The Cuban Revolution and its Impact on the Caribbean
Please answer the following short-answer questions. Each of your answers should be paragraph-length (between 150 to 200 words) and consist of several complete sentences that relate the course content and weekly readings.
1) In “The Cuban Revolution and its Impact on the Caribbean,” Marifeli Perez-Stable concluded that Cuba would “sooner or later … be fully integrated with its neigbours.” How does she reach that conclusion? How has Cuba’s economic and political system changed over time?
Use this week’s lecture and Perez-Stable_The Cuban Revolution to answer this question.
2) According to the documentary “Black in Latin America, Cuba: The Next Revolution,” has Cuba been successful at eliminating racial discrimination?
***Solved***
Cuba’s communist model has steadily evolved, with modest market-oriented changes and the relaxation of private-sector constraints. However, Perez-Stable recognizes the persistence of ideological divides and political impediments that may hamper complete integration. Cuba’s economic and political systems have evolved significantly over time. Following the revolution of 1959, Cuba established a socialist paradigm with the state controlling most economic activities[1]. The system resulted in significant advancements in healthcare and education but also economic inefficiencies and shortages. The tumble of the Soviet Union and the loss of its economic assistance in the 1990s caused a severe economic crisis in Cuba, prompting limited market-oriented changes such as the legalization of certain kinds of private industry[2]. However, Cuba controls vital energy, telecommunications, and banking sectors. Politically, Cuba remains a one-party state with limited political freedom and human rights concerns.
There is no clear answer as to whether Cuba has successfully eradicated racial prejudice. It depicts both development and persistent difficulties. On the one hand, the documentary recognizes that Cuba has achieved tremendous advances in combating racism. Such is its dedication to universal education and healthcare and its attempts to promote cultural diversity and Afro-Cuban history[3]. Afro-Cubans confront racism regarding housing, employment, and representation in positions of power. The video also mentions that the Cuban government has attempted to acknowledge and remedy racial imbalances
[1] Pérez-Stable, Marifeli. “The Cuban Revolution and its impact on the Caribbean.” General History of the Caribbean: Volume V: The Caribbean in the Twentieth Century (2003): 2
[2] Ibid.,11–13
[3] Black in Latin America 2 – Cuba – The Next Revolution.” YouTube, March 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhtGlilIn58&t=25s
