A Short History of Revolutionary Cuba: Revolution, Power, Authority and the State from 1959 to the Present Day

249 Pages·2021·2.243 MB·English

by  Antoni Kapcia

REVOLUTIONARY
CUBA
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A Short History of . . .
the American Civil War Paul Anderson (Clemson University)
the American Revolutionary War Stephen Conway (University College
London)
Ancient China Edward L Shaughnessy (University of
Chicago)
Ancient Greece P J Rhodes, FBA (Durham University)
the Anglo-Saxons Henrietta Leyser (University of Oxford)
Babylon Karen Radner (University of Munich)
the Byzantine Empire Dionysios Stathakopoulos (King’s
College London)
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University of London)
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Manchester)
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English Renaissance Drama Helen Hackett (University College
London)
the English Revolution and the Civil Wars David J Appleby (University of
Nottingham)
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London)
Florence and the Florentine Republic Brian Jeffrey Maxson (East Tennessee
State Republic University)
the Hundred Years War Michael Prestwich (Durham University)
Irish Independence J J Lee (New York University)
the Italian Renaissance Virginia Cox (New York University)
the Korean War Allan R Millett (University of New
Orleans)
Medieval Christianity G R Evans (University of Cambridge)
Medieval English Mysticism Vincent Gillespie (University of Oxford)
the Minoans John Bennet (University of Sheffield)
the Mongols George Lane (SOAS, University of
London)
the Mughal Empire Michael H Fisher (Oberlin College)
Muslim Spain Amira K Bennison (University of
Cambridge)
New Kingdom Egypt Robert Morkot (University of Exeter)
the New Testament Halvor Moxnes (University of Oslo)
Nineteenth-Century Philosophy Joel Rasmussen (University of Oxford)
the Normans Leonie V Hicks (Canterbury Christ
Church University)
the Ottoman Empire Baki Tezcan (University of California,
Davis)
the Phoenicians Mark Woolmer (Durham University)
the Reformation Helen L Parish (University of Reading)
the Renaissance in Northern Europe Malcolm Vale (University of Oxford)
Revolutionary Cuba Antoni Kapcia (University of
Nottingham)
the Risorgimento Nick Carter (Australian Catholic
University, Sydney)
the Russian Revolution Geoffrey Swain (University of Glasgow)
the Spanish Civil War Julián Casanova (University of
Zaragoza)
the Spanish Empire Felipe Fernández-Armesto (University
of Notre Dame) and José Juan López-
Portillo (University of Oxford)
Transatlantic Slavery Kenneth Morgan (Brunel University
London)
the Tudors Richard Rex (University of Cambridge)
Venice and the Venetian Empire Maria Fusaro (University of Exeter)
the Vikings Clare Downham (University of
Liverpool)
the Wars of the Roses David Grummitt (University of Kent)
the Weimar Republic Colin Storer (University of Nottingham)
REVOLUTIONARY
CUBA
Power, Authority and the
State since 1959
Antoni Kapcia
BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC
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BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo are trademarks of
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First published in Great Britain 2021
Copyright © Antoni Kapcia, 2021
Antoni Kapcia has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be
identified as Author of this work.
Cover design: Terry Woodley
Cover image Cuban leader Fidel Castro speaking to people of Santa Clara in the town square.
Photo by Grey Villet/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kapcia, Antoni, author.
Title: A short history of revolutionary Cuba : Power, Authority
and the State since 1959 / by Antoni Kapcia.
Description: New York : Bloomsbury Academic, [2021] | Series: Short
histories | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2020037982 (print) | LCCN 2020037983 (ebook) | ISBN
9781788312158 (hardback) | ISBN 9781788312165 (paperback) | ISBN
9781786726414 (epub) | ISBN 9781786736475 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Cuba–Politics and government–1959-1990. | Cuba–Politics
and government–1990- | Cuba–History–Revolution, 1959. |
Nationalism–Cuba–History. | Socialism–Cuba–History. |
Cuba–Relations–United States. | United States–Relations–Cuba.
Classification: LCC F1788 .K355 2021 (print) | LCC F1788 (ebook) | DDC
972.9106/4–dc23
ISBN: HB: 978-1-7883-1215-8
PB: 978-1-7883-1216-5
ePDF: 978-1-7867-3647-5
eBook: 978-1-7867-2641-4
Series: Short Histories
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Contents
Glossary of Spanish terms viii
List of acronyms and initials xi
Preface xiv
Chapter 1 The evolution of a radical nationalism 1
Chapter 2 The project to construct a Cuban nation, 1959–61 39
Chapter 3 Debate I: 1962–5 67
Chapter 4 The maverick revolution and ‘Cuban
Communism’, 1965–70 79
Chapter 5 Debate II: 1970–5 93
Chapter 6 Institutionalization, consolidation and greater
orthodoxy, 1975–85 101
Chapter 7 Debate III: 1985–9 117
Chapter 8 Crisis and the special period, and debates IV and
V, 1989–2005 123
Chapter 9 From Fidel to Raúl: The last chapter? 151
Chapter 10 Reflections on the Cuban matrix of power,
governance and decision-making 179
Notes 203
Bibliography 204
Index 215
Glossary of Spanish Terms
Glossary of Spanish terms
Balsero Rafter (literally), or boat person (after
1994)
Bonche Armed political gang (thus also:
bonchismo) in 1934–52
Burocracia Bureaucracy (thus also: burócrata,
bureaucrat)
Caballería Traditional unit of land measure
Caja de cambio Currency exchange kiosk
Casa particular Bed and breakfast accommodation (after
1993)
Coletilla Disclaimer (by workers in right-wing
newspapers)
Colono Sugar grower (largely before 1959)
Combatiente Guerrilla fighter
Conciencia Consciousness
Contra Against
Criollo Cuban-born white during the colonial
period
Cuenta propia Self-employed (thus also cuentapropista,
someone self-employed)
Glossary of Spanish Terms
Glossary of Spanish Terms
Dentro Within
Encomienda The Spanish colonial system in the
Americas of entrusting local indigenous
populations to the care of an early
colonist, allowing him to use their labour
in exchange
Funcionario Bureaucrat
Ideario Body of ideas (especially philosophical or
political)
Imaginario The imaginary (imagined ‘world’)
Jineterismo Hustling or prostitution (after 1993)
Libreta Ration-book
Logros Achievements
Lineamiento Guideline (used of reform programme
from 2011)
Mambí (plural mambises) The name given to the (mostly non-white)
independence rebels of 1868–78 and
1895–8
mambisado The name given after 1902 to the (largely
white) political elite, associated with the
1895 rebellion against Spain
Martianismo Belief in, reverence for, Martí’s ideas and
meaning (thus also: martianista)
Microbrigada Voluntary construction brigade (1960s and
1970s)
Moneda nacional Cuban peso
Paladar Private restaurant (after 1992)
Parametración Restriction (between defined parameters)
Peninsular Spanish-born white during the colonial
period
ix