Cuba The Totalitarian Regime That Still Goes

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CUBA THE TOTALITARIAN REGIME THAT STILL GOES ON

Introduction

When Columbus came to Cuba in 1492, he and his predecessors would probably never have imagined of this island.s outcome within the centuries ahead. from conquering the country, to its independence, to the totalitarian regime put into it, all these major events have made the island what it is today. Before giving the whole story about the Communists, one must understand how the country was born so here.s a little bit of a background history: Spain had conquered Cuba in 1511 under Diego Velasquez. Frequent insurrections failed to end Spain.s harsh rule. From 1868 to 1878 occurred the Armed rebellion known as the Ten Year.s War, led by plantation owner Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, a co-author of Cuba.s declaration of independence. After the loss of more than 200,000 lives, the revolt ended in failure. In 1933, Fulgencio Batista led a .sergeants. revolt. that toppled the despotic rule of Gen. Grarado Machado and it was at that time that Batista became the most powerful man in Cuba. He was elected president in 1940 and made himself chief of state with dictatorial powers. Years of corrupt government, terrorism and embezzlement made by the United States led to a revolt in 1958 under the leadership of Fidel Castro. Batista fled to the Dominican Republic and the Fidelistas were in control of Havana. Castro then became premier at the young age of 32. At first people applauded the downfall of Batista and hoped that Castro could bring the country the prosperity it had wished for. Unfortunately, before long, people came to realization that the new regime had embraced Communism.

At home, Castro.s regime has created the most repressive police state apparatus in the Western Hemisphere. Cuba is like the George Orwell nightmare predicted in the book .1984. except that this time the country is set in the tropics with Big Brother sporting a beard and cigar. Cuba never believed in Human Rights as Castro refused to ratify any major international law protecting these human rights. As well, he refuses to sign the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Castro formed Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), which operate on almost every block in Cuba. They are the perfect example of the thought police as their mission is to spy on neighbors and reporting back to the regime. Castro also doesn.t believe in being defied as he still has large numbers of individuals incarcerated in prisons for political crimes ranging from speaking against the regime to trying to leave the island. The only difference between Cuba and Oceania is the telescreens in every household. Cubans don.t own that but are replaced by more spies to do the job instead. Just like the book, there.s no freedom in saying that .2+2=4.. Fidel Castro.s picture hangs on all walls in major building and even outside. This is also a strong resemblance to Big Brother.s image hanging everywhere saying that he.s .watching you.. Instead of those words, Castro has his own words that say: .History will absolve me..

How does Fidel Castro.s leadership qualities allow him to remain the political leader of Cuba for so many years. First of all, his machismo, his independence, his appeal to Cuban patriotism, his traditional appeal to the Cuban poor and stance against the rich, he.s a strong man and a boss. He uses his considerable charisma to appeal to the people on a cultural level. In this sense, he is a master politician. Furthermore, he has significant support among the poor and the Afro-Cubans because they identify him with their interests against the lighter-skinned Cubans up the middle and upper-classes who he deposed in the late 1950.s. Another reason is his courage as he played the role of the independent Latin American leader who could successfully stand up to the giant of the north-the United States of America. In reality, Fidel Castro is responsible for every appointment. As president of the Council of Ministers, chairman of the Council of State, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and first secretary of the PCC (Cuban Communist Party), Castro controls everything and anything that can make him more powerful.

Fidel Castro.s regime is guilty of numerous documentable crimes ranging from the jungles of Peru to the deserts of Ethiopia. There are document reports that exist of Cuban troops in cahoots with the Ethiopian government denying food to starving Ethiopians because of their political ideology. Even in Latin America, Castro funded guerrilla groups throughout the hemisphere generating fear and terror for decades now. The regime.s response to the AIDS crisis has been a mandatory nation-wide testing that resulted in forced incarceration for anyone who tested positive for the HIV virus. In addition, Castro is also known for imprisoning homosexuals and transsexuals as .undesirables.. All of these imprisonment is mostly based on mere suspicion or rumors. There was another report that a number of prisoners with AIDS rioted on August 19, 1992, demanding better food and medical attention. Guards used rubber batons, wooden sticks and other blunt instruments. Several of the AIDS sufferers were transferred to the maximum security area of the prison. The fate of these prisoners are now unknown. He especially tortures the sane political opponents that defy his beliefs by sending them into