---- Sorry for the late blog post, I am in the Dominican Republic and I struggled to find a good internet connection!
Were the Cuban people really free during the Castro regime?
I find it quite interesting that a lot of the ways the Cuban people prosper is by the influence of the government, rather than their own independency. For example, in the readings and in the movie Cuba and the Cameraman , the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1996 and the subsequent fall of the Soviet Union caused great distress among the Cuban people because their usual surplus of food, healthcare and medicine, and other basic necessities was suddenly cut short.
Those who lived off their land were stripped of nearly every food source they had, agriculture and animals included. The poorest of the poor starved and it created global resentment towards the Castro Regime. Countries like the United States, who were already against the communist party, had some strong opinions about the Castro regime, and the United Nations seemed to condemn him for disregarding his own citizens’ rights. Like many other communist dictators in the past, Fidel promised his citizens what people
In the US were fighting for (healthcare, education, contract salaries etc..) and be gave them that. However as time passed and several events like the Many Cubans fled Cuba when Castro decided to open the Mariel port where Cubans that lived in the US could send boats over to pick up they're family members that wanted to leave. These people who were against the regime at the time were ridiculed, attacked and overhaul hated by those who stood by Fidel. But in the long run they received a better quality of life than those who stayed. Many people in the movie were showed saying “no se vive aquí” or “esto no es la vida” , meaning that there isn’t really a life to live in Cuba- there was just surviving. And they wanted to search for freedom and better conditions. Despite the tumultuous nature of the Castro regime, some still praised Fidel and celebrated his life when he passed away.
The management of the Castro regimes greatly influenced the citizens of Cuba perspective on the regime. Also the regime depended greatly on communist countries aid ( approximately 80% ) during the regime, and with the fall of the Soviet Union, ( their greatest aid ), many communist countries suffered the impact of supply shortages including Cuba. Cuba, being more of a developing country in those days, suffered greatly because of their lack of of a recovery system. In order for the people Of Cuba to have been able to survive, the Castro regime has to resort to making the country an expensive hotspot for tourism. Even though some vital professions like doctors, mechanical and chemical engineers, and teachers were only making 25$ or less a month , the tourism industry gave individuals like these access to more dollars and positively influenced their quality of life, leading them to leave their original job to sell art merchandise to tourists, work in the streets as musicians or other performers, or work in hotels.
With all this being said, do you all think that the Cubans felt free at the beginning of the regime? And if so, why? If not, why not?
With all this being said, do you all think that the Cubans felt free at the beginning of the regime? And if so, why? If not, why not?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post and I thought it was very well written, Emely. In my opinion, I don’t believe the Cuban were truly free during the regime because most Cubans wanted to flee from Cuba and ended up migrating to Miami, Florida. I believe there is an underlying reason why a mass amounts of people are wanting to leave and are willing to die to leave Cuba there is something going on. When under a dictator’s control, people are often “brainwashed” into believing whatever the dictators want them to believe. People of regimes are often told to follow expectations or there are fatal consequences. In most of interviews, people didn’t believe in a communism because it was obvious it was not working. Equality is the main purpose of communism and in Cuba it was obviously shows the inequality and the different social classes, all of which is supposed to be eliminated. Many people thought of Fidel as a god in the short film “Cuba After Castro”. It was interesting to see the different opinions of people when Fidel past away. Cubans who fled to Miami were so grateful he passed away. Whereas, most people in Cuba were extremely sad for the death of Fidel. Or was it a mask of emotions for the people residing in Cuba for fear of not mourning the death of their “beloved” leader? Over time, I believe the real truth will come out whether or not the Cuban people felt as if they were under captivity. But, from what I can see I believe the Cubans were not free and any anyone under a regime are never free.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the regime I don't believe that the Cuban people felt free. Like you mentioned with the thousands of citizens leaving the country for the U.S. to find a better life, clearly there must have been reasons as to why that many people left. They could never seem to have a steady income to provide for themselves and their families especially once the Soviet Union fell. And when tourism finally began to help the economy people were forced to give up their careers, such as mechanical engineers or doctors, to become street vendors to the tourists just to get more access to dollars. That isn't freedom and I think that Cubans were realizing that throughout the years.
ReplyDelete