After the Spanish-American war, Cuba was considered an independent country, despite the fact that the United States maintained the right to “dictate Cuba’s foreign policy” and “intervene in Cuban affairs” (“History of Cuba”, 01:48-01:51). With Cubans no longer working under Spain, and the United States overseeing trade, many Cubans had to find their own ways to support themselves, effectively making Cuba a capitalist country for the first few decades of their independence. Tourism and casinos sprung up around Cuba, leading to illegal activity. Rich Cubans had ties to the mafia, and started stealing from casinos and investors (“Cuba Before the Revolution”, para. 7). Illegal drugs started lining the streets and decreasing the quality of life of those addicted. These activities increased the gap between classes, gender discriminated was also taking place. To secure some capital for themselves, women took to exploiting themselves as maids and sex workers, with some working for food and a bed rather than just money (“Cuba Before the Revolution” para. 29).
I found the political tension to be one of the most striking parts of the film. After generations of exploitation by Spain and poverty, Castro was able to appeal to the masses with promises that communism would help the country flourish. Based on the raw footage from Cuba and the Cameraman, it seemed like there was a huge political divide between those in full support of the Castro regime and those who were actively trying to flee their country. In the scenes with the embassy, I was thoroughly surprised at how many protesters were there to shout and harass those looking to leave for America, chanting “they should get out” and “long live Fidel” (“Cuba and the Cameraman”, 32:02-32:17). The people who wish to leave often claimed they sought freedom. I wonder how this divide has been able to stay in place, since in theory the fall of the Soviet Union should’ve lead to equal suffering. Those loyal to communism are also completely loyal to Fidel, and I wonder if they have managed to squirrel away capital for themselves and therefore have more reason to stay on the island. This would be supported by the broken system.
Later in the film, children at the school are interviewed and claim that the state of affairs is worse, while at Fidel Castro’s funeral, parents are telling their children they must uphold the communism system. Another group of students are interviewed and talk about how communism is the best for the country, and how everyone is the same. It strikes me as odd that there are still parents who would suffer and not want their children to make a better future for themselves. I think a lot of Cubans do not talk about politics for fear of being prosecuted for being a political opposer, but those who are loyal to the state do not seem to see another way to live, even when things are bad. With small bits of capitalism coming back to the island through markets and tourism, do you think those supporting the regime are better off financially, and therefore not protecting true socialism? With this intense form of nationalism, do you think Cuba will remain socialist or move even closer to capitalism through socialization with other nations?
I felt the exact same way when watching Cuba and the Cameraman as I had no idea how upset and violent citizens were to those that wanted to leave the country. It was never apparent to me how divided the country was on how they felt about living in Cuba. But I believe the animosity among the citizens is because some truly believe in the communist systems and find that people who want to leave view themselves as "individuals" who deserve better, which is a concept in complete opposition to communism as there are no individuals; the country is one unit that suffers and succeeds together. Additionally, to answer your second question, I think that the country would definitely improve if small bits of capitalism came back, as the country needs markets and tourism to bring in money since there is no more coming in from the Soviet Union. Lastly, to answer your final question, I think that as more and more aspects of capitalism come through, the country will slowly move away from a pure communist system, but I don't believe there will be any drastic changes in government until the regime Fidel created is removed from power as they are very loyal to his work and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your comments. I wonder, with a non-Castro slated to take over for Raul, if the country will start to move more drastically towards communism.
DeleteThere was this scene in Cuba and the Cameraman when Luis was in jail and Jon Alpert was interviewing Luis' brother and a man I think was his other brother- or maybe a friend. The second brother talks about how bad things are in Cuba and how, if he had the chance, he would go to the US- they would all go to the US. The first brother disagrees, saying he would never leave Cuba and causing a tense argument between the two about getting out of Cuba's conditions or staying where they know. Your point about the political divide reminded me of this and I definitely agree that there is one present- even between families. I've also started to realize the extreme power Fidel Castro seems to have as a symbol of freedom and nationalism, especially for those who are loyal to him, and why they would support what he believes simply because of his identity as Cuba's revolutionary. Even when times are changing more in favor of capitalism, there are Fidel Castro supporters who are in denial- though, as you mentioned, are supporting the broken system. As shown in Cuba and the Cameraman, using the black market is pretty common and with capitalism on the rise, I think you're right in your thinking that Castro supporters must also involve themselves at least a little with capitalism. This could be due to differences in what needs to be done to survive versus loyalty to communism. In regards to your last question, I do think Cuba will move closer to capitalism. Fidel Castro will always remain a significant symbol of Cuba, but I think, over time, when the Castro's are out of power completely, there will be a greater shift. In it's history, Cuba has always wanted to be independent- they may realize that capitalism could be the start of that.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post Rebecca and thought it was extremely well written. It often surprised me as well the divide between those who supported Fidel and those who opposed him. For example, in the short video “What would an end to the embargo mean for Cuba?”, it showed the people who fled from Cuba to the United States ecstatic for the death of Fidel Castro but the people who remained in Cuba they were mourning his death. Communism is not the way to make an economy flourish and the Cubans in the United States realized that and fled. Where in a sense when people are living under a regime they are often “brainwashed” in a sense because of fear of the ruler. Therefore, people with follow along with whatever the leader says in order to survive. Even though, deep down they probably disagree with what is going on. I believe if Cuba wasn’t a communist country then they would be a lot better off in my opinion. As shown in the film “Cuba and the Cameraman”, there was no sign of economic growth over fifty years! Now compare Cuba over the last fifty years having a socialist economy and New York City over that fifty years being a capitalist economy, what a difference! It would be safe to say that Cuba would be a lot better off economically if they were a capitalist country. Socialism will always fail because there are no incentives. Incentives are what drives people to work and make a living!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete