Castro

1
Castros Domestic Policies Part 1
2
Castros First Domestic Policies

• Eliminate corruption and illiteracy
• Project to drain a huge swamp for rice-growing
  and tourism
• Low salaries were raised
• Big estates (many owned by the U.S.) were broken
  up and converted into cooperatives
• U.S. companies began to be nationalized
• In the short term, all but the very rich found
  themselves better off

3
Castros First Domestic Policies

• Equality for blacks
• More rights for women
• Every citizen was guaranteed employment
• Social services were extended to all classes of
  society
• Compulsory military service taught discipline and
  hard work
• Temporarily allowed disaffected people to leave

4
Heading for the U.S.

• Anti-Castro Cubans headed for the U.S.,
  especially FL. Nearly 1 million arrived between
  1960 and 2000
• There many conducted a terrorist campaign against
  the Castro regime with the active support of the
  CIA

5
End of President Urrutia

• The commander of the Air Force, Diaz Lanz,
  defected to the U.S. because of the growth of
  communism
• President Urrutia denounced Lanz for his
  defection, but made a lengthy attack on
  communism, implying that Lanz had a legitimate
  cause for concern
• Castro resigned from the government because he
  believed that Urrutia had shown no interest in
  promoting social improvement
• However, a mass public meeting of ½ million on
  the 26th of July showed support for Castro to
  resume his post and caused Urrutia to resign

6
Consolidating Power

• Being anti-communist was the same as being
  counter-revolutionary
• At Havana University, troublesome professors were
  expelled or neutralized
• Trade unions were infiltrated by communists
• Arrests of outspoken journalists caused hostile
  newspapers, television, and radio stations to
  conform or close down
• Foreign priests were expelled, Cuban priests
  harassed and imprisoned, seminaries closed won,
  publications prohibited, and security men placed
  in churches
• Security services placed bugs

7
Castros Education Policies

• In 1961, the government nationalized all private
  educational institutions and introduced a
  state-directed system
• Education is free at all levels and controlled by
  the Cuban Ministry for Education
• However, once a student reaches the 7th-12th
  grades, he is required to spend 30 days without
  pay each year working on the land

8
Castros Education Policies

• Also in 1961, Cuban schools close for several
  months. Students are sent to the countryside in
  'alphabetization brigades' to teach the
  population reading and writing
• The exercise books are highly political among
  the first words taught are 'Organization of
  American States', 'agrarian reform' and
  'cooperation
• According to government statistics, contested by
  others, illiteracy is reduced from 20-25 to 4-5
  percent

9
Castros Education Policies

• Schools emphasize hard work, self-discipline, and
  love of country
• Students are required to work in agriculture
  three times a week
• The system has been criticized for political
  indoctrinization and for monitoring the political
  opinions of the students

10
Castros Education Policies

• The Cumulative School File documents whether or
  not the child and family participate in mass
  demonstrations, belong to a church, etc.
• The file accompanies the child for life and is
  continually updated (later is becomes an
  employment record)
• His university options will depend on what the
  file says. If he does not profess a truly
  Marxist life, he will be denied many career
  possibilities

11
Castros Education Policies

• Schools teach that God does not exist and Cuba
  frowns upon religion
• The Code for Children, Youth, and Family
  provides for a 3-year prison sentence for any
  parent who teaches a child ideas contrary to
  communism
• Article 8 of the code reads Society and the
  state work for the efficient protection of youth
  against all influences contrary to their
  Communist formation

12
Building of Agriculture

• Agriculture was collectivized
• He wanted the sugar harvest to double over the
  next five years to reach 10 million tons by 1970
  they reached 8.5 tons
• Castro decided to concentrate on milk production
  rather than beef, but special conditions and
  special feed made it expensive to use White Udder
  cows that were suited for Cubas weather
  conditions

13
Nationalization

• All private enterprises were nationalized - small
  shops, bars restaurants, repair centers
• They were centers of profiteering, corruption,
  idleness, and immorality

Ironically Castros favorite sport Americas
pastime baseball. He once tried out for the
Washington Senators MLB team
14
Building of Socialism

• Social services
• Education was made available to Cubans for free
  (even meals at school)
• Health services were made available to Cubans for
  free
• Housing was improved
• Improvements were made in sanitation

15
Building of Economy

• Economy
• Failed to achieve significant growth
• Nothing to buy
• Failed to reduce its dependence on the countrys
  chief export, cane sugar
• This was because
• Economic warfare was waged by the U.S. allies
  were pressured to join the embargo
• Economic decision making power was concentrated
  in a centralized bureaucracy headed by Castro

16
Government

• Corruption was severely reduced
• In 1976, a new constitution was passed, which set
  up an elected Municipal Assembly, who in turn
  elected Provincial Assemblies, which then elected
  the National Assembly
• The State Council advised Castro like the Cabinet
  would the President in the U.S.
• Castro was the still the head of state and the
  National Assembly and State Council rubber
  stamped his decisions
• The CDRs also made sure no one hostile to the
  revolution was elected political parties banned

17
Why Follow Castro?

• Emphasis on the good
• New schools, roads, hospitals
• He never stopped talking and discussing
• He used a type of direct democracy that made
  millions of Cubans feel involved and consulted in
  a way that had never happened under previous
  governments
• Compared himself to Christ cult of personality
  was built up
• Common enemy and scapegoat was the U.S.

18
Embassy and Mariel Incidents

• In 1980, the Peruvian Embassys gates were
  crashed by a bus full of people who wanted to
  defect, killing a Cuban soldier
• After refusing to give up the people, Castro
  removed all the guards more than 10,000 people
  crowded into the Embassy buildings

• Also in 1980, Cuban authorities rounded up
  criminals and lunatics
• They took them to the port of Mariel for shipment
  to Florida
• Cuba eventually got rid of a total of 120,000
  discontented or unwanted people

19
One of the boats in the Mariel Boatlift
Peruvian Embassy in Cuba 10,800 disaffected
Cubans stormed it
20
Special Period

• With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
• The price for Cuban sugar declined
• The price for Cubas main import oil rose
• The Cuban economy went into a free fall
• Bicycles replaced cars oxen replaced tractors
• Government officials were laid off
• Construction projects stopped
• Factories producing non-essential goods were
  closed
• Electricity cuts began and lasted up to 16 hours
  a day

21
Special Period

• With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991
• People sold and bought on the black market
• Prostitution became legal
• Most people ate one meal a day
• There was an epidemic of a disease causing
  blindness caused by malnutrition
• Bush extended the embargo and limited the number
  of Cubans gaining visas

22
Fixing the Economy

• Small scale private enterprise was legalized
• Farmers could sell products on open markets at
  prices fixed by themselves
• War of All the People defense strategy called
  for guerilla warfare, so bunkers and tunnels were
  built
• In 1994, when economic unrest led to
  anti-government demonstrations, restrictions were
  lifted on those wanting to leave the country

23
Fixing the Economy

• Cuba couldnt make inroads in bio-technology
  because of many years of testing and giant
  multinationals
• Oil companies wouldnt sign contracts to explore
  for oil due to fear of the U.S. (BP feared CANF
  would sabotage its stations)
• CANF (Cuban-American National Foundation), a
  powerful lobbying group, wouldnt let any
  politician normalize relations with Cuba