BEGINNING of interaction
The start of USA-Cuba relations began in 1898 when the US won the Spanish-American war. The results of winning the war was the USA gaining control of multiple countries in the Caribbean, including Cuba.
Embargo
At the time of the embargo, Cuba had just finished their revolution a couple years ago. Cuba was under control of the Communist leader Fidel Castro. The President of the United States (John F. Kennedy) was against communism and was trying to spread democracy. One way to try and get Castro to change his views was to set an embargo on Cuba in 1962. The embargo made it so there was no trade/purchasing of goods in Cuba and no American was allowed to travel to Cuba. The only way to have the embargo lifted would be to have Castro convert to democracy and to improve the living conditions of the citizens. In response, Castro told the people that trade with USA would only benefit the top class of the people and that giving in to the terms of JFK would show weakness. Every year the USA loses billions of dollars and jobs because of the blockade but Cuba still hasn't met the USA's requirements. The embargo is also negative for Cuba. They have no access to american cars, and food consumption has decreased. This means they are forced to use either alternate sources of food and travel or pay more for foreign imports.
Government/Economic Problems
The government and economy was changed a lot during the cold war because of the revolution and need for improvement.
Each leader had different views.
Fidel Castro
In 1952, Batista led another coup. He still had relations with the USA (now President Eisenhower). In this election he was running against Fidel Castro. Similar to his first coup, the USA benefited from Batista having power. Their trade and American organized crime was very prevalent in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Also, Batista allowed american buildings to be built on Cuban ground.
Batista's political rival, Fidel Castro started his revolution in 1953 launching a failed attack on a military base. The failure of the attack got Castro a 15 year jail sentence. After being let out of prison early, Castro tried a naval attack. Again, his attack failed. Castro and his brother fled to the Sierra Maestra where they gained supporters for their rebellion. Castro finally gained control of the government in 1959.
Castro immediately exemplified his different views politics. He removed the american industries from the island. This meant he gained the formerly USA owned sugar plantations, casinos and other businesses. In response, USA took stopped communications with Cuba (see embargo). Despite a failing economy, the Cuban citizens backed Castro. The Bay of Pigs invasion made the people dislike the USA, which was known as a prospering land of opportunity. Castro was not only ably to fend off a major super-power but rallied a group of supporters to stand with him in the face of democracy.
Each leader had different views.
Fidel Castro
- Communist
- One party government
- Treated all social classes equally
- Allied with Soviets
- Dictator
- Controlled media and education
- Used military to control people
- Allied with USA
In 1952, Batista led another coup. He still had relations with the USA (now President Eisenhower). In this election he was running against Fidel Castro. Similar to his first coup, the USA benefited from Batista having power. Their trade and American organized crime was very prevalent in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Also, Batista allowed american buildings to be built on Cuban ground.
Batista's political rival, Fidel Castro started his revolution in 1953 launching a failed attack on a military base. The failure of the attack got Castro a 15 year jail sentence. After being let out of prison early, Castro tried a naval attack. Again, his attack failed. Castro and his brother fled to the Sierra Maestra where they gained supporters for their rebellion. Castro finally gained control of the government in 1959.
Castro immediately exemplified his different views politics. He removed the american industries from the island. This meant he gained the formerly USA owned sugar plantations, casinos and other businesses. In response, USA took stopped communications with Cuba (see embargo). Despite a failing economy, the Cuban citizens backed Castro. The Bay of Pigs invasion made the people dislike the USA, which was known as a prospering land of opportunity. Castro was not only ably to fend off a major super-power but rallied a group of supporters to stand with him in the face of democracy.
To see how Cuba and the USA have continued their relations look at: