rent ==> improved living conditions |
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arts & cultural reform
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- gov. encouraged arts and cultural achievements
- National Ballet of Cuba - Nuevo cancion movement: rock & Latin sounds - Cuban Film Institute |
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womens rights
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- Federation of Cuban Women
- women help a lot in literacy campaigns and neighborhood projects - b/c women are increasingly active outside of the home, gov. provides day care centers - preinatal care and legalization of abortion - 18 weeks of guaranteed paid maternity leave - 1975 Family Code - Article 26 |
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1975 Family COde
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required couples to be equal partners
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Article 26
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required both parents to participate in child rearing and housework
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"special period"
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- after USSR collapses in 1990s, Cuba needs to let foreign investment come back
- tourism big |
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totalitarian ways
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- writers who disagreed with gov. for some reason couldn't get their work published (or were denied jobs and travel opportunities)
- a strong Cuban identity - took control of arts, education - lots of propaganda - v |
