Topic Abstract: Fidel Castro s Revolutionary Guard, 1956

Transcription

1 Dear Delegates and Moderators, Welcome to NAIMUN LIV and more specifically welcome to Fidel Castro s Revolutionary Guard! In a few short months, delegates from all around the world will convene to discuss and respond to some of the most pressing issues faced by the international community. The document included is a topic abstract for Fidel Castro s Revolutionary Guard. Here, you will find overview information about the committee and avenues for further research on the topics we will be tackling during the conference. The intent of this abstract is so that you may begin research and have an understanding of the material that will be discussed before a full background guide is released later in the winter. By reading and understanding the topic abstract, you will more fully get a sense of how this committee will be run at NAIMUN and what specific issues the secretariat and dais members have chosen to focus on. We hope to assist you in any way possible in the lead-up to NAIMUN. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the Chair or CM of Fidel Castro s Revolutionary Guard Grace Jiang and Delfin Mendez at gjj3@georgetown.edu or drm79@georgetown.edu. We look forward to welcoming you to NAIMUN in February! All the best, Garrett and Matthew Garrett Williams Secretary General Matthew Robinson Director General

2 The Topics The date is December 2, 1956, and the Granma containing the 82 remaining rebels of Fidel Castro s Movimiento 26 de Julio (M-26-7) has just landed upon the shores of Playa Las Coloradas, Cuba from Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico. While the revolutionaries hardly constitute an army equipped to overthrow General Fulgencio Batista from power, their anti-batista allies on the island stand prepared to supply the revolutionary guard with food, shelter, supplies, and intelligence. While a small minority of the revolutionaries believes that it is only necessary to topple the dictator, many more believe that they need to establish stable democratic institutions with an overhaul of the political parties in Cuba. In addition, many favor limited economic and social reforms, especially those that would put foreign-owned assets into the hands of Cubans. However, many Cubans remain uncertain as to what will happen following Batista s ouster. The grandiose vision El Comandante that Fidel Castro has laid out for Cuba has promised the end of tyranny, but remains largely ambiguous. Instead, the execution of the revolution s promises including agrarian reform, a literacy campaign, industrialization, and a solution to socioeconomic inequality, lie largely in the hands of Castro s future government, the members of whom El Comandante has yet to establish. As such, each and every member of the revolution must prove their worth in both loyalty and capability to hold a position in the new coalition. As each member of the revolutionary guard formulates his next moves, the rest of Cuba waits with baited breath for the economic, political, and social reforms promised to them by the revolution. Members must especially keep the following topics in mind: Topic A: Economy Following the independence of several Latin American countries, especially Haiti, Cuba became the largest sugar producer in the world, exporting the cash crop to Europe in the early 19th century. However, by the Spanish American War, America became Cuba s primary market, with American capital flooding Cuba after the end of the war. Cuba is hardly a poor country by Latin American standards. In fact, it could be considered the most prosperous country in the region. Its cities, such as Havana and Santiago de Cuba, supported a vast network of middle class services and hotels that serve American industries and tourist. Lawyers, doctors, managers and engineers work and prosper in the cities thanks to close ties with the US. The biggest sugar, manufacturing, utilities and hotel companies in the island are owned by US interest. However, not all Cubans enjoy this from this prosperity. Most Cubans

3 are either underpaid industrial workers in the cities or poor landless farmers. Almost a quarter of the workforce is employed in the unstable sugar industry, which leaves them unemployed for four months each year. They certainly do not benefit from the current distribution of wealth and land, earning only about $91 per year, thereby making Cuba one of the most unequal nations in the Americas. Also many lack accesses to basic good and services, such as hospitals and schools. If the revolution is to be successful, the movement must generate viable solutions to mobilize the lower classes in supporting and joining the revolution. However, the appropriate means to liberate the country from its inequalities are far from clear. Topic B: Nationalism and Democratization For most, the call for revolution is not for economic or social change, but for political transformation. Cuba s political development was interrupted by the United States in their intervention in the Cuban War of Independence during the Spanish American War. For Cubans, the goal of the war was to obtain full independence from Spain under a democratic regime. However, following the war, the new republic of Cuba- founded after a four-year American occupation- effectively became a protectorate of the United States. The 1901 Platt Amendment established that the US had authority to intervene in Cuba s internal politics, and thus gave it full control over the island s foreign relations, including to US military control of the Bay of Guantanamo. Although FDR s administration ended the Platt Amendment in 1934 as part of the Good Neighbor Policy, the United States continues to exert influence over the island and maintains control of Guantanamo Bay as a naval station. 1 Although Cuba legally obtained independence as a democratic state in 1901, it has been subject to the brutal control of President Fulgencio Batista, also known as El Hombre or "the Man." Originally an army sergeant, he came to power in a coup, led in 1934 with U.S. support. Since then, he has controlled the government either directly or through puppet Presidents for the last 20 years. Thus, Batista established a Pro-American regime that used a network of corruption and violence to keep itself in power. For many young middle class Cubans, such as Fidel Castro, this is an unacceptable situation. 2 Many supporters of the revolution expect that victory will lead to a free society and a return to democracy. It is fundamental that the revolutionary movement keep in mind some of these expectations and discuss regime change. 1 The United States, Cuba, and the Platt Amendment, 1901, Office of the Historian US Department of State. 2 Fulgencio Batista ( ), PBS.

4 Topic C: Social/Cultural Reforms With a Gini Coefficient of 0.57, Cuba s stark economic inequalities also generate subsequent social strife. The majority of Cuba s peasants face unemployment and/or debt and also have minimal access to social services. Malnourishment, illiteracy, and lack of access to healthcare, while uncommon in cities, are rampant issues in the countryside. Thus, social mobility is essentially nonexistent for poor Cubans, who are also disproportionately black or mulatto (of mixed race). Because Cuba was built on a legacy of slavery which was not abolished until 1886, whites are largely considered a superior race in Cuban society, an attitude exacerbated by the presence of the United States, which deals with its own internal issues of racism and discrimination. Cuban society has institutionalized racism, with laws that prohibit blacks and mulattoes from entering whites only occupations, beaches, parks, clubs, and schools. Discrimination is so widespread that even President Batista, who is a mulatto, has been barred from entering one of Havana s most exclusive clubs. This oppression disproportionately affects poor black and mulatto women, who are limited to traditional gender roles as a result of poor health care, child care, and employment opportunities. Lack of access to contraception, illegal abortion, and medical care means that women are largely unable to leave their children or homes. However, not only do poor blacks, mulattos, and women constitute a significant portion of Cuba s disenfranchised population, minorities have consistently played decisive roles in Cuba s history, having made up a significant share of liberation army participants in both of Cuba s wars for national liberation from Spain in and Thus, Cuba s poor and marginalized have demonstrated themselves to be an impressive force that could prove to be critical in the revolution s success and whose plight simply cannot be ignored by the Cuban government any longer.

5 Resources for Further Research Below is a list of resources that will be useful in your preparation for the committee. Some of the documents will be in the public domain in order to facilitate your research process. If you have any problems reach out to the CM and Chair for help. Overall, an understanding of Cuban history and society will be the most beneficial to perform well in committee. Speeches of Fidel Castro These speeches will help you understand how Fidel Castro s political thoughts changed before, during and after the revolution. This will give you an idea of what the revolution meant to Castro and Cuba at large as the situation changed in the island. Place pecial focus the following speeches: History will absolve me (1953) Castro Speaks to the citizens of Santiago Cuba (1959) Speech to Intellectuals (1961) I Shall Be a Marxist-Leninist to the End of My Life (1961) The Works of Herberto Padilla erto+padilla+poems+in+english&hl=en&sa=x&ved=0ahukewivsd2y4ftnahuc1r 4KHcDnCJYQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=heberto%20padilla&f=false Herberto Padilla, Fuera de Juego Herberto Padilla was a supporter turned critic of the revolution. His poems will give an insight into how initial supporters of Castro will ultimately find themselves in opposition to the regime. History of Cuba Luis A. Perez Jr., The structure of Cuban History This book focuses on he history of Cuba, and how the US intervention in Cuba affected the Cuban mentality and political perception. I recommend the introduction and the chapters focusing on the War with Spain and Castro. If you have an interest in any specific chapter and can access the book reach out to the CM who can provide scans of the intro and several chapters.

6 uban+history, American University sites focusing on the History of Cuba. Video documentary on the cuban revolution. BBC: Useful timeline and profile on Cuba. Che Part One (Film) This is the first part of a two-part biopic on the life of Che Guevara. The film focuses on his ideological development and his contributions in Cuba from 1956 to The M-26-7 might have operated during Pleas consult the web for a source, it is available on netflix.