A History of the Cuban Revolution [Paperback]

A fully-revised and updated new edition of a concise and insightful socio-historical analysis of the Cuban revolution, and the course it took over five and a half decades.

• Now available in a fully-revised second edition, including new material to add to the book’s coverage of Cuba over the past decade under Raul Castro
• All of the existing chapters have been updated to reflect recent scholarship
• Balances social and historical insight into the revolution with economic and political analysis extending into the twenty-first century
• Juxtaposes U.S. and Cuban perspectives on the historical impact of the revolution, engaging and debunking the myths and preconceptions surrounding one of the most formative political events of the twentieth century
• Incorporates more student-friendly features such as a timeline and glossary

List of Illustrations viii

Series Editor’s Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Timeline xii

Introduction 1

Talking about Freedom 2

Scholars Weigh In 3

Why Revolution? 5

Comparing Capitalism and Socialism 8

Latin American Attitudes 12

1 Cuba through 1959 15

Colonial History 15

The Colony in the Republic 20

Revolution: A War, or a Process? 28

2 Experiments with Socialism 36

Analyzing the Situation: Economic Backwardness 37

The 1960s: Experimentation and the Great Debate 40

The 1970s: Institutionalization and the Soviet Model 45

Cuba in the 1970s: How it Worked 46

1986: Rectiló[