Author Description

Certain to become controversial, this book argues that Cuban socialism developed organically out of the traditions and long-standing needs of the Cuban people. “Cuban socialism was inevitable,” the author maintains, “in the sense that it was necessary if the island was to be rescued for permanent economic stagnation, social backwardness and degradation, and political do-nothingism and corruption.” He supports his thesis through a painstaking examination of the Cuban economy before the revolution and of the steps Castro took to get it moving.<br/><br/>Before the revolution, Professor O’Connor contends, dependence on the United States and monopolization of markets kept down investment, suppressed innovation, and in general assured technological backwardness on the island. Economic stagnation was compounded by the public policies of the Cuban government. Yet, even before Castro, the theme of economic development was important in Cuban political rhetoric. It was Castro’s determination to get the economy off dead center that helped to transform a basically “classless” revolution against the Batista dictatorship into a class struggle between propertied and non propertied interests. From the standpoint of economic development, Professor O’Connor asserts, this transformation—and the switch to socialism—was not only rational but necessary, and had the support o f the vast majority of Cubans.<br/><br/>Reliable information on Cuba is scant. This comprehensive work, based on four years of intensive research, provides indispensable background material for any observer of the Cuban revolution.<br/>—from the flaps of the dust jacket<br/><br/>Includes Appendixes and an Index