How can Cubans Work Towards Democracy After Fidel Castros Death?

Maria Rodriguez

AP Literature and Composition

Lynne Maxwell

April 13, 2017

i
 Acknowledgements

There are people without which this thesis could not have been possible.

Thank you to my parents for bringing me to this country and continuously teaching me about my

country and background.

Thank you to my grandparents, aunts, and uncles for answering my every question with extreme

detail, clearing away the censorship of Cubas news.

Thank you to my mentors, Tina Beck and Stephen Morris, for correcting me when I have limited

knowledge on a subject.

Thank you to my government teacher, Adam Brooks, for patiently unfolding a passionate love

for American government, foreign governments, and comparative government.

ii
 Abstract

For the past 50 years, a regime controlled by brothers Fidel and Ral Castro has presided

over the small island of Cuba with an iron fist. Cuba remains a communist country even after the

obvious restrictions in prosperity due to the natural restrictions to communism. The presence of a

communist regime in Cuba causes a lack in a properly functional government, human safety, and

efficient economic forces, so, below, there is a proposition to a slow process for the country to

transition into a democracy without major problems causing the country to trek through another

economic depression. A transition towards a democratic Cuba needs the people themselves to

pressure the government because democracy is the voice and protection of the people. The older

generations, a strong militaristic government, and a shaky economy are obstacles for Cuba to

become a democracy. Few good news point to this process happening anytime soon.

iii
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The History Behind the Republic of Cuba and the Fall of the Soviet Union . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

The Cuban Constitution: Facts and Myths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Cuba and the Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Which Democracy Works? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

What Has Already Changed and Continues to Change? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

What are Already Established Facts of the Islands Government? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

How Would the Cuban Government Change? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Why Does It Matter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

iv
 Introduction

Fulgencio Batista frees a small island out of Spains control; Fidel Castro rebels

against an unfit government. An undefeated communist regime occupies the Caribbean

island of Cuba. Any government that that seizes control of a group of people should

know the basics of how to rule said people, economy, government. Alas, the Communist

Party of Cuba refuses to realize after its many years of power that command economies

struggle due to unpredictable future weather patterns and the lack of infrastructure, the

people of an oppressive nation begging for more rights and freedoms, and bystanders

commenting on the violent executions of protesters by the government. Cuba needs to

leave behind the old communist system and let the people decide through a reversal of

the Marxist-Leninist communist process, hopefully through the guidance of Mariela

Castro or someone who does not belong to the Castro family. Only through a slow,

delicate transfer of power and ideology can the Castro regime cease to exist, freeing the

people of Cuba from years of torment in a peaceful manner.

The History Behind the Republic of Cuba and the Fall of the Soviet

Union

To better understand why Cuba still utilizes a communist country after many

years, the countrys history must first be examined. Sonia G. Benson wrote a detailed

article on the history of the Cuban government in Cuba and the United States:

Revolution, Nationalism, and Enemies Next Door. Benson is an editor for Gale

Resources and a freelance author for historical and Hispanic articles. Historically, Spain

1
has occupied Cuba and anywhere that Great Britain did not touch. Tobacco and sugar

came to dominate1 the Cuban market to create revenue from which Spain can profit, and

both goods have been the leading components in the Cubas economy today. A few

revolts against Spain take place before Jose Mart begins his revolt. Jose Mart was an

intellectual who attempted to organize the Cuban revolution from New York, which

failed, but, somehow, it caused the people to turn squarely against the Spanish2. The

early 1900s gifted Cuba some autonomy and democracy because Cuba allowed free and

fair elections while it was drafting its first Constitution as a freed nation, but part of

Cubas constitution included a forced Platt Amendment that practically gave the United

States control over the island. The first president was a political figure wedged into the

presidency by the United States named Gerardo Machado, but his term lasted little to no

time as a revolution led by Fulgencio Batista, many college students, and general

intellectuals removed corrupt officials and leaders in multiple government levels; Batista

acted in a corrupt nature, similar to the one he claimed Machado to have, so Fidel Castro

and his friends started a wave of revolts against the government until Castro went to

prison for plotting and rebelling against the Cuban government3. Nevertheless, Fidel

Castro, his brother, and Ernesto Che Guevara led more revolts until they fled the

country, trying to gain more followers for their seemingly noble cause as they crossed

multiple South American borders. The revolutionaries- the people following Che and

Castro against Batista for the promotion of communism and egalitarianism- successfully

led a revolution that lasts a few days. On the last day, Castros followers (led by Che
1
Sonia Benson, Cuba and the United States: Revolution, Nationalism, and Enemies Next Door,
Gale Virtual Reference Library, (2002), 2.
2
Ibid. 4.
3
Ibid, 4-5.
2
Guevara) entered Havana victoriously4 as a new era of communism rose. Later in the

1960s, the infamous blunder of the Invasion of the Bay of Pigs unfolded: the US

attempted to send an invasive group of troops against the Castros and their corrupted

government, but Cuba readied an army for the American troops, which caused the

Americans to retreat. The fiasco of the Invasion of the Bay of Pigs combined with the

trial of the Platt Amendment and the communist beliefs of a bad economy caused the

people of the Republic of Cuba to be against the United States and, from my own

experiences with the balseros from Castros takeover, to have strong opinions against the

proposal of democracy in Cuba. Knowing that the older generation of the Cuban people

harbor such strong feelings against the spreading democracy by Americans, stripping the

country of its communist tendencies proves to be an extremely difficult task, especially if

the Cuban people are trying to escape Cuba and leave behind the more devout

communists on the island.

With the knowledge of Cubas history, the next step is to look at its precedent and

realize that the end of the USSR is not how the end of the Castro government should be.

Archie Brown is a professor of politics at Oxford University, and he occasionally writes

historical and political articles for the British Broadcasting Channel- BBC as most of the

world knows it as. Brown explains that the collapse of the Soviet Union is identified as

more of a continuous implosion of the system than one big explosion that caused the

modern-day empire to fall. Gorbachev began with liberalization, but that quickly got

out of hand and transformed into a democracy; by the time that he campaigned for office

a few years later, there was freedom of speech and, increasingly, freedom of

4
Ibid, 7.
3
publication,5 which had been outlawed when Gorbachev had last been in office. The

1980s brought the people the right to decide for themselves the nature of their political

and economic systems,6 and the territories controlled by the Soviet Union quickly joined

the bandwagon and begged for their political leaders for the same freedoms that the

Soviet Union gave to the Russians. The economy played and almost equal part in the

breakdown of the Soviet Union. The union was falling behind not only Western

countries but also the newly industrialized countries of Asia,7 which created an

inefficient system. When Poles, Czechs, Hungarians and other successfully claimed

independent statehood,8 the Soviet Union slowly lost revenue from the succession of

each individual country. By the end of the collapse, post-Soviet Russia has a worse

record than the late Soviet period9 in terms of the rate of lower to higher class, mortality

rate, and life expectancy. Cuba should not follow the Soviet Model of decommunization,

and, as a matter of fact, neither should any of the other four communist countries. The

years after the collapse of the USSR currently causes a high amount of protests,

censorship, and corruption in the Russian government originating in their strongman

prime minister and president, which blurs from the fact that the USSR was even

dismantled in the first place.

5
Archie Brown, Reform, Coup, and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State, February 17, 2011,
http://bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwars/soviet_end_01.shtml.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
4
 The Cuban Constitution: Facts and Myths

The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, courtesy of the National Assembly of

the Peoples Power, declares that Cuba is an independent socialist communist country-

socialist dictating the style of economics of the country and communist referring to the

style of reign by the government; it also grants El Partido Comunista de Cuba, the

Communist Party of Cuba (PPC), review and guidance over the branches of government.

According to the constitution, there are two main branches: The Council of Ministers (the

executive) and the National Assembly of Peoples Power (the fusion of the legislature

and judiciary). Of the two branches, the fused branch, which makes laws and policy for

the public to follow while also checking laws for their correspondence with the

constitution, is described to have more power than the executive branch, which enforces

and suggests possible legislation. The National Assembly is given supreme rule over the

land in terms of creating laws and voting on who will be the president and vice presidents

while the Council of Ministers executes the National Assemblys law and orders. In

reality, the Council of Ministers, which is comprised of the president and his five vice

presidents, is ruled by the president, and whatever the president desires to be put into law

will be put into effect. The National Assembly simply agrees with what the president says

because the president is also the head of the CPC, and all 612 spots in the Cuban

legislature can be replaced. The CPC controls every aspect of the government. As a one-

party communist system, the CPC holds its own overwhelmingly substantial portion over

the government10.

10
The Republic of Cuba, The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba (as Amended to 2002).
5
 Cuba and the Outside World

Repeatedly, the Cuban Constitution states that it will not let the country be

overtaken by imperial forces. The reason for such proclamations is the fact that Cuba has

been colonized and controlled by the militaristic forces of Spain and the United States of

America. Ral Rodrguez and Harry Tag give a comprehensive and lengthy summary on

the history between Cuba and the United States in his article, US Foreign Policy

Towards Cuba: Historical Roots, Traditional Explanations and Alternative Perspectives.

Both Ral Rodrguez and Harry Tag write for the International Journal on Cuban Studies,

which focuses on the relationship and interactions between Cuba and other counties. The

US had its military stationed in Cuba after the Spanish War, as was customary for the

United States afterwards it helped a country fight off an oppressive ruler. Years later, the

Kennedy government successfully passed legislation called The Alliance that was

meant to provide help for Latin American countries in an economic sense, but problems

of poverty, declining growth rates, inflation, lower prices for export commodities, and the

maintenance of autocratic and corrupt governments persisted11. In turn, though, the

Alliance reduced the risk for Latin American countries to be taken over by a communist

regime. Help from the United States would be useful for Cuba, but years of being

restricted by the embargo, the fear of being colonized by a larger country, and its

assistance in the dying economy that is present in Cuba today removes the United States

from possibly helping the country change. If the United States were to help, they should

11
Raul Rodriguez and Harry Tag, US Foreign Policy towards Cuba: Historical Roots,
Traditional Explanations, and Alternative Perspectives, International Journal of Cuban Studies,
7, (2015), 12-13.
6
start by lifting the embargo in order to free other economies from fines for trying to trade

and to promote internally within the country and externally with other countries.

Promotion of democracy in Cuba might be harder than expected, or even

impossible for the time being. Alessandro Badella, with his Ph.D. in democracy and

human rights, is an Italian writer on Cuban relations with other countries. Badella's article

simply proposes simple steps that the Cuban people can take towards a democratic Cuba

that includes how the rest of the world will view Cuba. In his article, "American Hbris:

US Democracy Promotion in Cuba after the Cold War Part 1," Badella speculates that

Cuba will need more than its people to revolt; it will need a free market because

according to the modernization theory, the capitalist takeover was essential to the birth

of the democratic institutions12. In a semi direct way, Cuba will need continuous support

from the American government to remove economic sanction, like the embargo, to

spread respect of human rights and the promotion of democracy on the island, and to

have the rest of the world see that the spread of democracy will spread international

security in a unipolar and potentially unstable world13 because more regard for the

human life is seen and implemented in democratic regimes than in totalitarian regimes.

One of the first steps towards communism is the economy; similarly, one of the

first steps towards democracy should be the economy as well. The US Department of

Treasury passed a piece of legislation through Congress called the Cuban Liberty and

Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 (shortened to the Libertad Act), which restricts the

President and Congress of the United States from allowing the embargo of 1959 from

12
Alessandro Badella, American Hbris: US Democracy Promotion in Cuba after the Cold
War- Part 1, International Journal of Cuban Studies, 7, (2014), 10.
13
Ibid, 9.
7
being lifted until Cuba is a liberal democracy. A liberal democracy is a type of

representative democracy wherein the government guarantees basic rights like the rights

of the accused, the right to vote, and equal protection under the law. The Libertad Act,

though, changed from lifting the embargo once there was a Cuban democracy to

promoting the removal of the Castro government through the lifting of the embargo.

Cubas economy cannot prosper until the embargo is lifted, and Cuba will not easily be

able to turn into a democratic country without first introducing a free market economy

where industries are owned by the private sector instead of the government. It will be a

challenge to work around that major detail of the decommunization process14.

Which Democracy Works?

Not every democracy is the same in terms of institutions, transparency, or rights.

Gerardo L. Munck is a professor at the University of Southern California who specializes

in comparative government in terms of regimes and democracy. Munck wrote an article

called Building Democracy...Which Democracy? Ideology and Models of Democracy in

Post-Transition Latin America, which focuses on the travails of democracy in Latin

America after its transitions from authoritarian rule and draws on and extends a

discussion about Latin American politics largely propelled by Latin American authors 15.

First and foremost, democratic transitions (across South America) were the product of a

compromise among the key actors of this old politics soldiers, party leaders, industrial

and agrarian economic elites, the middle class, organized labour and occasionally

14
U.S. Department of Treasury, Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996.
15
Gerardo Munck, Building Democracy. . . Which Democracy? Ideology and Models of
Democracy in Post-Transition Latin America, Government and Opposition, 50, (2015), 365.
8
guerrillas who jointly accepted that key government offices would be filled through free

and fair elections16. The same components that set up authoritarian regimes across South

America were similar, if not the same, forces that brought previously authoritarian

countries into a new age of democracy. Even while military or authoritarian regimes were

present, the first thing that these countries did was reform the economics and set up a

successful free market economy across the country, but, obviously, market forces caused

many of the economies included in the article to take a turn for the worse and become the

economies that we know today. A problem with theses transitional democracies was that

emphasis was put on how strong presidents necessarily weakened parliaments, [which

are] the prime site where parties can debate and decide on alternative policy options

between elections17. By placing strong presidents in power, the president would revert to

being the strong man that would claim to be the only person capable of bringing the

country on the world stage, which in turn would weaken the voice of the parliament and,

by default, the people. Democracy revolves around the voice of most the people who

voice their opinions through protests or voting while also protecting the rights of all

people, no matter how minor.

What Has Already Changed and Continues to Change?

Carlos Oliva Campos, a professor of history at the University of Havana, and

Gary Prevost, a professor in the political sciences department at St. Johns University,

both claim the following in their article, Cuba in the Western Hemisphere: What Has

16
Ibid, 368.
17
Ibid, 372.
9
Changed?": how other countries view your own country is honestly an important factor

that can make your country, people, economy flourish or go into a long recession. For

example, the United States truly began reviewing its relationship with Cuba after Latin

American leaders strongly urged the Obama administration to end its decade-long

embargo on the island18. Some steps were made backwards through passing the Cuban

Democracy Act because a blockade and an embargo were passed in the process, but

President Obama used his presidency to ameliorate the USs relations with Cuba since so

many South American and Caribbean countries were finally warming up to Cuba and its

people. Campos, Prevost, and many Hispanic countries believe that the dynamic of

Western Hemisphere affairs will be enough to win against Cuba in its long-lasting

struggle to resist US domination19. One by one, countries in South America and the

Caribbean have ameliorated their relations with Cuba due to their geographic proximity;

plus, Cuba is in the Western Hemisphere and most Western Hemisphere politicians and

leaders believe that close relations will help the country get out of its struggle. The

present relations of Cuba with the Latin American and the Caribbean countries have

already moved past the long and complex historical process that led them from Cubas

hemispheric isolation to the full reinstatement of the island into the regional

community20. Relations between Mexico and Cuba are so well that both countries

signed an agreement that bound Cuba to receive the illegal immigrants deported from

Mexico21. Countries in the Western Hemisphere countries invited Cuba to the 2015

18
Carlos Oliva Campos, Cuba in the Western Hemisphere: What Has Changed? International
Journal of Cuban Studies, 7, (2015), 1.
19
Ibid, 2.
20
Ibid, 15.
21
Ibid, 7.
10
summit in order to change the US position on Cuba22. In the Eastern Hemisphere, the

USSR annulled the belief in threats from the island to the national security of the US

while also providing prosperity for the island through trading. Mexico sent many

economic sectors to invest in the newly-USSR freed country, but the accession to the

presidency of Mexico of businessman Vicente Fox in 2000 set in motion changes in the

dynamic of Mexican-Cuban relations that grew from internal Mexican dynamics; 23 in

other words, Cuba and Mexico really started getting along whenever Fox came into

power and made relations better through trade. All three countries have shaped how Cuba

has progressed over the years in one way or another. The USSR broke down Cuba

through the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mexico and other Latin American countries

have pressured the US to lift the embargo and to include the isolated country in more

worldwide affairs, and finally, the US is starting to make relations better with Cuba,

which can only mean good things are waiting for the country.

In terms of the economy, The Economist, a famous American economy and

business magazine, wrote a simple, useful summary of Cubas current economic state.

The Economists article, "Caribbean Contagion; Cuba's Economy," describing how

reduced profits from less imports of oil from Venezuela are possibly causing the country

to go through another period of hardship. Conditions in Cuba's capital remind its

residents of the special period in the 1990s caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Today, the benefactor in trouble is Venezuela.24 In order to offset the loss in money,

22
Ibid, 2.
23
Ibid, 11.
24
The Economist, Caribbean Contagion; Cubas Economy, July 23, 2016,
http://www.economist.com/
news/americas/21702494-venezuelas-pneumonia-infects-communist-island-caribbean-contagion.
11
the economy minister, warned the legislature that Cuba would lower its energy

consumption by 28% in the second half of this year and cut all imports by 15%, 25 but, in

reality, decreasing energy consumption equated to more power shutdowns in the middle

of intense heat for hours on end. Venezuela's lurgy should sharpen Cuba's eagerness for

the remedy of reform. It seems to be dulling it26. The only good news from a second

period of hardship is that people will be protesting the government even more because the

allocation of resources will decrease per household more than the few allocations every

family already have, and, generally speaking, Cuban households tend to have anywhere

from four to eight people under the same roof. The continuous appearance of protests the

government will become a call to action for economic reform, which will help Cubas

economy just long enough for another hardship to take place. The worst-case scenario is

that the economy will take an even deeper plunge into a recession or depression.

What are Already Established Facts of the Islands Government?

According to an interview with my grandmother, who lived in Cuba for about 60

years until she came to the United States with her husband to live with my family, she

mentions that the food shortages, low salaries, and the lack of expression prove to be the

biggest, most difficult problems she faced while living in Cuba. The PCC practically

steals from its people because of its inefficient conversion rates when changing American

dollars to National money (CUC) to Cuban pesos and back. The government controls

legally established stores, which use CUC, but the people use pesos when it comes to

25
Ibid.
26
Ibid.
12
local, at home food stops; money sent from the United States to Cuba is sent in dollars,

which is converted, but all conversions at legal buildings require an increasingly high

deducted tax to convert money to its simplest form. Since there is only one political party

(the PCC), the government-backed party directs and allows for such problems to exist so

that the Cuban people can be under the governments control. Everything is regulated by

the PCC because the PCC is the government on the national and local levels. The

existence of such controlling factors means that all problems are acknowledged by the

government, but any defiance by questioning the inclusion of such problems creates

problems for the defiant individual27. Like my grandmothers personal account, a sizable

portion of the people in Cuba face the same, if not similar, circumstances without the

help of family living outside of the Cuban borders. Although, Cubans readily leave their

island looking for a new country to feed and harbor them without fear of persecution. In

recent studies, Cubans in America have been transitioning from a primarily Republican

population to a more Democratic population. Of course, that research only refers to the

Cubans in the United States just after entering the US, but it can be used to see how

Cubans are leaving their communist ideals as they exit Cuba. With the current and past

administrations, the Cuban people have been forced to worship and follow only the ideals

of the communist party. But as the access to the internet for the common people increases

within the island, the greater of a political diversity exposes itself to the Cuban

population28. Even though media is controlled by the state, there is an opening for people

to globalize with the inclusion of internet in Cuba. People are rapidly connecting to
27
Santa Idania Lara, verbal interview, January 26, 2017.
28
Jens Krogstad, After decades of GOP support, Cubans shifting toward the Democratic Party,
June 24, 2014, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/24/
after-decades-of-gop-support-cubans-shifting-toward-the-democratic-party/
13
Facebook and Instagram, allowing family members in the United States to see family

that's abroad. The social medias of Facebook and Instagram, to my knowledge, are not

blocked or censored, and people are readily using social media as the access to internet

becomes more available across the country and not just in the tourist sites and job sites.

Of course, there is a rather large possibility that the PCC will end up censoring the

internet use of people in Cuba, which is exactly what happens in China.

Within every country, government officials govern different than how the

constitution commands officials to act. In Cuba, the PCC controls every aspect of the

country even though the constitution does not state that the PCC is completely in control.

It is understood by the Cuban people that the communist party occupies all roles in their

government. A type of system called a nomenklatura system dictates who is in power

according to whom is a politically reliable individual29. The system ensures that all

candidates are worthy of working for the government without there being any problems

later with rebellion. It ends up removing any checks to the PCC, and that should be

stopped. The Legislature is purely rubber stamp aside from the voice of Mariela Castro,

the leader of CENSEX, but she only objected to a bill that pertained to the

marginalization of people with HIV in the workplace. In interviews, she hints that there

will be more and more debate as time progresses, which could create a check to the PCC,

but as long as the PCC stays in control, there will be no one to contradict the PCCs

authority30. The judiciary is the same government body as the legislature. The fusion of

29
Mark Kesselman, joel Krieger, and William Joseph, Russia, Introduction to Comparative
Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas, Carolyn Merrill, AP Edition, 6, (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2000).
30
Selena Hill, Ral Castros Daughter Mariela Becomes First Lawmaker to Vote No in Cuban
Parliament, August 20, 2014, http://www.latinpost.com/articles/19683/20140820/
14
both bodies creates the National Assembly of Peoples Power. There is no check when

both the legislature and the judiciary are the same body of government. Those that make

the bill should review the constitutionality that bill for it to be turned into a law. Of

course, a governing body will make a law that fits with the constitution; if the bill does

not align with the constitution, it doesn't matter in Cuba because the PCC controls all

forms of public expression and all aspects of the government. It doesn't matter if a bill

accommodates to the Cuban constitution because the PCC will make all oppositions

quiet. The executive branch is composed of the president (now, Raul Castro) and as many

Vice Presidents as the president needs. Aside from the president and Vice President, the

military and all its leaders are part of the executive branch by association. As president,

Raul Castro also controls the military. He isn't as controlling as his deceased brother was

while in power, but the PCC controls the military to control the Cuban people. Both

Rauls son and son-in-law have close ties with the military, so if either of the two end up

in power, the military will have as hard of a hand on the people as it currently does 31

(David). Again, to reiterate what my grandmother mentioned in my brief interview, the

PCC controls just about everything that goes on within Cuba.

Raul Castro is currently the president of Cuba, but he's planning to give up his

position after 2018 to his Vice President, Miguel Diaz-Canel. Skeptical or knowledgeable

observers realize that Mr. Diaz will only be a figurehead to the militarys rule after Castro

ra%C3%BA1-castros-daughter-mariela-becomes-first-lawmaker-to-vote-no-in-cuban-
parliament.htm.
31
Paolo David, Will Miguel Daz-Canel Be Just as Powerful as the Castro Brothers Once He
Becomes President of Cuba? February 22, 2016,
http://www.latinpost.com/articles/115991/20160222/
will-miguel-d%C3%ADaz-canel-be-just-as-powerful-as-the-castro-brothers-once-he-becomes-
president-of-cuba.htm.
15
steps down from power, and Castros younger male family members (his son and son-in-

law) will take over after his leave. Neither of the two eligible males quite see eye-to-

eye even though both men have close ties with the military32. There will be a movement

of power from Fidel Castro and his brother to Raul Castros closest Vice President. Even

if the transition to someone not directly related to the Castro brothers, there is still the

probability that a Castro decedent will take power after a temporary leave. Once Raul

leaves, Cuba will have a break from the Castro brothers after a 60-year reign. Hopefully,

the absence of a Castro brother will spark some sort of hope in the Cuban people's hearts.

At the same time, finding additional information outside of Wikipedia about Mr. Diaz

proves to be a nearly impossible task. Across multiple Cuban, Hispanic, and political

news sites, little current information is reported about Mr. Diaz; the only reported

information includes his family members, position in government, previous schooling,

and the fact that Raul Castro will pass down his position as president to Diaz. At the same

time, nothing in the news has alerted my attention or has truly mentioned how Mr. Trump

will address relations with Cuba after Obamas landmark trip to Cuba in 2016 or his

removal of the Wet Foot, Dry Foot legislation. Trump has not given any clear direction

as to where he is going with the United States relationship with Cuba. A remarkable

amount of Right-wing media associates itself with isolationism, so President Trumps

possible conferences and moves with Cuba could undo most, if not all of Obamas work

in ameliorating foreign relations with the communist country; Trump could leave Cuba

and our relationship with them alone due to our proximity and fear for another Cold War.

32
Ibid.
16
A united world with the United States helping less developed countries could prove to be

helpful for those countries and their future development.

How Would the Cuban Government Change?

The economics and politics that are connected to Cuba, and any country as a

matter of fact, are interlocked in the sense that without one, the other cannot happen.

Reversing the Marxist process given in the Communist Manifesto correlates with the

economic policies changing first with the government policies coming slowly afterwards,

but Cuba has an embargo created by the United States. The United States will not remove

the embargo until Cuba is a liberal democracy, but Cubas very own Constitution is not

directly followed. Cuba would be more liberal and legitimate of a country if it followed

what its Constitution states. Outside forces cannot spark a revolution for the Cuban

people because Cuba is still a solitaire country that has only recently been interacting

with foreign nations. The people are so oppressed and censored in Cuba that any

conversation of democracy is repressed and causes small scale arguments that are quickly

replaced by the common theme of the Cuban people disliking the American people.

Many paradoxical points are present in transitioning Cuba out of a communist state, but a

slow plan will be formulated.

First and foremost, the Cuban government needs to remove its grasp on the

agricultural sector so that the farmers can make their plots of land as efficient as possible.

Much like what happened in China and Russia, the government took over the agricultural

17
sectors, which caused huge, long shortages and famines in both countries33. The same

event is happening in Cuba, but Cubas problem is that prices are too high while incomes

are too low. With time, the restrictions on the agricultural sector will cause even greater

shortages and even more impactful famines; restrictions on agriculture include what

vegetation can and cannot be planted, how much water can be used on said vegetation,

and how much an individual can charge to sell their harvest from home without selling it

to the government. The next step is that the economy will be slowly changed from a

command economy to a free market economy. In the example of Russia changing from a

command to a market economy after the USSR collapsed, an economy cannot be flipped

like a switch. Russias economy is not doing well, at all, and their economy is only

getting worse. After the collapse of the USSR, confusing laws were made as the economy

flipped from a command to a market economy. On the other hand, China has been

cautiously turning their economy over the past 40 years, and the slow turn has proven to

be extremely helpful to their economy. In fact, Chinas economy has been booming since

the turn of the century to the point where China is a powerhouse on the world stage. Not

only does China not control their agricultural sector, they also let private farmers control

the ways and means of production for internal agriculture- obviously only under close

regulation and consent by the Chinese Communist Party. The reason behind the

privatization of agriculture in China is the fact that under Mao Zedong, a movement

called The Great Leap Forward was implemented to speed up Chinas economy to

match it to the powerhouse economies of the Western world. Unfortunately, bad weather

33
Mark Kesselman, Joel Krieger, and William Joseph, China, Introduction to Comparative
Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas, Carolyn Merrill, AP Edition, 6, (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2000).
18
and The Great Leap Forward resulted in the following: irrational policies, wasted

resources, poor management, the suppression of criticism, and widespread famine34. As

of early 2017 under the Obama administration, some cargo was sent to the United States

from Cuba as a start of the lifting of the embargo, but the actual embargo cannot be lifted

until all parts from Cuba are met. Cuba can trade doctors and other trained professionals

for goods that can help the Cuban people. This trade will help Cuba and whatever other

country decides trade with Cuba without the second country being penalized for trading

with another country and doing normal activities that countries do.

There will be separation of power between the branches. The legislature and the

judiciary are a fused branch of power, and the actual branch has little real power because

the people in power in the PCC review who will be part of the National Assembly.

Moreover, the people will be elected like how the constitution says without the control of

the PCC. A system of checks and balances will be established Some amendments will be

made to ensure that there are multiple political parties that cannot be infringed upon by

the government. Also, no single party shall become as powerful as the PCC to the point

where the party is infringing upon the rights of the people of other political parties. A

parallel to the United States Bill of Rights will be added to the constitution to ensure that

peoples rights and freedoms from infringement from both the federal and provincial

levels. Either a parliament can be established to elect a prime minister where the PM is

the head of state and government, or a presidential system can be established where the

president is both the head of state and the head of government, or a dual executive could

34
Mark Kesselman, Joel Krieger, and William Joseph, Russia, Introduction to Comparative
Politics: Political Challenges and Changing Agendas, Carolyn Merrill, AP Edition, 6, (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2000).
19
be established where the PM is the head of government while the president is the head of

state.

Why Does It Matter?

Cuba needs to change its form of government from a one-party communist system

to a more democratic government with proper checks and balances, protected rights for

all citizens, and plenty of freedoms for the average person. The Cuban government has

caused many people to have their basic human rights to be violated, but all the years

without internet and being brainwashed into loving the PCC has caused the Cuban people

to not have a voice outside of the country. All people deserve to be protected by their

government and from their government no matter how minor of a group, but without

political efficacy, no positive, long-term changes can be made in Cuba. Political efficacy

is the belief by a citizen of a country that she or he can have influence on his or her

government. If the Cuban people continue to stay quiet, allowing for their oppression by

the Cuban Communist Party, the people will stay in poverty with little to no protected

personal rights.

I might not live in Cuba anymore, but I was born in Cuba along with the rest of

my family. I go to Cuba every few years to visit my family, but it gets increasingly hard

to hear their stories of how hard it is to live in Cuba, knowing that I cannot personally do

anything to help them. Although, my familys situation is significantly better than many

other families in Cuba only because my parents have been sending them money and care

packages for years, a significant percentage of the population lives in extreme hardship

every day without the help of their family sending them help from other countries. I cant

20
begin to imagine how hard it must be for the rest of the people in the country. One of my

fears is that Cuba still secretly relies on the Russian Federation to help their economy,

which will cause Russia to be a crutch for the Cuban economy yet again. If Russia fails-

as its economy is already worsening- then the Cuban economy will collapse again and the

country will go through another country-wide depression that parallels to the one from

the 1990s after the USSR collapsed. As with the old, rich Cubans and their children from

when Castro took land and properties during his revolution are still alive, so, of course,

they will be upset over having the Castro brothers out of power after all their properties

were given to the government. There is no way to give those Cubans back their properties

because part of the informal agreement of leaving the country is that the stolen properties

would not be given back to the original owners. There are more recent laws that prevent

Cubans that leave from owning properties in Cuba until they return and become citizens

again. The process towards a democratic Cuba includes pressure from the Cuban

population itself, but democracy works when the people use their voice to work alongside

the government to create a better country for the greater population.

21
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Cold War Part 1." International Journal of Cuban Studies 6, no. 2 (2014): 157.

doi:10.13169/intejcubastud.6.2.0157.

Benson, Sonia G. "Cuba and the United States: Revolution, Nationalism, and Enemies

Next Door." Gale Virtual Reference Library [Gale], 2002. Accessed August 12,

2016.

Brown, Archie. "Reform, Coup and Collapse: The End of the Soviet State." BBC.

February 17, 2011. Accessed July 27, 2016.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/soviet_end_01.shtml.

Campos, Carlos Oliva, and Gary Prevost. "Cuba in the Western Hemisphere: What Has

Changed?" International Journal of Cuban Studies 7, no. 2 (2015): 142. Accessed

July 25, 2016. doi:10.13169/intejcubastud.7.2.0142.

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2-206 (1996).

David, Paolo. "Will Miguel Daz-Canel Be Just as Powerful as the Castro Brothers Once

He Becomes President of Cuba?" Latin Post. February 22, 2016. Accessed January

26, 2017. http://www.latinpost.com/articles/115991/20160222/will-miguel-

d%C3%ADaz-canel-be-just-as-powerful-as-the-castro-brothers-once-he-becomes-

president-of-cuba.htm.

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The Economist. "Caribbean Contagion; Cuba's Economy." July 23, 2016. Accessed July

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21702494-venezuelas-pneumonia-infects-communist-island-caribbean-contagion

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Cuban Parliament." Latin Post. August 20, 2014. Accessed January 27, 2017.

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mariela-becomes-first-lawmaker-to-vote-no-in-cuban-parliament.htm.

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2000.

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support-cubans-shifting-toward-the-democratic-party/.

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The Republic of Cuba. The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, 1976 (as Amended to

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24
 Appendix

Spanish (original language)

Maria: abuela, te puedo preguntar unas preguntas?

Santa Idania: si pero de que?

Maria: de Cuba y de los trabajos que tuviste mientras que viviste ah

Santa Idania: porque no esperas a tu abuelo? El fue maestro y sabe usar las palabras
mejores que yo

Maria: est bien, yo solamente necesito lo ms bsico y no importa si est bonito las
palabras

Santa Idania: est bien. Cuales son las preguntas

Maria: Primero, cules fueron algunos de los problemas comunes que tuviste
mientras que viviste en Cuba?

Santa Idania: no se? la falta de alimentacin para todos: la leche los dos, la carne de
res. recreaciones para nios y adultos. Salarios estan muy bajo: todo es por dlares pero
nadie gana en dolares. tienen que convertir el dinero en dlares pero les hacen
demasiado descuentos. El mximo es de 500 peso. no hay libre de expresin.

Maria: Fueron por las leyes aprobadas por el gobierno?

Santa Idania: la comida: leche solamente aprobado hasta los 7 aos. carne des res es
prohibida: solo dejan a las zonas tursticas y por divisa pero nadie gana en divisa. todo
es el gobierno: lo controla todo

Maria: Cules son los principales partidos polticos y qu piensan?

Santa Idania: el partido comunista de cuba: es lo que quiere el gobierno y se acab

Maria: Qu piensan y dicen los partidos polticos sobre los problemas que enfrenta
Cuba?

25
Santa Idania: nada porque el partido es l quien dirige todo

English (translation)

Maria: grandma, may I ask you some questions?

Santa Idania: sure, but about what?

Maria: about Cuba and the troubles you had while you were there

Santa Idania: why don't you wait for you grandfather? He was a teacher and knows how
to use words better than me

Maria: it's fine. I just need the most basic, and it's not important how pretty the words are

Santa Idania: okay, what are the questions?

Maria: What were some of the common problems you had while you lived in Cuba?

Santa Idania: The shortage of food for everyone: milk both, beef. Recreation for kids and
adults. Salaries are too low: everything is by dollars but no one earns dollars. They have
to convert the money to dollars but they take too many discounts. the maximum that
anyone makes is 500 pesos. There is no freedom of expression

Maria: Were they because of laws approved by the government?

Santa Idania: Food: milk is approved for children under 7 years old. Beef is prohibited:
only tourism sites and by national money, no one gains by national money. Everything is
the government: they control everything

Maria: What are the main political parties and what do they believe?

Santa Idania: the Cuban Communist Party: its what the government wants and thats it

Maria: What do the political parties say over the problems that Cuba faces?

Santa Idania: Nothing because the PCC controls everything

26