Cubas Economic and Political Instability Essay - 2032 Words

Cubas Economic and Political Instability Cuba’s political instability and sugar-centered economy were the result of U.S. influence through the Platt Amendment and the various Sugar Acts and reciprocity treaties. Marifeli Perez-Stable takes this stance in her book The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy in her interpretation of Cuban radical nationalism in the 1950’s. The domination of Cuba’s economy by the sugar industry was responsible for much of its wealth but also a great deal of its problems. While the sugar industry generally remained a profitable enterprise in the first half of the 20th Century, Cuba’s growth was hindered by her dependence on it. It fostered unemployment or underemployment, the standard of living was†¦show more content†¦supported military coup by Fulgencio Batista in 1952 robbed them of a probable electoral victory, and their chance to make reforms. Perez-Stable theorizes that if elections had occurred, there would have been a favorable environment for moderate reform, perhaps avoiding the later radical and uncompromising measures of Castro. The Cuba that Might Have Been Had Cuba not undergone a radical revolution in 1959, Perez-Stable argues that the economy would have gradually become less dependent on sugar, although it would still be greatly dependent on the United States. She writes that the transformation of monoculture appeared to be a matter of time (33), believing that industries such as tourism, cattle-raising, winter vegetables, petroleum, and mass media had potential for growth in a non-revolutionary setting. In order for these new industries to prosper, however, military dictatorships would most likely continue, according to Perez-Stable’s conjecturing. For capitalism to survive in Cuba, the government would remain unstable, with leaders like Bastista serving as puppets to U.S. interests. The alternate destiny of Cuba described by Perez-Stable was a realistic possibility, but the class and state alliances that might have sustained such a transition never quite consolidated, and those that supported the revolution and its radicalization in 1959 did (Perez-Stable, 35). Castro’s revolutionary movement unified the clasesShow MoreRelatedThe Cuban Revolution ( Pre 1959 ) Essay Draft1253 Words   |  6 PagesCauses of Cuban Revolution (pre-1959) Essay Draft 1 Sakina Ali [Incomplete introduction] Thesis: The Cuban Revolution pre-1959 was caused by a many political, economic and social factors such as: Cuba’s separation from Spanish rule in 1898, the American interest and influence on Cuba and, the social unrest that Batista’s policies and relationship with the Mob caused, which ultimately led to Castro’s fight and overall succession in 1959. 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