Cuba

Revolution and Communist party rule (1959–present)

In the 1950s, various organizations, including some advocating armed uprising, competed for public support in bringing about political change. and about 80 supporters landed from the yacht in an attempt to start a rebellion against the Batista government. emerged as the leading revolutionary group.[106]

By late 1958 the rebels had broken out of the Sierra Maestra and launched a general popular insurrection. After Castro's fighters captured , Batista fled with his family to the Dominican Republic on 1 January 1959. Later he went into exile on the Portuguese island of Madeira and finally settled in Estoril, near Lisbon. Fidel Castro's forces entered the capital on 8 January 1959. The liberal became the provisional president.[107]

Dominican Republic and Castro both supported attempts to overthrow each other. On 14 June 1959, a Cuban-supported invasion force A week later, two yachts offloaded 186 invaders onto Chris-Craft launches for a landing on the North coast. Dominican Air Force pilots fired rockets from their into the approaching launches, killing all but 30 men, who managed to make it to the beaches at Maimon and Estero Hondo. Trujillo ordered his son, , to lead the hunt for the survivors, and soon they were captured. The leaders of the invasion were taken aboard a Dominican Air Force Vampire Jet and then pushed out in mid-air, falling to their deaths. (CIA) and by Trujillo's Dominican government, carried out armed attacks and set up guerrilla bases in Cuba's mountainous regions. This led to the six-year (1959–1965), which lasted longer and involved more soldiers than the Cuban Revolution.

The has estimated that 3,200 people were executed from 1959 to 1962., official death sentences from 1959–87 numbered 237 of which all but 21 were actually carried out. The vast majority of those executed directly following the 1959 revolution were policemen, politicians, and informers of the Batista regime accused of crimes such as torture and murder, and their public trials and executions had widespread popular support among the Cuban population.[118]

The United States government initially reacted favorably to the Cuban revolution, seeing it as part of a movement to bring democracy to Latin America. The promulgation of the , expropriating thousands of acres of farmland (including from large U.S. landholders), further worsened relations. In response, between 1960 and 1964 the U.S. imposed a range of sanctions, eventually including a total ban on trade between the countries and a freeze on all Cuban-owned assets in the U.S..[120]

In March 1960, U.S. President gave his approval to a plan to arm and train a group of Cuban refugees to overthrow the Castro regime.) took place on 14 April 1961, during the term of President ., but failed in their attempt to overthrow Castro.[121]

In January 1962, Cuba was suspended from the (OAS), and later the same year the OAS started to impose sanctions against Cuba of similar nature to the U.S. sanctions. occurred in October 1962; Cuba nearly sparked what might have become the world's worst and possibly last war. By 1963, Cuba was moving towards a full-fledged Communist system modeled on the USSR.[125]

In 1963, Cuba sent 686 troops together with 22 tanks and other military equipment to support Algeria in the against Morocco. in and in . from the (see ). South Africa developed nuclear weapons due to the threat to its security posed by the presence of large numbers of Cuban troops in Angola and Mozambique. South African forces in Angola.. helped give teeth to Castro's campaign against racism and related prejudice like .

Despite Cuba's small size and the long distance separating it from the , Castro's Cuba played an active role in the region during the Cold War. In 1972, a major Cuban military mission consisting of tank, air, and artillery specialists was dispatched to . The Cubans were also involved in the (1973)., which was supported by two brigades.

The standard of living in the 1970s was "extremely spartan" and discontent was rife. In 1975 the OAS lifted its sanctions against Cuba, with the approval of 16 member states, including the U.S. The U.S., however, maintained its own sanctions.[124]

Castro's rule was severely tested in the aftermath of the (known in Cuba as the ). The country faced a severe economic downturn following the withdrawal of Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually, resulting in effects such as food and fuel shortages. The government did not accept American donations of food, medicines, and cash until 1993. in Havana.[140]

Cuba has since found a new source of aid and support in the People's Republic of China. In addition, , then-, and , , became allies and both countries are major oil and gas exporters. In 2003, the government arrested and imprisoned a large number of civil activists, a period known as the .

In February 2008, Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of Cuba following the onset of his reported serious gastrointestinal illness in July 2006., was declared the new President. In March 2009, Raúl Castro removed some of .[146]

On 3 June 2009, the adopted a resolution to end the 47-year ban on Cuban membership of the group. Fidel Castro restated his position that he was not interested in joining after the OAS resolution had been announced.[148]

Effective 14 January 2013, Cuba ended the requirement established in 1961, that any citizens who wish to travel abroad were required to obtain an expensive government permit and a letter of invitation. it approved exit visas only on rare occasions. However, a passport costs on average five months' salary. Observers expect that Cubans with paying relatives abroad are most likely to be able to take advantage of the new policy.

As of December 2014, talks with Cuban officials and American officials, including President , resulted in the release of , fifty-two political prisoners, and an unnamed non-citizen agent of the United States in return for the release of three Cuban agents currently imprisoned in the United States. Additionally, while the embargo between the United States and Cuba was not immediately lifted, it was relaxed to allow import, export, and certain limited commerce.[157]

This section needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2020)

The Republic of Cuba is one of the world's last remaining countries following the ideology. The Constitution of 1976, which defined Cuba as a , was replaced by the Constitution of 1992, which is "guided by the ideas of and the political and social ideas of , and ." as the "leading force of society and of the state".[4]

The is concurrently President of the () and President of the (sometimes referred to as ).] Members of both councils are elected by the .

The serves as Cuba's highest judicial branch of government. It is also the court of last resort for all appeals against the decisions of provincial courts.

Cuba's national legislature, the National Assembly of People's Power (Asamblea Nacional de Poder Popular), is the supreme organ of power; 609 members serve five-year terms. Article 131 of the Constitution states that voting shall be "through free, equal and secret vote".

No is permitted to nominate candidates or campaign on the island, including the Communist Party. is minimal.

Cuba is considered an regime according to the 2016 survey.[162]

In February 2013, Cuban president Raúl Castro announced he would resign in 2018, ending his five-year term, and that he hopes to implement permanent term limits for future Cuban Presidents, including age limits.[163]

After Fidel Castro died on 25 November 2016, the Cuban government declared a nine-day mourning period. During the mourning period Cuban citizens were prohibited from playing loud music, partying, and drinking alcohol.[164]

Administrative divisions

The country is subdivided into 15 provinces and one special municipality (Isla de la Juventud). These were formerly part of six larger historical provinces: Pinar del Río, Habana, Matanzas, Las Villas, Camagüey and Oriente. The present subdivisions closely resemble those of the Spanish military provinces during the Cuban Wars of Independence, when the most troublesome areas were subdivided. The provinces are divided into municipalities.

Human rights

The Cuban government has been accused of numerous including , arbitrary imprisonment, unfair trials, and extrajudicial executions (also known as "El Paredón"). has stated that the government "represses nearly all forms of political dissent" and that "Cubans are systematically denied basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, privacy, movement, and due process of law".[167]

In 2003, the (EU) accused the Cuban government of "continuing flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms".. against Cuba "so long as it continues to refuse to move toward democratization and greater respect for human rights", has, since 1992, passed a resolution every year condemning the ongoing impact of the embargo and claiming it violates the and international law. On 17 December 2014, United States President announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, pushing for Congress to put an end to the embargo.[173]

Cuba had the second-highest number of imprisoned journalists of any nation in 2008 ( had the highest) according to various sources, including the and Human Rights Watch.

face arrest and imprisonment. In the 1990s, Human Rights Watch reported that Cuba's extensive prison system, one of the largest in Latin America, consists of 40 maximum-security prisons, 30 minimum-security prisons, and over 200 work camps.

In July 2010, the unofficial Cuban Human Rights Commission said there were 167 political prisoners in Cuba, a fall from 201 at the start of the year. The head of the commission stated that long prison sentences were being replaced by harassment and intimidation.

Foreign relations

Cuba has conducted a foreign policy that is uncharacteristic of such a minor, developing country. Under Castro, Cuba was heavily involved in wars in Africa, Central America and Asia. Cuba supported in 1961–1965, during the ., ,,,. Lesser known actions include the 1959 missions to the . by the Dominican government, and they feature prominently at the country's Memorial Museum of the Resistance.[189]

In 2008, the European Union (EU) and Cuba agreed to resume full relations and cooperation activities.. with as many as 30,000 doctors in Venezuela alone via the two countries' oil-for-doctors programme.[193]

In 1996, the United States, then under President , brought in the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, better known as the . stated on 17 April, in that "the United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba",'s prohibition on travel and remittances by Cuban-Americans from the United States to Cuba.", brokered in part by and , began the process of restoring international relations between the two countries. They agreed to release political prisoners and the United States began the process of creating an embassy in Havana. and reestablish diplomatic relations. announced that President Obama would remove Cuba from the American government's list of nations that sponsor terrorism, which Cuba reportedly welcomed as "fair".

Crime and law enforcement

All law enforcement agencies are maintained under Cuba's Ministry of the Interior, which is supervised by the . In Cuba, citizens can receive police assistance by dialing "106" on their . that conducts intelligence operations and maintains close ties with the .

Military

As of 2009, Cuba spent about US$91.8 million on its armed forces. to military expenditures., Cuba built up one of the largest armed forces in Latin America, second only to that of .[211]

From 1975 until the late 1980s, assistance enabled Cuba to upgrade its military capabilities. After the loss of Soviet subsidies, Cuba scaled down the numbers of military personnel, from 235,000 in 1994 to about 60,000 in 2003.[212]

In 2017, Cuba signed the UN treaty on the .[213]

The Cuban state claims to adhere to principles in organizing its largely state-controlled . Most of the means of production are owned and run by the government and most of the labor force is employed by the state. Recent years have seen a trend toward more private sector employment. By 2006, public sector employment was 78% and private sector 22%, compared to 91.8% to 8.2% in 1981. Any firm that hires a Cuban must pay the Cuban government, which in turn pays the employee in Cuban pesos. is 466 —about US$19.[217]

Cuba has a dual currency system, whereby most wages and prices are set in Cuban pesos (CUP), while the tourist economy operates with (CUC), set at par with the .) entitling it to a monthly supply of food and other staples, which are provided at nominal cost.[218]

Before Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba was one of the most advanced and successful countries in Latin America. The country's economy in the early part of the century, fuelled by the sale of sugar to the United States, had grown wealthy. Cuba ranked 5th in the hemisphere in per capita income, 3rd in life expectancy, 2nd in per capita ownership of automobiles and telephones, and 1st in the number of television sets per inhabitant. Cuba's literacy rate, 76%, was the fourth highest in Latin America. Cuba also ranked 11th in the world in the number of doctors per capita. Several private clinics and hospitals provided services for the poor. Cuba's income distribution compared favorably with that of other Latin American societies. However, income inequality was profound between city and countryside, especially between whites and blacks. Cubans lived in abysmal poverty in the countryside. According to PBS, a thriving middle class held the promise of prosperity and social mobility. In 2016, the Miami Herald wrote, "... about 27 percent of Cubans earn under $50 per month; 34 percent earn the equivalent of $50 to $100 per month; and 20 percent earn $101 to $200. Twelve percent reported earning $201 to $500 a month; and almost 4 percent said their monthly earnings topped $500, including 1.5 percent who said they earned more than $1,000."[221]