Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience

[surada]

Cuba did have literacy and a middle class, but NOT in the countryside among the peasants.

Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/com...
Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | PBS On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the...

On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the nostalgic imaginations of Cuba's many exiles, nor the hellhole painted by many supporters of the revolution. These revolutionaries recall Cuba as "the brothel of the Western hemisphere" -- an island inhabited by a people degraded and hungry, whose main occupation was to cater to American tourists at Havana's luxurious hotels, beaches and casinos. Rather, Cuba was one of the most advanced and successful countries in Latin America.

A native house. Courtesy of the Cuban Heritage Collection, Univ of Miami Libraries
Success by the Numbers

Cuba's capital, Havana, was a glittering and dynamic city. In the early part of the century the country's economy, fueled by the sale of sugar to the United States, had grown dramatically. Cuba ranked fifth in the hemisphere in per capita income, third in life expectancy, second in per capita ownership of automobiles and telephones, first in the number of television sets per inhabitant. The literacy rate, 76%, was the fourth highest in Latin America. Cuba ranked 11th in the world in the number of doctors per capita. Many private clinics and hospitals provided services for the poor. Cuba's income distribution compared favorably with that of other Latin American societies. A thriving middle class held the promise of prosperity and social mobility.

Credit: WGBH Archives
Inequalities

There were, however, profound inequalities in Cuban society -- between city and countryside and between whites and blacks. In the countryside, some Cubans lived in abysmal poverty. Sugar production was seasonal, and the macheteros -- sugarcane cutters who only worked four months out of the year -- were an army of unemployed, perpetually in debt and living on the margins of survival. Many poor peasants were seriously malnourished and hungry. Neither health care nor education reached those rural Cubans at the bottom of society.

continued

 

[Oddball]

Passive-aggressive excuse making for communism, and its crushing poverty for the peasants and complete disdain for civil liberties.

 

[MarathonMike]

surada Well Communism sure leveled the playing field in Cuba, didn't it? Just like Communism promises, they made everyone "EQUAL". They turned everyone into a peasant. Viva CASTRO! Viva Communism!

 

[EvilCat Breath]

Sugar certainly wasn't the only export. There was also rum and it should not even be necessary to mention, Cuban cigars. Tobacco was an enormous crop. Workers only worked 4 months of the year, Not hardly. They just weren't well paid. The Bautista government was unbelievably corrupt and required enormous sums of money.

Havana was one big Las Vegas, twice as decadent. Outside of Havana, Cuba was home to medical spas, rest, rehab, lose weight, get a face lift, then start all over again.

 

[bendog]

Cuba did have literacy and a middle class, but NOT in the countryside among the peasants.

Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/com...
Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | PBS On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the...

On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the nostalgic imaginations of Cuba's many exiles, nor the hellhole painted by many supporters of the revolution. These revolutionaries recall Cuba as "the brothel of the Western hemisphere" -- an island inhabited by a people degraded and hungry, whose main occupation was to cater to American tourists at Havana's luxurious hotels, beaches and casinos. Rather, Cuba was one of the most advanced and successful countries in Latin America.

A native house. Courtesy of the Cuban Heritage Collection, Univ of Miami Libraries
Success by the Numbers

Cuba's capital, Havana, was a glittering and dynamic city. In the early part of the century the country's economy, fueled by the sale of sugar to the United States, had grown dramatically. Cuba ranked fifth in the hemisphere in per capita income, third in life expectancy, second in per capita ownership of automobiles and telephones, first in the number of television sets per inhabitant. The literacy rate, 76%, was the fourth highest in Latin America. Cuba ranked 11th in the world in the number of doctors per capita. Many private clinics and hospitals provided services for the poor. Cuba's income distribution compared favorably with that of other Latin American societies. A thriving middle class held the promise of prosperity and social mobility.

Credit: WGBH Archives
Inequalities

There were, however, profound inequalities in Cuban society -- between city and countryside and between whites and blacks. In the countryside, some Cubans lived in abysmal poverty. Sugar production was seasonal, and the macheteros -- sugarcane cutters who only worked four months out of the year -- were an army of unemployed, perpetually in debt and living on the margins of survival. Many poor peasants were seriously malnourished and hungry. Neither health care nor education reached those rural Cubans at the bottom of society.

continued

We should not have supported the Batista govt. But we allowed US biz to pour in millions in graft. It was a clusterfuck. The Cuban revolution was not initially a communist adventure.

I'm not sure that the US realized how committed the Castros were to communism. But castro certainly didn't start out a communist, and the communist party was not origianlly in his revolution. By the time Castros' ideology was clear, it was really too late .... although from what little I learned on the subject neither the Eisenhower admin nor perhaps even Castro himself were really sure where he stood until he pledged his troth to the Soviets.

Castro and Eisenhower

Castro's agrarian reform. Eisenhower administration hostility. Castro turns to the Soviet Union. Anti-Castro Cubans.

www.fsmitha.com

Batista and Castro, to 1959

Castro's failed attack on Moncado Barracks; Castro forces Batista into exile.

www.fsmitha.com

But it is an opportunity.

 

[JGalt]

Is Che still dead? Just checking.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

These revolutionaries recall Cuba as "the brothel of the Western hemisphere" -- an island inhabited by a people degraded and hungry, whose main occupation was to cater to American tourists at Havana's luxurious hotels, beaches and casinos.

Now who degrades the Cubans?

 

[surada]

Cuba did have literacy and a middle class, but NOT in the countryside among the peasants.

Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/com...
Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | PBS On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the...

On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the nostalgic imaginations of Cuba's many exiles, nor the hellhole painted by many supporters of the revolution. These revolutionaries recall Cuba as "the brothel of the Western hemisphere" -- an island inhabited by a people degraded and hungry, whose main occupation was to cater to American tourists at Havana's luxurious hotels, beaches and casinos. Rather, Cuba was one of the most advanced and successful countries in Latin America.

A native house. Courtesy of the Cuban Heritage Collection, Univ of Miami Libraries
Success by the Numbers

Cuba's capital, Havana, was a glittering and dynamic city. In the early part of the century the country's economy, fueled by the sale of sugar to the United States, had grown dramatically. Cuba ranked fifth in the hemisphere in per capita income, third in life expectancy, second in per capita ownership of automobiles and telephones, first in the number of television sets per inhabitant. The literacy rate, 76%, was the fourth highest in Latin America. Cuba ranked 11th in the world in the number of doctors per capita. Many private clinics and hospitals provided services for the poor. Cuba's income distribution compared favorably with that of other Latin American societies. A thriving middle class held the promise of prosperity and social mobility.

Credit: WGBH Archives
Inequalities

There were, however, profound inequalities in Cuban society -- between city and countryside and between whites and blacks. In the countryside, some Cubans lived in abysmal poverty. Sugar production was seasonal, and the macheteros -- sugarcane cutters who only worked four months out of the year -- were an army of unemployed, perpetually in debt and living on the margins of survival. Many poor peasants were seriously malnourished and hungry. Neither health care nor education reached those rural Cubans at the bottom of society.

continued

We should not have supported the Batista govt. But we allowed US biz to pour in millions in graft. It was a clusterfuck. The Cuban revolution was not initially a communist adventure.

I'm not sure that the US realized how committed the Castros were to communism. But castro certainly didn't start out a communist, and the communist party was not origianlly in his revolution. By the time Castros' ideology was clear, it was really too late .... although from what little I learned on the subject neither the Eisenhower admin nor perhaps even Castro himself were really sure where he stood until he pledged his troth to the Soviets.

Castro and Eisenhower

Castro's agrarian reform. Eisenhower administration hostility. Castro turns to the Soviet Union. Anti-Castro Cubans.

www.fsmitha.com

Batista and Castro, to 1959

Castro's failed attack on Moncado Barracks; Castro forces Batista into exile.

www.fsmitha.com

But it is an opportunity.

That's what the article said. Didn't you read it?

 

[Likkmee]

Is Che still dead? Just checking.

View attachment 512825

WTF ? Pooty Poot was ther too ?

 

[bendog]

I scanned your links. Yes, the middle class had health care and literacy. But the middle class was not indictive of the majority. Unlike America's history.

And that's why Castro nationalized the telephones and with a failure to appreciate multinational capitalism ran off the US money. And in walked the Soviets.

 

[Missouri_Mike]

Cuba did have literacy and a middle class, but NOT in the countryside among the peasants.

Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/com...
Pre-Castro Cuba | American Experience | PBS On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the...

On the eve of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was neither the paradise that would later be conjured by the nostalgic imaginations of Cuba's many exiles, nor the hellhole painted by many supporters of the revolution. These revolutionaries recall Cuba as "the brothel of the Western hemisphere" -- an island inhabited by a people degraded and hungry, whose main occupation was to cater to American tourists at Havana's luxurious hotels, beaches and casinos. Rather, Cuba was one of the most advanced and successful countries in Latin America.

A native house. Courtesy of the Cuban Heritage Collection, Univ of Miami Libraries
Success by the Numbers

Cuba's capital, Havana, was a glittering and dynamic city. In the early part of the century the country's economy, fueled by the sale of sugar to the United States, had grown dramatically. Cuba ranked fifth in the hemisphere in per capita income, third in life expectancy, second in per capita ownership of automobiles and telephones, first in the number of television sets per inhabitant. The literacy rate, 76%, was the fourth highest in Latin America. Cuba ranked 11th in the world in the number of doctors per capita. Many private clinics and hospitals provided services for the poor. Cuba's income distribution compared favorably with that of other Latin American societies. A thriving middle class held the promise of prosperity and social mobility.

Credit: WGBH Archives
Inequalities

There were, however, profound inequalities in Cuban society -- between city and countryside and between whites and blacks. In the countryside, some Cubans lived in abysmal poverty. Sugar production was seasonal, and the macheteros -- sugarcane cutters who only worked four months out of the year -- were an army of unemployed, perpetually in debt and living on the margins of survival. Many poor peasants were seriously malnourished and hungry. Neither health care nor education reached those rural Cubans at the bottom of society.

continued

as promised communism took care of that unequal shit. Everyone is poor and starving now. Good job.

 

[Coyote]

Passive-aggressive excuse making for communism, and its crushing poverty for the peasants and complete disdain for civil liberties.

Sure...nothing like the brutality and crushing poverty that preceded and led to the revolution. YOu lunatics always seem to think oppression, poverty and brutality are somewhat more preferable under rightwing oppression, even when the alternative (not speaking of Cuba in this instance) is a legitimately elected leftwing government.

 

[whitehall]

Americans used Batista Cuba as a Vegas playground. The problem was that the Batista elites kept all the proceeds and the Cubanos labored in the fields. The Eisenhower CIA promoted the Castro revolution and when it was over the communist elites kept all the proceeds while the Cubanos labored in the fields. Like it or not Cuba became a socialist sovereign country. Along came JFK who appointed his own brother as A.G. to watch his back. The dark character known as RFK apparently spent his free time sharing Hollywood bimbos with his brother and working on (illegal) ways to overthrow the established Castro regime during his working hours. Like most democrats of the day, JFK let the CIA run rampant. Next thing you know the Kennedy administration and the CIA (with permission from the mainstream media) created a freaking invasion army. RFK's fantasy would come true once the CIA trained Cuban patriots hit the beach at the Bay of Pigs only it didn't happen. JFK pretended that his illegal adventure never happened and the CIA and the mainstream media agreed.

 

[surada]

Americans used Batista Cuba as a Vegas playground. The problem was that the Batista elites kept all the proceeds and the Cubanos labored in the fields. The Eisenhower CIA promoted the Castro revolution and when it was over the communist elites kept all the proceeds while the Cubanos labored in the fields. Like it or not Cuba became a socialist sovereign country. Along came JFK who appointed his own brother as A.G. to watch his back. The dark character known as RFK apparently spent his free time sharing Hollywood bimbos with his brother and working on (illegal) ways to overthrow the established Castro regime during his working hours. Like most democrats of the day, JFK let the CIA run rampant. Next thing you know the Kennedy administration and the CIA (with permission from the mainstream media) created a freaking invasion army. RFK's fantasy would come true once the CIA trained Cuban patriots hit the beach at the Bay of Pigs only it didn't happen. JFK pretended that his illegal adventure never happened and the CIA and the mainstream media agreed.

You should learn something about the history of Cuba and Castrol.

 

[whitehall]

Americans used Batista Cuba as a Vegas playground. The problem was that the Batista elites kept all the proceeds and the Cubanos labored in the fields. The Eisenhower CIA promoted the Castro revolution and when it was over the communist elites kept all the proceeds while the Cubanos labored in the fields. Like it or not Cuba became a socialist sovereign country. Along came JFK who appointed his own brother as A.G. to watch his back. The dark character known as RFK apparently spent his free time sharing Hollywood bimbos with his brother and working on (illegal) ways to overthrow the established Castro regime during his working hours. Like most democrats of the day, JFK let the CIA run rampant. Next thing you know the Kennedy administration and the CIA (with permission from the mainstream media) created a freaking invasion army. RFK's fantasy would come true once the CIA trained Cuban patriots hit the beach at the Bay of Pigs only it didn't happen. JFK pretended that his illegal adventure never happened and the CIA and the mainstream media agreed.

You should learn something about the history of Cuba and Castrol.

We need to learn what can happen when the mainstream media fails to do it's job and becomes the propaganda arm of a political party.

 

[surada]

Americans used Batista Cuba as a Vegas playground. The problem was that the Batista elites kept all the proceeds and the Cubanos labored in the fields. The Eisenhower CIA promoted the Castro revolution and when it was over the communist elites kept all the proceeds while the Cubanos labored in the fields. Like it or not Cuba became a socialist sovereign country. Along came JFK who appointed his own brother as A.G. to watch his back. The dark character known as RFK apparently spent his free time sharing Hollywood bimbos with his brother and working on (illegal) ways to overthrow the established Castro regime during his working hours. Like most democrats of the day, JFK let the CIA run rampant. Next thing you know the Kennedy administration and the CIA (with permission from the mainstream media) created a freaking invasion army. RFK's fantasy would come true once the CIA trained Cuban patriots hit the beach at the Bay of Pigs only it didn't happen. JFK pretended that his illegal adventure never happened and the CIA and the mainstream media agreed.

You should learn something about the history of Cuba and Castrol.

We need to learn what can happen when the mainstream media fails to do it's job and becomes the propaganda arm of a political party.

You should learn some history.