Cuba in Revolution: A History Since the Fifties

by Antoni Kapcia

The recent retirement of Fidel Castro turned the world’s attention toward the tiny but prominent island nation of Cuba and the question of what its future holds. Amid all of the talk and hypothesizing, it is worth taking a moment to consider how Cuba reached this point, which is what Antoni Kapcia provides with his incisive history of Cuba since 1959.


Cuba In Revolution takes the Cuban Revolution as its starting point, analyzing social change, its benefits and disadvantages, popular participation in the revolution, and the development of its ideology. Kapcia probes into Castro’s rapid rise to national leader, exploring his politics of defense and dissent as well as his contentious relationship with the United States from the beginning of his reign. The book also considers the evolution of the revolution’s international profile and Cuba’s foreign relations over the years, investigating issues and events such as the Bay of Pigs crisis, Cuban relations with Communist nations like Russia and China, and the flight of asylum-seeking Cubans to Florida over the decades.  The collapse of the Soviet Union between 1989 and 1991 catalyzed a severe economic and political crisis in Cuba, but Cuba was surprisingly resilient in the face of the catastrophe, Kapcia notes, and he examines the strategies adopted by Cuba over the last two decades in order to survive America’s longstanding trade embargo.


A fascinating and much-needed examination of a country that has served as an important political symbol and diplomatic enigma for the twentieth century, Cuba In Revolution is a critical primer for all those interested in Cuba’s past—or concerned with its future.

 

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2008

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and I look forward to reading more by Kapcia. I will start off by saying that this book is not for somebody looking for an intro to Cuba. The book assumes you know at least a bit about basic Cuban history from Spanish colonialism to the Platt Amendment to Batista and the relevant links and themes. There is a contextual rundown at the beginning, but I see it as more of a refresher than an introduction for someone who knows nothing about Cuban history. It can also get a little technical, especially around the breakdown of different political groups and the structure of the Revolutionary government.

However if you’re versed in Cuban history, this book is a great source to fill in some of the blanks about history post 1959. It dispels a lot of myths, such as that the Revolution was held together by the cult of personality of Fidel Castro.

Some parts I especially found interesting included a breakdown of Revolutionary policies and who benefitted from them, such as the literacy campaign. I also enjoyed reading Kapcia’s explanation of the perception of communism in the Soviet Union and in Latin America/Cuba, and how this ties in with Guevera’s idea of focoism.

[Ruairí · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this quite a bit. Dense history arranged thematically across the periodisation organised by series of successive crises. Impossible to come away from it all without a deep admiration for the revolution and the Cuban people in the face of intense constraints on advancing social and economic change.

[Marina Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, comprehensive coverage of the Cuban Revolution broken down into manageable bits for people who don't know much about the revolution, have only heard one side, or need a refresher. There's a LOT going on, but it's a pretty decent overview of the major points - what made the Cuban Revolution so special but without romanticizing it

[Krysti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read on Cuba. I wanted to find out the difference of American perception of the country versus the actual history.

The book is arranged into themes rather than pure chronology. However, I didn't feel that the themes were well defined enough to warrant distinct chapters that each spanned the 50 years. At times I felt that I was reading the same generic history again and again. My logical brain would have rathered diving deep into each significant time frame and discussed how each decade affected the next.

I did learn a few good items abou Cuban history including the educational reforms and the country's involvement in Africa, however I would not recommend this book to a first-time reader of Cuban history.