What is Communism?

In the most basic form, it is when all manufacturing or means of production are equally owned by all
members of the state. Aim is to eliminate capitalist inspired class-system/class structures.

Proletariat and the Bourgeoisie.

Original form: Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels = Marxism. To abolish the exploitation of the working
class, when they are not getting as much benefits of their work. USSR, China, Vietnam and Cuba are
the four big examples of Communism in practice in modern history.

Socialism Communism (great in theory, disaster in

practice)
Equal share in profit and property Absence of money and ownership to establish
social order.

Get as much as they need but work as much as

they can. Have led to lower standards of living,
corruption.
Removes incentive of working hard unless they
have to. Develops resentment towards
someone who works less but reap same
benefits

Castro and Communism

1. Outline the circumstances of Castro’s early life which influenced his adoption of the
Communist ideology. How much emphasis does he place on the importance of his life in
the countryside to this? Castro’s early life had an immense role in influencing Castro’s
strong beliefs towards the Communist ideology. Circumstances regarding Castro’s early life
have made it possible for Castro to be influenced. Having brought up as a son of a poor man
in imperialist Cuba, Castro was exposed to poverty and suffering from a young age.
Furthermore, Castro’s education in exclusive and religious schools later on his teenage years
showcased the progressive line between the rich and the poor in Cuba. He was able to contrast
and speculate the happenings in Cuba, empathising with his poorer peers and the state they
were in. Castro’s general Cuban upbringing had also allowed him to witness the mass media,
publication and production of imported goods from the US. The looming notions of Cuban
imperialism and his Cuban background inevitably influenced him to adopt Communist
ideology. Castro also reiterates and emphasizes his life in the countryside as a major factor in
influencing his philosophies.

2. How did Castro’s schooling shape his character and worldview and how do communist
ideals relate to these? Castro’s early education in an affluent and almost-aristocratic school
expanded his viewpoint and allowed him to contrast varying experiences as part of the
bourgeois. In university, he was

3. Having looked at the reforms and changes put in place by Castro in our previous lesson,
to what extent do you think these reforms and changes were influenced by his
communist values and beliefs?
To examine US-Cuban relations after the Revolution – 31/7
How does Castro differ from Batista?
He was a Communist, was against America’s involvement in Cuban affairs, and the Cuban
people loved him. Therefore, this led to him overthrowing Batista in 1959.

What did Fidel do?

Cuban’s illiteracy rate went down (education), he believed in Cuba’s self-sufficiency in
businesses and goods, he nationalized American-dominated industries and private businesses
(State-owned). >> Sugar and Mining

What did the US do?

Supported Cuban exiles, stopped buying Cuban sugar, stopped trading completely,
completely cut off diplomatic relations. Embargo on Cuba (like blacklisted Cuban goods &
services)-> led to decline of Cuban economy

The Bay of Pigs Invasion – failed invasion of Cuba by CIA [17 Apr 1961 – 19 Apr 1961]
Targeted by the CIA under the orders of US Pres. Eisenhower. Trained Cuban exiles in Guatemala.

Plan: to sneak ashore virtually unopposed, secure the area, take the airfield and fly in a
government-in-exile who would then call for direct US support. Relied on a mass uprising in
Cuba against the revolutionaries. It could not have gone more wrong: when an advance
frogman lit a beacon to show the exiles where to land, it also alerted the Cuban militia to their
presence. JFK was determined to keep the US involvement a secret, turned against the
invading force. Castro took personal charge of the operation.

Turning point in Cuban history: Win against the US. Not a good beginning for JFK’s
presidency.

"The secret to the Cuban victory was the ideal for which we were fighting. Our lives were
very difficult before the revolution. That's why everyone came here to fight."

>> This solidified Castro’s popularity and led Castro closer to USSR

The Cuban Missile Crisis – closest thing the world ever came to nuclear war
Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union, who put missiles on Cuba.

Soviet Union had Cuban missiles to counterattack US missiles in Turkery and Italy. It was a
defensive act.