CubaCuba

World Studies

February 20

I. BackgroundI. Background• Monroe Doctrine (1823): US stated

the American continents were no longer open to colonization by European powers.

• Roosevelt Corollary (1904): US claims “international police power” in the Western Hemisphere

• Cuba remained a colony of the Spanish until 1898

• It was Spain’s most important source of sugar

• People kept trying to expel the Spanish from the island with little success

II. U.S. Involvement

• Many people in the US identified with the Cubans and their fight for independence

• Americans did business in Cuba• Americans had plantation, factories

and warehouses• US bought most of its sugar from Cuba

III. Spanish-America War

• February 15, 1898 US battleship the USS Maine mysteriously blows up in Havana Harbor– US quickly blames Spain

• April 24, 1898 the US and Spain will go to war with each other

• War lasted 5 months, in the end the US won Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam

• Cuba gained independence in 1898 with help from the US - Independent, but under the influence of the

US

- US troops would remain there until 1901 forcing Cuba to accept the Platt Amendment

IV. The Platt AmendmentIV. The Platt Amendment• In 1901 the US agreed to remove troops if

Cuba agreed to following conditions:1. Will not lease land to anyone but the US

2. Will not borrow money from anyone other than the US

3. Will not make treaties with other countries

4. If US feels Cuba’s independence is being threatened the US can militarily intervene

5. Had to let the US keep Guantanamo Bay as a military base

• Cubans resented these restrictions

• Good Neighbor Policy will put an end to restrictions but not the resentment of Cuban people

V. Cuban RevolutionV. Cuban Revolution• American businesses owned A LOT of

sugar plantations, mills, etc in Cuba

• Despite the GN policy, the US supported dictators sympathetic to US investments

• In the 1950s Fidel Castro began rallying Cubans against the corrupt Fulgencio Batista

Fulgencio Batista

Castro at Student Protest - 1947

• Late 1958, Castro, Che Guevara & Camilo Cienfuegos each led forces into Cuba

• Batista fled to the US– All the world cheered– Until…

VI. Communism in CubaVI. Communism in Cuba

• Castro nationalized all foreign owned land & redistributed it to Cuban poor

• Set up national health care & increased education

• Life for the poor improved, but 1000s of middle class/wealthy fled Cuba– Primarily for the nearby US

VII. CubaVII. Cuba’’s Cold War Roles Cold War Role

• Cuban leaders were never able to establish an economy without selling sugar internationally

• US tried to twist Castro’s arm with an embargo, a ban on trade

• Rather than give in, Castro turned to the USSR to buy sugar

• US cut diplomatic ties in 1960– 1961 Bay of Pigs

• US financed an invasion by 1500 Cuban exiles• Underestimated Cuban loyalty to Fidel• As a result it was under-manned and the US

did not provide the expected air coverage• 1100 were taken prisoner and it cost the US

$53 million to ransom them

– 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis