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Cuba's Politics and History

     In the new world, along with Puerto Rico, Cuba remained one of Spain's two colonies. It continued to be governed by Madrid as it had been since the Spaniards arrived in 1511. During the colonial period, Cuba was evolving from a slowly growing colony into the worlds leading sugar producer but remained compliant. After all of the Spanish American empire disintegrated, Cuba's colonial government turned despotic and people began to show their dissatisfaction. Some favored reform over revolution, and others were in favor of annexation to the United States. They sought annexation as a means of gaining political and economic freedom while preserving slavery (Hernandez). Annexationism became impractical following the United States Civil war. Hernandez states Prospect of  concessions from Spain faded out after the failure of the Junta de informacion, which was convened by Madrid to discuss reforms the Cubans demanded. Soon after, the Ten Years War began and Cuba was unable to overthrow Spanish Power and after slavery ended their economy became more closely linked with that of the United States. Cuba was known for a high "sugar nobility" but they began to lose the role in the economy and society when sugar prices dropped. According to Hernandez, "United States penetration into the Cuban economy was facilitated and sugar estates and mining interests landed in U.S. hands. The U.S. capital, machinery, and technicians helped save the sugar mills and Cuban sugar dependence was now on the United States market".

    Jose Marti was the designer of Cuba's revolutionary party and its ideology. He spent most of his time planning for Cuba's second struggle for independence. He wanted the next war to be short and fought with a republican method and spirit. He knew the United Sates had always coveted Cuba and feared that if Cuba's struggle for independence continued without the imminent prospect of success, it would create conditions leading to U.S. intervention and ultimately to Cuba's annexation (Hernandez). 

    "The conflict combined with the Spanish U.S. tariff controversy of the 1890s had destroyed two-thirds of its productive capacity"(Hernandez). Cuba was heavy in debt and had no capital. When Cubans thought of the corruption and oppressiveness that came with Spanish rule they began to despise it. "when Washington entered their struggle for independence, he destroyed the rebel military organization and its institutions and Cuba became a tabula rasa politically again"(Hernandez).

RESOURCES

"Cuba in 1898." Cuba in 1898-The World  of 1898: The Spanish-American War(Hispanic Division, Library of Congress), www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/hernandez.html.





Comments

  1. Darion MaloneApril 7, 2021 at 7:32 PM

    You broke up the text with the pictures very well, that was the first thing I noticed. Also the pictures were selected well. Most people know about the relationship between Spain and Cuba but you did more than just state the obvious facts. In this post just like all of your other ones you go into great detail.

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