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Example research essay topic: U S Government Fidel Castro - 1,677 words

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... fragile peace, Ferrer argues, that Spain's grasp on its remaining colony grew slippery and tenuous. Rather than relying on familiar arguments about the economic viability of Spain's regime, she turns to the texture of everyday life to demonstrate the corrosion of Spain's legitimacy as a ruling power. Her use of evidence throughout the study is at once subtle and forceful. It is not by providing a barrage of data that she persuades, but by finding a telling detail and analyzing it with sharp insight. (Ferrer, 15) Nonetheless, the book's strength is not derived solely from its contribution to the literature.

With theoretical and methodological sophistication, the author argues for a dynamic interaction between representation and action in the course of the war. Thus, for example, Spanish representations of the Cuban insurgency as largely black, and therefore illegitimate, fed the fears of many white insurgents and encouraged their surrender, which in effect increased the proportion of black insurgency. Ferrer makes difficult distinctions between discursive and social history as she shows the extent to which they were necessary to one another's unfolding. In 1898 after numerous disturbances in Havana, the United States sent the battleship Maine to protect Americans in Cuba. That February the ship was destroyed by an explosion from an unknown cause. Already angry at the Spaniards for ill treatment of the Cubans, the United States immediately blamed Spain of planting a mine to get back at the Americans.

Eventually war was declared on Spain in late April and further hostilities began. (Ferrer, 52) After various battles and Spanish defeats, Spanish troops in Cuba surrendered and Cuba was placed under American rule until it was felt they could administer themselves. Nearly four years later in 1901, America prepared to give Cuba back to its people. However, before giving the Cubans full independence the United States insisted on approving an amendment giving them rights to build naval bases on Cuban soil. Although it was rather controversial, the Platt amendment was accepted in 1901.

In late 1901 the first national election took place with Estrada Palma winning the popular vote. The following May the last Americans left Cuba giving way to a new era of peaceful time. As a result of this first revolution many improvements were made in the Cuban way of life. Education was advanced and the economy also improved. From this time until the 1930 s, Cuba had a succession of democratically elected presidents. At the time of World War I a shortage of sugar worldwide made sugar prices go up dramatically.

Sugar was the main export of Cuba, and throughout the 1920 s, it brought Cubans renewed prosperity. It was also enough to help the Cuban economy in the early years of the Great Depression during the 1930 s. Once the depression and economic decline hit Cuba, the president at the time, President Machado used increasingly harsh methods to control discontent within Cuba. Violence against individuals became more and more frequent on streets and student rallies and protests often ended with the police and army charging at them. (Bethell, 79) The rather violent Machado regime ended with a coup data on September 4, 1933.

The army, under the leadership of Sergeant Fulgencio Batista, took control of the government. Although Batista did not want to be named president himself, he appointed puppet-presidents so he could govern Cuba from backstage. Later in 1940, Batista was officially elected president; by winning more than 800, 000 votes. During his direct and indirect rule from 1933 - 1944, he proved himself to be a strong leader. While he tolerated no challenges to the established political and economic system, he did expand the educational system and authorized huge programs of public work.

He maintained favorable economic relations with the United States and Cuba's industries brought huge profits to both U. S. and Cuban investors. At the end of his term in 1944, he did something unprecedented for a dictator and held a democratic national election in which he was defeated. Although he was defeat once, Batista returned to Cuba on March 10, 1952 and staged a second successful coup data. He once again declared himself a general, claiming the presidency and taking total control of the country.

On the surface, Cuba's economy was strong as many of Cuba's industries boomed. However, the economic benefits only reached a certain few. While Batista and other high ranked officials lived lives of luxury, thousands of poor people lived in the slums. Children and adults begged on the streets and virtually no children over twelve went to school. Except during the four months of sugar harvest, as many as 700, 000 people were without jobs.

The combination of Batista's tight grip on Cuba and the harsh economic conditions created an environment of opposition and discontent. Cuba was set for change and ready for revolution once again. One significant figure at this time, Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz, became involved with political protests as a young student. After Batista's coup in 1952, he went to court and tried to have the Batista dictatorship declared illegal. However, his attempt to peacefully bring down the Batista government did not work, and so in 1953, Castro turned toward violent means.

On July 26, 1953, Castro led a group of men to attack the Moncada military fortress. Here they were defeated and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. Batista, in order to gain some popular support, released them after a few months. (Bethell, 79) Although Castro's rebellion failed, it sparked hopes of revolution everywhere in Cuba. After a few years of exile in Mexico, Castro and a small band of about eighty-five men returned to Cuba in December of 1956. Many of the men perished during the initial landing, but a small group including Fidel Castro and an Argentinian Marxist Ernesto "Che" Guevara, survived and went into the mountains. During the next two years, Castro and Guevara fought the Batista army continuously in small guerrilla wars. (Bethell, 19) The group called themselves the Twenty-sixth of July Movement, after the earlier unsuccessful raid on the Moncada barracks.

Their group gained in numbers and popularity among Cubans as the desire for political change in Cuba increased. Castro promised sweeping changes including free elections, non-corrupt government, land, improved educational systems, jobs and health care for all. As Castro's popularity grew, the United States began to withdraw support for Batista, as they saw him falling from power. Realizing that a full scale war against him was inevitable, Batista fled the country with his family and close friends to the Dominican Republic. On January 8, 1959, the revolutionary forces marched into Havana unopposed. After the revolution, life for many Cuban people improved greatly.

Castro at once guaranteed free education and health care to all Cubans. Education on all levels is free to Cubans and the countrys present literacy rate in nearly 100 %. A great deal of this success was due to help provided by the Soviet Union who gave aid to Cuba in many ways. For example, the Soviets Union bought large amounts of Cuban sugar at a highly inflated price. A ton of sugar, which has the equivalent value of 1. 4 tons of oil, was being bought by the Soviet Union at the price of eight tons of oil to one ton of sugar. This effectively pumped $ 5. 7 billion into the island economy annually. (Bethell, 47) Despite this financial help, unemployment went up during the 1970 s.

In 1980, 125, 000 Cubans fled from Cuba to Florida, seeking a better life. As the Soviet Union itself declined, Cuba's economy plunged with it. When the Soviet Union broke up in 1989, Cuba lost its much needed economic support. Cuba's economy continued to spiral downwards until 1995 after numerous economic reforms.

These changes included allowing Cubans to own and spend their money and own small private businesses, rights prohibited earlier in his reign of power. These and other reforms generated much needed foreign investment which totaled about $ 5 billion as of 1996. While this money is not nearly enough to make a significant difference in the Cuban economy, it has helped the economy to rebound slightly. After a decline of in the economy between 1989 to 1994, the economy rebounded in 1995 as inflation dropped. Clearly, these reforms represent steps toward a market economy, and as the desire for improved living standards increases, the Cuban economy will without a doubt continue to improve and grow. (Bethell, 98) To Cubans, Marti is a point symbol of unity.

H is th creator of indpndnc, th soul of th nation, th living gospel of th holland, th "Castro", th "Apostle." This is why his nam is so miss in th propaganda of th opponents of th Revolution. As a clar manifestation of th misinformation surrounding Cuba, th U. S. finance what it nams Radio and TV Marti to ncourag th overthrow of th Cuban revolutionary government. Actually, Marti world that Cubans should not court th aid of th U. S.

because that aid would nang Cuba's sovereignty. In his last interview with th Nw York Had (Bryson, us, May 2, 1895), Marti voice th conviction that thos who collaborate with th U. S. government against a politically and comically fr Cuba wr traitors and "guano" (parasites) -a word usd today to describe th Cuban opponents of th revolution. No on, including Find Castro, has vr surpassed Marti in his mistrust of th U.

S. government, his criticism of lif in th U. S. and his animosity toward that country's predatory foreign policy. Bibliography: Julio Ramos, John D. Blanco (Translator): Divergent Modernities: Culture and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Latin America (Post-Contemporary Interventions).

Duke University Press; June 2001. Susana Rather, Jennifer French (Translator), Katherine Seller (Translator), Katherine Series (Translator): The American Chronicles of Jose Marti: Journalism and Modernity in Spanish America (Re-Encounters With Colonialism). Dartmouth College; April 2000. Ada Ferrer: Insurgent Cuba: Race, Nation, and Revolution 1868 - 1898. University of North Carolina Press; 1999. Leslie Bethell, ed. , Cuba: A Short History.

Cambridge University Press, 1993.


Free research essays on topics related to: cuban economy, coup data, soviet union, u s government, fidel castro

Research essay sample on U S Government Fidel Castro

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