Cuba

This post was inspired by czech language discussion between historians Martin Kovář and Josef Opatrný about Cuba history.

Island of Cuba had been discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. He claimed it under Spanish rule and named it Isla Juana. About 20 years later the first Spanish settlement was founded and others soon followed. Within a century, indigenous people was most wiped out, mostly due to infectious diseases and harsh treatment by the Spanish.

The name of Cuba is derived from old indigenous people term standing either for “fertile land” (cubao) or “great place” (coabana). During the Spanish reign there was number of revolt from slaves, but they all were suppressed. In 1868 started a rebellion led by planter Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. The goal was full independence from Spain. The war ended after ten years with promises for grater autonomy of Cuba. Tensions between U.S. and Spain remained and resulted in Spanish-American War. Cuba ended as protectorate of United States. Four years later, it gained formal independence, but U.S. retained the right to intervene in Cuban affairs (Platt Amendment).

In 1933 a revolt led by Fulgencio Batista succeeded and he ended up dominating Cuban politics for the next 25 years. He outlawed Communist Party in 1952 and started economic regulations enormously, causing many problems. The middle class was also rather unhappy with political persecution and unemployment.

During 1959 Fidel Castro revolt took over the Batista’s regime. Initially taken favorably by the United States, but later the relations worsened due to executions and Agrarian Reform. It eventually led to total ban of the trade between the countries. There were also attempts to change the Cuban government, namely the Bay of Pigs invasion, which was quickly defeated.

Cuba played its role during the Cold war, was active in wars in Middle East and Africa. It was also part of the missile crisis, probably one of the closest time when world escaped the nuclear conflict. After dissolve of Soviet Union in 1991, the country faced severe economic downturn. In 2008, Fidel Castro resigned as President, while his brother Raúl Castro was elected new president.