Were Castro and the revolutionaries right to overthrow Batista's Cuba?

[Im Still Ballin]

I've recently watched The Godfather Pt. 2 as well as Scarface. It's got me reading about the Cuban Revolution...

As I understand, President Batista was exploiting Cuba for the benefit of foreign interests.

Unemployment was extremely high, and basic infrastructure was insufficient.

There was widespread corruption, ties to organized crime... Hence Johnny Ola from The Godfather Pt. 2...


It does appear that, on some level, an uprising by the natives was justified. Capitalism was rearing its ugly head.


The movement spearheaded by Castro, was a combination of nationalism and socialism.

It was about bringing the power back to the people -- Cuba (and all its harvest) belonged to the locals.





From one perspective, Fidel is seen as a hero of the people.

And from another -- as mentioned in Scarface -- an evil murderous dictator.



As far as which is true, I'm still researching into the issue.

[Im Still Ballin]

Bump.

[Patrick Chewing]

The answer is clearly NO since look at what Castro turned that country into afterwards. So brazen was he that he allowed Russia to place their nukes only 90 miles away from us.

[Patrick Chewing]

However, had he not done that, my Mother would have probably never moved to the US in the 60’s, and I wouldn’t have been created to grace you all with my enigmatic presence these last 10 years.

[Im Still Ballin]

The answer is clearly NO since look at what Castro turned that country into afterwards. So brazen was he that he allowed Russia to place their nukes only 90 miles away from us.

It was to protect Cuba from America and its foreign pursuits.

Remember the Bay of Pigs?

USA backed and financed that operation.

[Patrick Chewing]

It was to protect Cuba from America and its foreign pursuits.

Remember the Bay of Pigs?

USA backed and financed that operation.

Well, the Bay of Pigs had a reason, but it failed miserably. Still, Castro’s inhumane treatment of political prisoners and his reluctance to bring that country out of poverty and totalitarian rule for 50 years make him one of the worst leaders of all time.

[Im Still Ballin]

Well, the Bay of Pigs had a reason, but it failed miserably. Still, Castro’s inhumane treatment of political prisoners and his reluctance to bring that country out of poverty and totalitarian rule for 50 years make him one of the worst leaders of all time.

Was his treatment of political prisoners any worse compared to other leaders and their regimes?

The US has done all sorts of ****ed up shit to its prisoners... Even recently too (Guantanamo Bay)


Here's how Castro justified things...

Castro defended his government's record on human rights, stating that the state was forced to limit the freedoms of individuals and imprison those involved in counter-revolutionary activities in order to protect the rights of the collective populace, such as the right to employment, education, and health care.

[Patrick Chewing]

This is not about comparing who was worse. This is about acknowledging that Cuba would have been better off without Castro and not the other way around as the initial question in your thread title suggests.

If Castro truly cared about helping the collective populace, then where is the evidence of such?

[Im Still Ballin]

This is not about comparing who was worse. This is about acknowledging that Cuba would have been better off without Castro and not the other way around as the initial question in your thread title suggests.

If Castro truly cared about helping the collective populace, then where is the evidence of such?

Evidence? Sure there is.

Cuba achieved much greater gains in social welfare than other Caribbean nations aligned with the US.


✅ Infant mortality rate

- Just prior to the revolution, Cuba had an infant mortality rate of 60 per 1000 lives,
- a maternal mortality rate of 125 per 1000 births and a life expectancy of about 65 years.

By 1988, the infant mortality rate dropped to 15 per 1000 lives.

This was lower than OECD countries (9 per 1000)

Also less than Eastern Bloc/soviet countries (22 per 1000)

Dramatically lower than other Carribean countries (54 per 1000)

Maternal mortality rate (in Cuba) also decreased to 77 per 1000.


Cuba's life expectancy today is among the highest in the world.


✅ Education attainment

- An estimated 25% of Cubans were illiterate before the Revolution
- By 1961, it was reported by UNESCO that illiteracy was essentially eradicated
- This was due to an extensive, state-backed educational campaign
- The average Cuban spends 10 years in school, compared to less than 8 for other Carribean nations

[CelticBaller]

Evidence? Sure there is.

Cuba achieved much greater gains in social welfare than other Caribbean nations aligned with the US.


✅ Infant mortality rate

- Just prior to the revolution, Cuba had an infant mortality rate of 60 per 1000 lives,
- a maternal mortality rate of 125 per 1000 births and a life expectancy of about 65 years.

By 1988, the infant mortality rate dropped to 15 per 1000 lives.

This was lower than OECD countries (9 per 1000)

Also less than Eastern Bloc/soviet countries (22 per 1000)

Dramatically lower than other Carribean countries (54 per 1000)

Maternal mortality rate (in Cuba) also decreased to 77 per 1000.


Cuba's life expectancy today is among the highest in the world.


✅ Education attainment

- An estimated 25% of Cubans were illiterate before the Revolution
- By 1961, it was reported by UNESCO that illiteracy was essentially eradicated
- This was due to an extensive, state-backed educational campaign
- The average Cuban spends 10 years in school, compared to less than 8 for other Carribean nations

lol Cuba literally fixes their own numbers. This is known amongst the hispanic community

[CelticBaller]

I believe in freedom, so If a dictator replaces another dictator I don't see how it is "right"

[Patrick Chewing]

The average Cuban worker makes a US equivalent of anywhere between 17-30 dollars a month. But hey, at least they can read.

[senelcoolidge]

Yeah, it's replacing one dictator with another except you're replacing a soft dictatorship for the extreme. While yeah you couldn't bash the former dictatorship, you still had a business and could make a living. With communist everything is taken from you. You business, your land, everything. Far worse.

[Lakers Legend#32]

Chewing would rather have the Mafia making money off of Cuba.

[Im Still Ballin]

Chewing would rather have the Mafia making money off of Cuba.

Word.

At the beginning of 1959 United States companies owned about 40 percent of the Cuban sugar lands—almost all the cattle ranches—90 percent of the mines and mineral concessions—80 percent of the utilities—practically all the oil industry—and supplied two-thirds of Cuba's imports.