The leader Fidel Castro, who became prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 until 2008. As president, “[Castro] announced land reforms, the nationalization of foreign property, and built closer ties to the Soviet Union. He drove thousands of opponents into exile. At once radical and authoritarian, his government was simultaneously a revolution and a socialist regime intent on concentrating power” (Dawson, Latin America Since Independence, p. 209). Castro’s regime did maintain concentrated power and its socialist character, and its effects continue to have a stain on Cuban life and politics in the 21st century. 

The Communist Party of Cuba, the sole ruling party in Cuba, was founded in 1965, and continues to be the ruling force in Cuba today. The people are suffering daily. The economy throughout the years has gotten so terrible, and many Cubans make very little a month despite what their job might be. The economic crisis in Cuba has become unbearable for the common people. In the New York Times article “In Cuba, Desires for Food and Freedom May Spark a Rare Day of Protest”, Ed Augustin discusses the effect the government has on the people in Cuba and their growing discontent with it. In Cuba, “The line [for food] starts during the day and stretches into the night. In the dark before dawn, there are hundreds of people waiting. Four women sleep on cardboard boxes, sharing a thin blanket. Others chat to stay awake. A nurse arrives after a 24-hour shift and takes her place. They each hold a ticket to enter a Cuban government supermarket, which is the only place to find basics like chicken, ground beef and toiletries” (Ed Augustin, The New York Times). The Cuban government has such a grip on Cuba’s economy and businesses that the only legal place residents of the island can obtain certain essential food items for everyday life is at a government supermarket. 

For these reasons and others, young Cubans, at the time of the article being written, were planning a protest called “Civic March for Change.” Protesters, some of whom were afraid to take to the streets in fear of being punished, were “encouraged to hang white sheets outside their homes, applaud at 3 p.m. and find other creative ways to demonstrate if they do not feel comfortable taking to the streets (Augustin)”. Some people were arrested protesting against President Miguel Diaz, and Augustin mentioned that the younger generation of Cubans, who grew up under Fidel Castro and Raul, often dissent against the government’s strict policies. More and more people, in 2021, were taking to the streets to show their disapproval against the government. The number of protestors and public opinions against the government is “unprecedented” and “never seen before.” An activist stated, “The first cries were not for freedom. The first cries were more urgent: food, medicine, electricity,” she said. “Freedom came afterward” (Augustin).

Works Cited

Augustin, Ed. “In Cuba, Desires for Food and Freedom May Spark a Rare Day of Protest.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/14/world/americas/cuba-protest.html.

Dawson, Alexander. Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary Sources . https://www-taylorfrancis-com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/books/mono/10.4324/9781003146094/latin-america-since-independence-alexander-dawson.