Cuban Revolution

Jason Rosenzweig January 9, 1997
Cuban Revolution Mr. Barron

After the Cuban Revolution many change occurred in Cuba. Cuba was once a corrupt dictatorship, now and for the past 36 years Castro has led a communist government.

Before Castro took over Batista, Batista ran a biossed economy for the rich. Officials took pay offs, keeping the majority of the peoples thoughts invisible. Protestors of Batista were murdered, and their body's were thrown in gutters. During these times the life for the rich was plentiful, they had more Cadillacs than any other city in the world, and the highest number of T.V. sets per capita out of all the Latin American countries . Many gambling casinos were also present. While life for the poor was plagued with unemployment, inadequate health care, and a high illiteracy rate.

Castro's take over of the government, changed many ways of life in Cuba, most of which benefited the poor or the majority of the people. Education was improved for the poor, there are many times more schools and staff members to educate the young. Health care was improved, infant mortality rate has dropped from 60 to 11.1 which is comparable to industrialized nations.

Even with all the good changes their are hardships do go with them. Castro took over business's, some of which were owned by foreign investors, collecting some of the revenue to help Cuba's economy. Some of Batistas followers and the wealthy fled to the U.S. to escape the taking of their wealth or being jailed. On April 17, 1961 the CIA arranged a invasion with 2000 exiles to invade Cuba to spark a uprising against Castro, this was known as the Bay Of Pigs. The invasion failed, this opened a window of opportunity for the Soviet Union to change the global power balance towards the Soviet. In 1962 a event known as The Cuban Missile Crisis was born, the Soviet Union plant Nuclear War Heads in Cuba to prevent the U.S. from any farther attempts to invade Cuba. The U.S. in return setup a quarantine to stop trade with Cuba. After six days of public statements and secret diplomacy Khrushchev ordered the missile sites dismantled in return for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba

All in all Cuba is a very difficult place to live, even with the education and health care improved. The economy is paralyzed by the embargo put on them, with the Soviet collapse they lost almost all there imports/exports. Food is very scarce, sometimes people have to wait days in a food line, and when it's there turn theirs nothing left.

The U.S. should stop the embargo on Cuba, for Communism is no longer a threat, the embargo puts too much suffrage on the people of Cuba, just for their beliefs on the government.