The name of the country comes from “Akoba”, which means “land, dry land” in the language of the local Indians.
Cuba area. 110860 km2.
Population of Cuba. 11.39 million people (
Cuba GDP. $77.15 billion (
Location of Cuba. Cuba is a country located on the largest island of West and several nearby islands. In the north it is washed by the Strait of Florida, in the southwest - by the Yucatan Strait, in the east - by the Windward Strait, in the south -.
Administrative divisions of Cuba. The state is divided into 14 provinces and the special municipality of Isla Juventud.
Cuban form of government. Republic.
Head of State of Cuba. Chairman of the State Council.
Supreme legislative body of Cuba. National Assembly, which elects the Council of State.
Supreme executive body of Cuba. Council of Ministers.
Major cities in Cuba. Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas.
Official language of Cuba. Spanish.
Religion of Cuba. 55% are atheists, 40% are atheists, 3% are Protestants.
Ethnic composition of Cuba. 65% are descendants of Europeans, 20% are mulattoes, 12% are Africans, 1% are Chinese.
Fauna of Cuba. Of the mammalian representatives of the animal world, the hutia and the slittooth should be distinguished. Home to a huge number of bats, almost 300 species of birds, including vulture, quail, finch, macaw, hummingbird. More than 700 species of fish and shellfish live in coastal waters. There are numerous insects, including very dangerous ones - the sand flea and the malaria mosquito.
Rivers and lakes of Cuba. The largest is Kauto.
Sights of Cuba. In Havana - National Museum, Colonial Museum, Museum of Anthropology, Moro Castle, Santa Clara Monastery, La Fuerza Fortress, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, City Hall, the largest zoo in America; in Santiago de Cuba - Museum of Natural History; In Cardenas - the Oscar M. de Rojas Museum; in Camagüey there are a large number of churches and mansions from the colonial period. On the shore of the bay is the world's largest aquarium.
Useful information for tourists
As souvenirs from Cuba, you can bring black coral and jewelry made from it, items made from tortoise shell (especially bracelets and hairpins). Don't forget to buy one or two bottles of unique Cuban rum and real Cuban cigars. When purchasing products made from crocodile skin, ask the seller for an export license, otherwise this souvenir will be confiscated during customs control. A good gift from Cuba would also be a tumbadora or bongo - percussion musical instruments. Another gift is the guayabera, a shirt worn by officials in the tropics. You will probably have to use currency shops, since pesos can only buy books and medicine.
In Cuba, it is customary to pay a tip of 5-15% of the cost of services. The porter and maid at the hotel are given 1 dollar.
| Republic of Cuba | |||
| Spanish Republic of Cuba | |||
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| Motto: "Patria o Muerte" "Fatherland or Death" |
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| Hymn: "La Bayamesa" | |||
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| Independence date | December 10, 1898 (from) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish | ||
| Capital | |||
| Largest cities | , Santiago de Cuba | ||
| Form of government | socialist republic | ||
| The president | Miguel Diaz-Canel | ||
| First Secretary of the CPC Central Committee | Raul Castro | ||
| Territory | 104th in the world | ||
| Total | 110,860 km² | ||
| Population | |||
| Score (2013) | ▼ 11,061,886 people (77th) | ||
| Census (2015) | ▲ 11,239,004 people | ||
| Density | 102 people/km² | ||
| GDP | |||
| Total (2010) | 114.1 billion (PPP). dollars (67th) | ||
| Per capita | $9,900 (2010) | ||
| HDI (2013) | ▲ 0.765 (high; 67th place) | ||
| Currency | peso (CUP, 192) convertible peso (CUC, 931) |
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| Internet domain | .cu | ||
| ISO code | C.U. | ||
| IOC code | CUB | ||
| Telephone code | +53 | ||
| Time Zones | -5 | ||
Cuba(Spanish) Cuba), official name - Republic of Cuba(Spanish) Republic of Cuba), unofficial since 1959 Liberty Island- an island state in the northern Caribbean Sea. The country occupies the territory of the island of the same name as part of the Greater Antilles, Isla Juventud and many small islands. It is separated from Cuba by the Strait of Florida in the north and the Yucatan Strait in the west. The country has been a member of the UN since 1945.
The capital and largest city is .
Etymology
The name "Cuba" has its origins in the now dead languages of the Taino Indians who inhabited the Greater Antilles. The exact meaning of the name is unclear; there is a point of view that it may mean “a place where fertile soil is abundant” ( cubao), or “wonderful place” ( coabana). There is also a hypothesis that Christopher Columbus named the island after the village of Cuba in the Beja region.
Physiographic characteristics
Geographical position
Relief of Cuba
Minerals
Cuba ranks third in the world (after New Caledonia and Australia, 2007) in terms of nickel reserves, production of which began in 1943 and increased significantly in the period after the 1959 revolution, when, with the assistance of the USSR, mining equipment was modernized and a mining and processing plant was built.
Cuba has large reserves of cobalt and ranks third in the world in terms of its mining and production volumes.
Also, Cuba has large deposits of copper ores (in the provinces of Oriente and Pinar del Rio), manganese ores (in the province of Oriente), chromites (in the province of Camagüey), kaolins (on the island of Pinos), iron ore, asbestos, rock salt, phosphorites. There are no coal deposits.
In 1984, oil and gas fields were discovered in the west of the country. In 2006, development of an oil and gas field began to the north of the island, off the coast of Florida. According to some sources, oil reserves on the Cuban shelf exceed 5 billion barrels (Havana insists on the figure of 20 billion barrels), and gas reserves - 300 billion m³. Total confirmed oil reserves for 2010 amount to 178.9 million barrels, natural gas - 70.9 billion m³.
Climate
Tropical, trade wind. The average annual temperature is 25.5 °C. The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is 22.5 °C and the hottest (August) is 27.8 °C. The temperature of surface waters off the coast in winter is 22-24 °C, in summer - 28-30 °C. The average annual precipitation, usually in the form of showers, is 1400 mm, but dry years often occur.
Cuba has clearly defined two climatic seasons: rainy (May-September) and dry (October-April). The rainy season accounts for 3/4 of the total annual precipitation.
A feature of Cuba's climate is its typical high humidity throughout the year. The combination of high humidity and high temperature has a generally unfavorable effect on people's lives. However, on the coast, the wind from the sea moderates the heat, brings freshness, and in the evenings, coolness. In any place, the winds are characterized by a certain constancy, so you can often see trees whose trunks have a corresponding slope.
Cuba is exposed to tropical cyclones, which originate in the summer-autumn period (June - mid-November) to the east of the Lesser Antilles and in the west of the Caribbean Sea, then moving towards. Cyclones are accompanied by heavy rainfall and strong winds that can cause great damage to the economy and population of the island (see Cuban Hurricane (1910)). The rivers in Cuba are short and shallow. Forests, covering about 10% of the territory, are preserved only in mountainous and swampy areas. The fauna of the land is relatively poor. At the same time, in the waters surrounding Cuba there are valuable commercial fish, shellfish, lobsters, shrimp, and sponges.
Administrative division
Cuba is a unitary state. For political and administrative purposes, until 2011, the national territory was divided into 15 provinces and the special municipality of Juventud Island, the provinces were divided into municipalities. On January 1, 2011, the decision to divide the province of Havana into the provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque came into force, and the number of provinces increased to 16.
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The representative bodies of the provinces are the provincial assemblies of the people's power, elected by the municipal assemblies of the people's power, the executive bodies of the provinces are the executive committees of the provincial assemblies of the people's power, elected by the provincial assemblies of the people's power.
The representative bodies of municipalities are the municipal assemblies of people's power, elected by the population, the executive bodies of municipalities are the executive committees of the municipal assemblies of people's power, elected by the municipal assemblies of people's power.
Transport
Cuban railway map
The island of Cuba has a railway and a network of roads. Sea and air communications have been established with other countries. Cuba's leading airline, Cubana de Aviación, has offices in 32 countries.
Bridge in Cuba connecting the province of Matanzas with the province of Mayabeque
Population
Cuba's demographic curve. FAO data, 2005.
Cubans are a people of mixed origin. By the time the Spaniards arrived here, Cuba was inhabited by tribes of Sibones, Arawak Indians, Guanahanabeys and Indians who migrated from Haiti. But as a result of Spanish colonization, the Indians were mostly exterminated.
Since the Spanish colonists needed a lot of labor, primarily to work on plantations, they began to import slaves from (mainly Yoruba, Ashanti, Ewe, Congo). Over 350 years, the Spaniards imported more than 1 million African slaves, their descendants make up 40% of the population. In addition, Indian slaves from Yucatan were imported in small quantities, and. During the same period, 850,000 “Gallego” migrants arrived, mostly Galicians, Castilians, Navarreans, and Catalans, but not all of them remained to live in Cuba. From the end of the 18th century. a large influx of French from Haiti also arrived here. There was also a fairly intense flow of immigrants from Italy and Britain.
On June 3, 1847, the first 200 Chinese were brought to the island; subsequently, between 1853 and 1874, more than 125,000 Chinese were imported from Asia. “Chinatown” has still been preserved.
At the beginning of the 20th century, many Americans settled in Cuba and created their own colonies on the island of Pinos. There were very strong waves of immigration to Cuba during and after the First and Second World Wars, primarily Jews moving here.
In 1953, the proportion of the white population was 84%, but then decreased, mainly as a result of emigration after the revolution.
Data on the racial composition of Cuba is contradictory. According to official data from the 2002 census, the population of Cuba consists of whites - 65.1% (7,271,926), mulattoes - 24.8% (2,778,923), blacks - 10.1% (1,126,894), 1% - Chinese (113,828). According to the Institute of Cuban Studies at the University of Miami, 68% of Cubans are black or mulatto. Minority rights group International says 51% of the population is mulatto.
According to the census, in September 2012, the total population of Cuba was 11,163,934.
Matanzas
Population aging
According to the British magazine The Economist, Cuba is the only Latin American country whose population is declining. Cuba's population aging is also the highest in the region. According to The Economist, this is due to a sharp decline in the birth rate. Thus, the average number of children per woman decreased from five in 1963 to 1.9 in 1978 and 1.5 between 2004 and 2008. On the other hand, a good level of health care has led to an increase in the number of elderly people. As a result of these processes, in 2008, for the first time in the country's history, the share of the population under 14 years of age became equal to the share of those over 60 years of age - approximately 18% each. According to The Economist, this circumstance threatens the sustainability of Cuba's pension system. The trend towards an aging population is also visible in the example of the country's leadership: the average age of members of the Cuban Politburo is more than 70 years.
Story
Until the end of the 16th century, Cuba was inhabited by Indian tribes, first by the Guanahatabeys (in the 6th century BC), later by the Arawaks. The Indians were engaged in hunting and farming.
The first European to arrive here was Columbus, who landed in the east of the archipelago in October 1492. In 1511, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar subjugated the indigenous population of the islands, built Fort Baracoa and became the first Spanish governor of Cuba. By 1514, seven settlements had been founded. In 1515, Cuellar moved his headquarters to Santiago de Cuba, which became the first capital of Cuba. Colonization took place in the context of a struggle with the indigenous population of the island - the Taino Indians, who made up 75% of the population. Columbus reported the millionth Indian killed. The population of Cuba in the 15th century was about 1,800,000 people.
- In 1823, the first uprising for independence from Spain was suppressed.
- In 1868, the Ten Years' War for Cuban Independence began; the rebels were supported. Hostilities reached their climax in 1872-1873, but then the rebels fought only in the eastern provinces of Camagüey and Oriente. In 1878, a peace agreement was signed that eliminated the most unpleasant legislative acts for the inhabitants of the island.
- In 1895, a detachment of Cuban patriots under the leadership of Jose Marti landed in Cuba. This event became the starting point of a new war with the Spanish, during which the Cubans achieved control over almost the entire territory of the island, excluding large cities (see War of Cuban Independence).
- In 1898 they started a war with, in which they won (see Spanish-American War). Cuba is becoming dependent on . The constitution stipulated the right to send troops into the country. This clause was repealed in 1934.
- In 1933, as a result of a coup organized by revolutionaries led by Sergeant Fulgencio Batista y Saldivar, dictator Gerardo Machado y Morales was overthrown and a democratic regime was established.
- On March 10, 1952, Fulgencio Batista carried out a coup d'etat and established a personal dictatorship.
- On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro attempted to seize the Moncada barracks. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the participants in the assault ended up in prison, but this event became the starting point of the Cuban Revolution. These events were immediately followed by political repression (see article Repression during Batista's reign). In 1955, the revolutionaries were granted amnesty. On December 2, 1956, a new group of revolutionaries disembarked from the yacht Granma in the east of the island and began military operations against the Batista government.
- On January 1, 1959, dictator Batista fled Cuba. At this point, rebel forces occupied the city of Santa Clara in the center of the island and controlled large swathes of terrain to the east, although the capital was not in immediate danger and Batista still had significant military forces at his disposal. In the conditions of the power vacuum that arose as a result of Batista's flight, on January 8, a column of rebels entered Havana, where they were greeted with popular jubilation.
As a result of the victory of the revolution, power in Cuba was given to a left-wing government headed by Fidel Castro, which then leaned towards the path of building socialism. The country's ruling and only permitted party is the Communist Party of Cuba. The government of Fidel Castro carried out agrarian reform, nationalized industrial assets, and launched broad social reforms. This caused discontent among part of the population and mass emigration occurred, mainly to the United States, where a large diaspora of opponents of Castro and his policies was created. Emigration was also facilitated by the Cuban Act passed by the US Congress in 1966, guaranteeing permanent residence to any Cuban who came to the US legally or illegally.
Immediately with the 1959 revolution, political repression began (see repression during the reign of Castro), primarily directed against figures from the overthrown regime of dictator Batista and CIA agents.
- In April 1961, Cuban emigrants, with the active support of the United States, landed an armed force on the southern coast of the island with the goal of organizing a mass uprising against the policies of the new government, but the intervention was quickly stopped, and the expected social explosion never occurred. Subsequently, emigrant organizations repeatedly organized terrorist attacks and small-scale landings on Cuba, but without much results.
From the early 1960s to the early 1990s, Cuba was an ally of the USSR and actively supported Marxist rebels and Marxist governments in Latin America (Puerto Rico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile), Africa (Ethiopia, Angola) and Asia, and also pursued a policy of providing humanitarian assistance to various countries of the world. In the late 1980s, more than 70 thousand Cubans were abroad as part of military and humanitarian missions. At the same time, the USSR provided it with significant financial, economic and political support, often acting as a coordinator of foreign policy and determining participation in certain armed conflicts.
Castro reacted negatively to the policy of Perestroika in the USSR and even banned the distribution of a number of Soviet “pro-Yeltsin” publications in Cuba (“Moscow News”, “Novoye Vremya”, etc.).
After the collapse of the USSR, Cuba's economic situation deteriorated significantly (in 1990-1993, GDP decreased by 33%), and analysts predicted the imminent fall of the Castro government, but by 1994 the situation had largely stabilized, and the economic state of the country is currently assessed by international organizations as quite satisfactory.
On February 19, 2008, through the Granma newspaper, Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of the State Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban forces. “To my dear fellow citizens, who have given me the immeasurable honor of electing me as a member of Parliament, in which the most important decisions for the fate of the revolution will be made, I inform you that I do not intend and will not give my consent to take the post of Chairman of the State Council and Commander-in-Chief,” it says in circulation.
The current President of the State Council is Raul Castro.
On November 25, 2016 at 22:29 Cuban time, Fidel Castro died after a long illness.
State structure
According to the form of government, Cuba is a socialist republic of parliamentary type.
The majority of deputies in parliament represent the Communist Party of Cuba.
Executive power is exercised by the Chairman of the Council of State (head of state), who in practice is simultaneously both the General Secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (head of government) - the second secretary of the Central Committee, respectively.
The government consists of the State Council and the Council of Ministers. The government is formed by the parliament of the republic, called the National Assembly of People's Power. He also appoints the head of the State Council. Thus, the highest body of government in Cuba is the National Assembly.
Administratively, the republic is divided into 16 provinces, which include 169 municipalities. One of the municipalities - Juventud - reports directly to the central authorities, the rest - to local administrative structures.
Legal system
The highest court is the People's Supreme Court, appointed by the National Assembly of the People's Power, the appellate courts are the provincial courts, appointed by the provincial assemblies of the people's power, the courts of first instance are the municipal courts, appointed by the municipal assemblies of the people's power.
Economy
Beach in Cuba near the city of Varadero
Advantages: The tourism industry attracts foreign investors. Export of sugar and nickel. Elite cigars. The banking sector is strengthening. Oil rigs.
Weak sides: Due to the US embargo, lack of access to important markets and investments. Acute shortage of foreign currency. Fluctuations in world prices for sugar and nickel. Complicated trade restrictions discourage investment. Poor infrastructure. Shortage of fuel, fertilizers and spare parts.
In the period after 1960, the economic blockade imposed by the US government caused enormous damage to Cuba's economic development. According to official data from the Cuban government, as of early December 2010, direct damage from the economic blockade amounted to 104 billion US dollars (and taking into account the depreciation of the dollar against gold in the period after 1961, 975 billion US dollars).
According to the British weekly The Economist, the main cause of Cuba's economic problems is low productivity caused by a lack of incentives to work. In an article on the Cuban economy, the magazine writes:
Sugar cane plantations
The American embargo is annoying, but the main problem with the Cuban economy is that Fidel's paternalistic state has removed both the incentives to work and the penalties for idleness. That's why Cubans don't work too hard at their official jobs. People spend their working hours chatting and having long telephone conversations.
Original text (English)
The American embargo is an irritant, but the economy’s central failing is that Fidel’s paternalist state did away with any incentive to work, or any sanction for not doing so. So most Cubans do not work very hard at their official jobs. People stand around chatting or conduct long telephone conversations with their mothers. They also routinely pilfer supplies from their workplace: that is what keeps the informal economy going.
Cuba ranks 4-5 among Latin American countries (ranks higher) and 67 in the world according to the UN classification in terms of Human Development.
There are different points of view regarding the level of development of Cuba before the revolution. According to a number of sources, in terms of GNP per capita, Cuba was ahead even at that time. Robin Blackburn also wrote that Cuba was one of the richest countries in the underdeveloped category. Professor Maurice Halperin, who worked in Cuba immediately after the revolution, objected to the application of the term “underdeveloped” to pre-revolutionary Cuba, which, in his words, caused false associations with truly backward countries, and proposed calling it “moderately developed.” On the other hand, the Groningen Growth and Development Center, having conducted its own retrospective calculations using a special methodology, obtained data stating that Cuba in 1958 was inferior to these countries and a number of Latin American countries.
| Source | Robin Blackburn | Humberto (Bert) Corzo | NationMaster | Angus Maddison | ||
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| Units | U.S. dollars | US dollars at PPP | U.S. dollars | Geary-Khamis dollars | ||
| Year | 1953-1954 | 1958 | 1960 | 1960 | 1953 | 1960 |
| Cuba | 360 | 356 | 4399 | 1900 | 2363 | 2052 |
| Spain | 250 | 180 | 396 | 396 | 2528 | 3150 |
| Mexico | 284 | 353 | 353 | 2439 | 3025 | |
| Chile | 360 | 551 | 551 | 4112 | 4392 | |
| Costa Rica | 230 | 381 | 381 | 2353 | 2605 | |
| Japan | 254 | 471 | 471 | 2474 | 3289 | |
| USA | 2881 | 2793 | 10613 | 11328 | ||
According to statistics, in 1951 in Cuba there were 122 thousand cars for a population of 5.5 million, that is, 1 car for 41 people. At the same time, according to the authors of the Area Handbook for Cuba, “all this as a fact has no meaning, since there were de facto two Cubas, in one the elite lived beautifully and comfortably, and in the other the most necessary things for life were not available.”
The KTP-1 combine harvester for mechanized sugar cane harvesting, developed at the Lyubertsy Agricultural Engineering Plant named after. A.V. Ukhtomsky in the second half of the 1970s for work in Cuba and subsequently produced under license in the city of Holguin.
In 1960, a massive nationalization of the private sector was carried out. Currently, Cuba has one of the most nationalized economies in the world. In the second half of the 1960s. the government tried to abandon central planning in favor of sectoral planning. Extensive experiments were carried out with moral incentives for labor and the use of non-monetized compulsory labor. Falling production levels and shirking forced a return to Soviet-style central planning. In the 1970s - 80s. With the help of the countries of the socialist bloc, the basis of the industry is being created in Cuba.
After the collapse of the USSR, there was a reduction in purchases of Cuban sugar and the cessation of economic assistance. For 1989-1993 Cuba's GDP fell by a third. Economic collapse was avoided by opening the country to foreign investment in industry and tourism.
According to the CIA directory, in 2010 real GDP growth was 1.5%.
The main sector of the Cuban economy is the sugar industry. The capacity of Cuba's sugar factories is capable of processing 670 thousand tons of sugar cane per day (production of 9-9.5 million tons of sugar per year). In the past, the industry developed extensively thanks to the support of the CMEA.
The Cuban government is creating free economic zones (FEZ) in order to attract foreign investment. In 1996, a law was adopted on the procedure for the creation and functioning of free economic zones. The validity period of the concession for the right to operate in the SEZ is 50 years. In 1997, three SEZs began operating (Mariel, City and Vahai).
Exports ($3.3 billion in 2010) - sugar, nickel, tobacco, seafood, medical products, citrus fruits, coffee. The main export partners are China (26%), Canada (20%), Spain (7%), and the Netherlands (5%).
In November 2004, during a visit to Cuba by Chinese President Hu Jintao, an agreement was reached that China would invest $500 million in the Cuban nickel industry. In January 2008, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and the head of the state oil company Petrobras, Jose Sergio Gabrielli, who visited Cuba, announced their intention to invest $500 million in the exploration of Cuban hydrocarbon deposits in the Gulf of Mexico and the construction of a plant for the production of technical oils in Cuba. In May 2010, construction of another large nickel ore mining plant began in Holguin province.
Cuban cigars
Cuba imports ($10.3 billion in 2010) - petroleum products, food, industrial equipment, chemical products. The main import partners are Venezuela (31%), China (15%), Spain (8%), USA (7%).
An important role in Cuba's foreign trade is played by the oil company, which, in exchange for the services of Cuban doctors, teachers and trainers, supplies Havana with cheap oil under the Petrocaribe program (part of the oil is then resold by the Cuban authorities). In 2011, trade turnover between the two countries reached $8.3 billion. At the beginning of 2013, there were 36 Cuban-Venezuelan enterprises in the fields of energy, transport, communications, tourism, agriculture, construction, and the mining industry.
The Cuban banking system consists of the Central Bank of Cuba, 8 commercial banks, 13 non-banking financial institutions, 13 representative offices of foreign banks and 4 representative offices of foreign financial institutions. There are 2 types of currency in Cuba. Citizens of Cuba receive black and white Cuban pesos, foreigners receive colored (convertible) pesos when exchanging currency. Western media reported on currency manipulations by the top Cuban leadership and the F. Castro family.
Since 1962, a card system has been in effect in Cuba; products are issued according to the same standards for the entire country. According to Cuban experts, the population currently receives from 40 to 54 percent of the minimum required calories from food distributed on ration cards. Milk is provided free of charge by the state to children under 6 years of age or purchased by the population at the market. Throughout the post-revolutionary years, a black market existed in Cuba. A number of goods, the distribution of which by cards is carried out irregularly or are intended only for beneficiaries, are still purchased on the black market.
In 2008, Cubans were allowed to buy cell phones, computers and DVD players, as well as 19- and 24-inch televisions, electric pressure cookers and electric bicycles, car alarms and microwave ovens (but only with convertible currency).
In 2009, about 100 thousand passenger cars were registered in the country, of which 60 thousand were old American cars that were on the island before the revolution.
The average monthly salary in Cuba as of January 2011 was 300-350 pesos (23-25 pesos per dollar). However, domestic prices for goods produced within the country may differ significantly from the world average. There is a developed system of free services and government benefits. For example, free clothing is provided to workers. There is a system of free medical care and free higher and secondary education.
Reform 2010
In October 2010, the country's government significantly increased the number of permitted types of business activities by adopting legislative and regulatory acts regulating private business.
Cuban President Raul Castro appealed to his fellow citizens to support his radical program of economic change, saying that "the future of the revolution hangs in the balance." According to him, reforms that provide for a significant increase in the role of private entrepreneurship are aimed at saving the socialist system, and not at returning to capitalism. R. Castro noted that the ruling Communist Party must correct its past mistakes and abandon its negative attitude towards small private business.
Private business
At the end of May 2016, the Cuban authorities announced the legalization of private small and medium-sized businesses.
Foreign policy
The largest cooperation to date is with Venezuela.
- Sino-Cuban relations.
Venezuela
The basic agreement on cooperation between the two countries was signed under Hugo Chavez in 2000. And already in 2009, 98 thousand Cubans worked in Venezuela. In 2011, an undersea cable was stretched from Venezuela to Cuba, providing the island with the Internet.
EU
In 1993-2003, the European Union provided Cuba with small support of about 145 million euros (including about 90 million euros in humanitarian aid). In 2003, the EU imposed sanctions against Havana, which obligated European countries, as part of a “common position,” to limit bilateral government visits, reduce the participation of European states in cultural relations with Cuba, proposed to intensify contacts with government oppositionists, and invite Cuban dissidents to events at their embassies on Cuba and other countries, etc. The sanctions were partially lifted in 2005, and in 2008 they were completely lifted.
Panama
- August 23, 2004 - President of Panama Mireya Moscoso announced the recall of the Panamanian ambassador from Cuba in response to the warning issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry on August 22 about its readiness to sever diplomatic relations with Panama if its authorities amnestied the criminals who were preparing an assassination attempt on Fidel Castro. At the same time, the President of Panama noted that the recall of the Panamanian ambassador does not mean a severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
- August 25, 2004 - Cuban Ambassador to Panama Carlos Zamora, at the request of the Panamanian authorities, left for his homeland. Before leaving, he made a statement to the press in which he noted that “Cuba considers it its duty to achieve exemplary punishment for the terrorists” who were preparing the assassination attempt on Fidel Castro. In March 2004, the Supreme Court of Panama sentenced six conspirators detained in Panama in 2000 to prison terms. The new President of Panama, Martin Torrijos, who takes office on September 1, expressed the hope that the Panama-Cuban conflict would be resolved on the basis of mutual “respect and common sense."
Mexico
Bahamas
On October 3, 2011, an agreement was signed between Cuba and defining the maritime border between the two states.
USSR/Russia
Fidel Castro with Russian President V.V. Putin, 2000.
From the very beginning of the revolution in Cuba, the attitude of the CPSU leadership towards Liberty Island was ambiguous, in some ways similar to the position regarding the SFRY. First, neither the Castro brothers nor their associates were formally Leninists. Their theoretical basis was limited to the legacy of Marx and Engels. Secondly, among other things, Cuba, in principle, was not part of the military blocs. Highly valuing freedom, Cuba, since the Belgrade Conference (Yugoslavia, September 1-6, 1961), has been one of the most active participants in the Non-Aligned Movement. It joined the CMEA only in 1972.
January 21, 1964 - The USSR and Cuba signed a Long-term Agreement on the supply of sugar to the USSR.
mass media
The only state broadcaster in Cuba and the only broadcaster in Cuba in general is ICRT ( Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión- “Cuban Institute of Radio and Television”), created on May 24, 1962. Includes:
- Radio stations
- Radio Progreso, launched in 1929, network partners - CMHA, CMIB, CMFC, CMMB, CMKB, CMLA, CMJB, CMAB, CMGB.
- Radio Reloj, launched in 1947
- CMBF Radio Musical Nacional, launched 1948
- Radio Rebelde, launched 1959
- Radio Havana Cuba, international radio station, launched in 1961
- Radio Enciclopedia, launched 1962
- Radio Taíno, launched in 1985
- Provincial radio stations - Radio Ciudad de La Habana, Radio Metropolitana, Radio COCO, Radio Cadena Habana (all 3 in Havana), Radio Guamá, Radio Artemisa, etc.
- TV channels
- Cubavisión (before nationalization in 1960 CMQ-TV, Canal 6), launched 1962
- Tele Rebelde (formerly Canal 2), launched 1982
- Canal Educativo, launched in 2001
- Canal Educativo 2, launched in 2004
- Multivision, launched in 2008
- provincial TV channels
- Cubavision International
Previously there were also radio stations CMQ and RHC-Cadena Azul (launched in 1939).
Culture
At the origins of national Cuban literature was Jose Maria Heredia (1803-1839), the author of love, philosophical and civil-patriotic poems. Its popular still in Cuba" Anthem of the Exile"(1825), permeated with bitterness and sorrow for the homeland oppressed by tyrants, ends with the anticipation of its inevitable liberation. The end of the 19th century was marked by the creative legacy of one of the founders of modernism in literature, the patriot, “ apostle"Cuban Revolution by Jose Marti. After the First World War, against the background of growing patriotic sentiments in the 1920-1930s, “ second republican generation"Cuban poets and prose writers, which united a variety of literary movements. In the novel " Sacred spring"A. Carpentier, one of the famous prose writers of this generation, gives a broad picture of revolutionary changes in the world over the decades of the twentieth century.
Independent Cuban painting emerged only at the end of the 19th century. In the 1930s, artists who visited Europe became acquainted with modern artistic movements there and brought them to Cuba. Thus, Marcelo Pogolotti used cubism to create images on themes related to the poverty of the Cuban people. The most famous Cuban artist, Wifredo Lam, painted in a surrealist style. Mario Carreno was greatly influenced by the work of Mexican muralists. Jorge Arche is known for his portraits, which are similar in style to the work of other Latin American artists of the 1930s.
In popular culture
Cuba in music
Santiago de Cuba
- Guantanamera is a famous Cuban song and the unofficial anthem of Cuba.
- Muslim Magomayev - “Cuba, my love.”
- Flame (group) - “This is us talking.”
- Hasta Siempre, Comandante - "Nathalie Cardon" - "Buena Vista Social Club" - "Panteon Rococo"
- Night snipers - "Cuba".
- Jah Division - "Cubana".
- Forbidden drummers - “Cuba is nearby.”
- Daniele Silvestri - "Cohiba".
- Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea
- Graham Greene. Our man in Havana
- The Godfather 2
- Havana (dir. Sydney Pollack)
- Havana I love you
- I am Cuba (dir. Mikhail Kalatozov)
- Ocean (2008, dir. Mikhail Kosyrev-Nesterov)
- Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights
- Zombie Slayer Dir. Alejandro Bruges.
- Driver 2
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, Soviet Campaign Begins in Cuba, Operation Red Dawn
- The Godfather II
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Corsairs III
Religion
In Cuba, church and state are separated. The country's constitution guarantees the population freedom of religion. The most common religion is Catholic.
Cubans are quite religious. Catholic churches exist throughout the country, with daily Masses and solemn services held on national or local religious holidays. Members of the Cuban Communist Party are not prohibited from attending churches. There are also 96,000 members of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization in the country.
With the arrival of black slaves on the island, various beliefs of African origin spread. Over time, they formed the main movements that still exist and are popular today. This is La Regla de Ocha Ifa (Spanish) La Regla de Ocha-Ifá) or Santeria (Spanish) Santeria Cubana), Regla Palo Monte (Spanish) Regla Palo Monte) and La Sociedad Secreta Abakuá (Spanish: La Sociedad Secreta Abakuá), as well as other movements that have now disappeared or are on the verge of extinction, for example, La Regla-Yiessa (Spanish: La Regla Iyessa) and La Regla Arara (Spanish) La Regla Arara). As a result of the historical process, a mixture of Catholic dogmas and African cults also formed. For example, the Most Pure Virgin of Mercy from Cobre is considered by Catholics to be the patroness of Cuba. In Santeria she goes by the name Ochun.
In recent years, Protestant churches have begun to appear, especially in the provinces.
On October 19, 2008, the first Orthodox church in Cuba, the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, was consecrated in Havana.
See also Islam in Cuba
Sport
Sports in Cuba are accessible to everyone, and this mass nature allows them to constantly replenish national teams in various sports, which have brought important world and Olympic awards to the small Caribbean island. Cuba is the birthplace of world famous athletes. Among the sports that stand out are baseball, boxing, athletics and volleyball.
As of August 18, 2016, Team Cuba has won the most medals of all time in baseball.
Armed forces
Guard at the mausoleum of Jose Marti
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba ( Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias - FAR) are the main armed formation of Cuba, ensuring its national defense.
According to the constitution, the country's president is the supreme commander in chief and determines the structure of the armed forces.
The Cuban Armed Forces include the following types of troops:
- Ground troops
- Air Force and Air Defense.
mass media
The Liberty Island daily newspaper Granma bears the name of the yacht of the same name, on which a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro landed in Cuba to carry out guerrilla warfare against the Batista regime. The newspaper is the official conductor and popularizer of the policies pursued by the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC). Once a week, “Granma Internacional” is published in English. Cuba’s press is also represented by such publications devoted to problems of economics, tourism, finance, culture, and politics as “Opciones”, “Bohemia”, “Juventud Rebelde”, “Trabajadores”.
Cuban emigration
New Jersey
Mostly, Cubans fled to the United States because President John Kennedy declared that “any Cuban who sets one foot on the shores of the United States is automatically entitled to political asylum in this country.” Now 1.5 million Cubans live just 150 kilometers from Cuba, creating a “little Cuba” here.
In 1965, relatives of Cuban emigrants who had previously left Cuba were allowed to leave the port of Camarioca. In the two months that the port was open, more than 250,000 people left the country.
In 1980, Fidel Castro opened the port of Mariel to everyone who wanted to emigrate from Cuba.
The Migration Act 1976 was amended on 16 October 2012 and came into force on 14 January 2013. If previously a resident of Cuba required a special permit to leave, the so-called. exit visa and to prepare documents for a trip abroad you had to pay about $300), and such categories of citizens as doctors were “restricted to travel” in principle, then from January 14, 2013, an adult Cuban for a trip abroad only needs a valid passport, an air ticket and (if necessary ) visa of the country of destination. Restrictions on leaving Cuba are left only for famous athletes, “secret carriers,” those under investigation, as well as those whose profession is “vital for the state.” According to press reports, the Cuban government hopes that the citizens who left will subsequently return to their homeland, gaining new skills and bringing money into the country's economy.
In total, from 1959 to January 2013, about 2 million Cuban citizens emigrated from the country, 86% of emigrants live in the United States.
- Symbol of Cuba - flower mariposa(Hedychium coronarium).
- In Cuba, the activities of Masonic lodges have never been prohibited or persecuted. This is the only country of the socialist camp where Freemasonry has been preserved. As of 2009, approximately 28,000 Cubans were members of the Grand Lodge of Cuba.
- In Havana there is a state-owned rock club, Maxim Rock, which is the center of Cuba's informal movement. In order for a local band to receive a share of the profits from concert ticket sales, it must audition with a national rock agency and be approved. The rest of the money raised at the events goes to the budget. The lyrics of Cuban rock musicians should not raise questions among censors: for example, they are prohibited from criticizing the government.
see also
Cuba
Notes
- As a result of the Spanish-American War.
- World Atlas: Maximum detailed information / Project leaders: A. N. Bushnev, A. P. Pritvorov. - Moscow: AST, 2017. - P. 84. - 96 p. - ISBN 978-5-17-10261-4.
- Census.gov. Country Rank. Countries and Areas Ranked by Population: 2013. U.S. Department of Commerce (2013). Retrieved May 9, 2013. Archived May 9, 2013.
- 2015 Cuban Census data
- Cuba. The World Factbook. CIA.
- Human Development Report 2013 (English). United Nations Development Program (2013). Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.
- The Dictionary of the Taino Language (plate 8) Alfred Carrada
- Dictionary - Taino indigenous peoples of the Caribbean Dictionary --
- Augusto Mascarenhas Barreto: O Português. Cristóvão Colombo Agente Secreto do Rei Dom João II. Ed. Referendo, Lisbon 1988. English: The Portuguese Columbus: secret agent of King John II, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 0-333-56315-8
- da Silva, Manuel L. and Silvia Jorge da Silva. (2008). Christopher Columbus was Portuguese, Express Printing, Fall River, MA. 396pp. ISBN 978-1-60702-824-6.
- Cuba // Epiphany - Swallows. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2010. - P. 197. - (Great Russian Encyclopedia: [in 35 volumes] / chief editor Yu. S. Osipov; 2004-2017, vol. 16). - ISBN 978-5-85270-347-7.
- Great Soviet Encyclopedia. / ed. coll., ch. ed. B. A. Vvedensky. 2nd ed. T.23. M., State scientific publishing house "Big Soviet Encyclopedia", 1953. p.578-584
- Countries of the world: a brief political and economic guide. M., Politizdat, 1988. pp.397-400
- Ivette E. Torres. "The Mineral Industry of Cuba". U.S. Geological Survey. 1997
- E. A. Grinevich, B. I. Gvozdarev. Washington vs. Havana: The Cuban Revolution and US Imperialism. M., “International Relations”, 1982. pp.40-42
- Countries of the world: a brief political and economic guide. M., "Republic", 1993. p.224-226
- Wayne S. Smith. After 46 years of failure, we must change course on Cuba // “The Guardian”, November 1, 2006
- CIA The World Fact Book. Cuba (English)
- A number of events will be held in Cuba to mark the 165th anniversary of the arrival of the first Chinese emigrants to the island // Xinhua news agency, May 4, 2012
- Raul Castro: Between Deng Xiaoping and Gorbachev
- A barrier for Cuba's blacks - New attitudes on once-taboo race questions emerge with a fledgling black movement. Archived August 22, 2011.
- World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Cuba: Afro-Cubans.
- World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Cuba: Overview.(English)
- Preliminary results of the population census were announced in Cuba // “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” dated December 4, 2012
- The Economist"Hasta la vista, baby" (English)
- The Economist "Revolution in retreat" (English)
- Gleb Kuznetsov. Castro's funeral is another funeral for the USSR
- Brundenius, Claes. Revolutionary Cuba at 50: Growth with Equity revisited Latin American Perspectives Vol. 36 No. 2 March 2009 pp.31-48
- Fidel Castro resigns as leader of Cuba, RIA Novosti (February 19, 2009). Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- Castro has promised to retire in 2018. Finam 02/25/2013
- To the 50th anniversary of the American trade and economic blockade of Cuba // Foreign Military Review, No. 3 (780), 2012. p. 104
- “Edging towards capitalism. Why reforms are slow and difficult” The Economist, 24 March 2012
- Robin Blackburn. The economies oh the Cuban revolution // Fidel Castro’s Personal Revolution in Cuba: 1953-1973. Edited with an Introduction by James Nelson Goodsell, The Christian Science monitor. Consulting Editor Lewis Hanke, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. New York, 1975, p. 134
- “Semidevelopment”, “Intermediate stage of development” - Maurice Halperin. The Rise and Decline of Fidel Castro. An Essay in Contemporary History by Maurice Halperin. University of California Press. Berkley/Los Angeles/London., 1972, p. 25
- COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CUBA’S GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)
- TSB, 2nd ed., vol. 23, p. 581.
- Area Handbook for Cuba. Washington, 1976. p.185
- Cuba // Encyclopedia “Around the World”.
- Cuba at the World Facebook
- China to invest $500 million in Cuban economy, BBC (November 24, 2004). Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- Victoria Kutuzova. Now Brazil, Expert Online (January 28, 2008). Archived January 31, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- BuenoLatina. Cuba will increase nickel production
- Ivanovsky Z.V. Domestic and foreign policy of Venezuela in times of crisis // Latin American Historical Almanac. - 2014. - T. 14. - No. 14. - P. 240
- Message from Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz.
- http://www.explan.ru/archive/2001/04/s3.htm Alexander Trushin. NEP in Cuban style. Echo of the planet. Social and political weekly ITAR-TASS.
- Mass Media: Personal computers were sold for the first time in Cuba
- BuenoLatina. Cuba has begun reform
- Economic reform will save Cuban socialism // BBC Russian Service, December 19, 2010
- “Cuba has decided to legalize small and medium-sized businesses”
- “We don’t call our policies reforms”
- Dabaghyan E. Foreign policy of Venezuela at the beginning of the 21st century: main directions // Bulletin of Moscow University. Episode 25: International relations and world politics. - 2012. - No. 1. - P. 100
- Budaev A.V. “Soft power” of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: myths and reality // Public Administration. Electronic newsletter. - 2015. - No. 50. - P. 96
- Cuba: new prospects for European business | euronews, world
- http://www.ieras.ru/pub/monografii/coseuropa.pdf
- Maritime boundary delimitation agreements and other material.
- The UN General Assembly for the 16th time called on the United States to end the blockade of Cuba
- UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/62/3 of October 30, 2007 “The need to end the economic, trade and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba” was adopted with 184 votes in favor, 4 against, with one abstention
- Obama announced the resumption of US relations with Cuba. LifeNews, 20:46 / 12/17/2014.
- The United States and Cuba officially announced the normalization of relations. Russia Today, 12/17/2014, 20:59.
- TASS: International Panorama - Obama makes a historic visit to Cuba
- 25 thousand Ukrainian children received free treatment in Cuba - this is an unprecedented program in world practice // “Censor.net” dated March 13, 2012
- Human rights in Cuba
- CUBA DOES NOT TRADE AND DOES NOT SELL ITS REVOLUTION, WHICH COST THE BLOOD AND SACRIFICES OF MANY ITS SONS // Interview of Fidel Castro to Federico Mayor]
- TSB, 2nd ed., vol. 45, p. 501
- TSB, 2nd ed., vol. 23, p. 583
- 100 per 1000 in 1951 - TSB, 2nd ed., vol. 18, p. 565
- 111 per 1000 in 1932 - TSB, 1st ed., vol. 30, p. 270
- CIA - The World Factbook - Country Comparison: Infant mortality rate (English)
- Neonilla Yampolskaya. “Fidel Castro is already here!” // news agency "Rosbalt" dated October 5, 2007
- BBC News "Island of Free Medicine"
- CIA - The World Factbook
- TSB, 1st ed., vol. 35, p. 358
- TSB, 2nd ed., vol. 23, art. "Cuba"
- Area Handbook for Cuba. p. 149
- Cuba // Great Encyclopedia (in 62 volumes). / ed. coll., ch. ed. S. A. Kondratov. volume 24. M., TERRA, 2006. pp. 358-375
- E.O. FOR A LOT.// Institution of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Public expenditure on education as % of GDP (English) . Retrieved March 25, 2011. Archived August 22, 2011.
- « In 1992, CENIAI began uucp data transmission. About twice a week, they receive a dial-up call from Toronto for two-way transfer of mail and news. Their Canadian partner is Web, a part of the Association for Progressive Communications»
Larry Press, Joel Snyder. A Look at Cuban Networks - Fiber optic cable Venezuela-Cuba reached the Cuban coast // RIA Novosti, February 9, 2011
- Internet cable tests are being carried out in Cuba // RIA Novosti, January 24, 2013
- The first 118 Internet cafes appeared in Cuba on June 3 // news service “RuNews24” dated June 5, 2013
- Cuban authorities allowed citizens to buy mobile phones // RBC dated March 28, 2008
- The fee for connecting to mobile communications in Cuba has decreased from $120 to $65 // RIA Novosti, December 12, 2008
- Subichus B. Yu. From the history of Cuban literature - /Culture of Cuba - M.: Nauka, 1979. - 336 p.
- Carpentier A. Sacred spring. - /translation by R. Soshina and N. Trauberg - M.: Raduga, 1982. - 480 p.
- Elementos tangibles en la práctica de la variante cruzada del espitismo en la ciudad de Matanzas. - Lic. Andrés Rodriguez Reyes
- Article dedicated to Cuba on the Pink Slon website
- Los Iyessá. Por Israel Moliner Castañeda. Ediciones Olokum. Volume IV
- La Regla Iyessa
- Cuba: La Regla Arara
- Leonid Velekhov. Cuba opposite Cuba // “Around the World”, No. 12 (2843), December 2010
- Anna Papchenko. The roads of the revolution. 50 years later // “Around the World”, No. 2 (2821), February 2009
- « Fidel Castro allowed free exit of Cubans through the port of Mariel and in six months 125,000 refugees arrived in Florida»
Sergey Guriev, Oleg Tsyvinsky: Immigration is not an economic, but a political problem // Vedomosti, October 23, 2012 - Sarah Rainsford. Dreams come true: Cubans receive international passports for the first time // BBC Russian Service, January 15, 2013
- “Exit visas” have been canceled in Cuba // RIA Novosti, January 14, 2013
- Grandes Maestros de la Gran Logia de Cuba de A. L. y A. M
- Tiwy.com - Masonic secrets of Liberty Island - Natalya Laidinen
- GLs Information
- How Cuban metalheads live. hitkiller.com.
Literature
- Larin E. A. Cuba of the late 18th - first third of the 19th century / Rep. ed. Dr. History Sciences N. M. Lavrov. Institute of General History of the USSR Academy of Sciences.. - M.: Nauka, 1989. - 272 p. - 1,300 copies.- ISBN 5-02-008962-1.
(in translation)
Links- Government agencies
- National Assembly
- Government of Cuba
- Communist Party of Cuba
- Ministry of Defense Archived
- Website of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in the Russian Federation
- mass media
- "Bohemia"
- "Juventud Rebelde"
- "Granma"
- "Granma", English version
- Official news agency Prensa Latina, Spanish version.
- Other
- Tourism and recreation in Cuba
- Guide to Cuba in Russian.
- Information site about Cuba: photographs, information, stories, message board.
- Everything about Cuba: music, girls, photographs, information articles. The Economist Special report on Cuba
Until that significant moment when Columbus’s sailors landed in Baracoa Bay, Indian tribes lived peacefully on Liberty Island. Colonization brought the complete extermination of the indigenous population and Spanish became the official language of Cuba. Its Cuban variety is called Espanol Cubano. The formation of the language of modern Cubans was influenced by the dialects and dialects of slaves from Africa, imported to work on sugar cane plantations, immigrants from Mexico, Haiti and Louisiana.
Some statistics and facts
- The population of Liberty Island is 11.5 million people.
- The Cuban language, despite its many peculiarities, is quite understandable for a person who knows Spanish. There are nuances in the number of second-person pronouns and in some phonetic features of pronunciation.
- There are a huge number of people who speak Russian in Cuba. This is the generation that studied in higher educational institutions during the USSR. They still remember the Russian language and, if necessary, willingly help tourists.
- English is still not held in high esteem on Liberty Island and is spoken mainly by staff of large hotels in the resort areas of Varadero, Trinidad and Holguin.
Experienced travelers advise taking a Russian-Spanish phrasebook on your trip to Cuba, especially when it comes to an independent tour.
The language of great discoveries
Spanish is widespread in the world much more widely than other Romance languages and the number of speakers is second only to speakers of Chinese. More than 548 million people on our planet speak Spanish.
It is Spanish that is called the language of great discoveries, because it was spoken by the majority of navigators who discovered new continents and islands in the 16th-17th centuries.
The spoken and even written state language of Cuba contains a large number of words characteristic only of the local dialect. They are called "Cubanisms". Residents of the island prefer to say “you” even to strangers and older people, but this is not considered a sign of disrespect.
Lost in translation
Keeping in mind that English is not very popular, it is worth studying the names of dishes in the official language of Cuba in order to know what to choose on a restaurant menu. It’s good if the tourist remembers how to pronounce numbers in Spanish. This way you will be able to avoid misunderstandings when communicating with taxi drivers and sellers at the market.
The political regime of the Republic of Cuba has come a long way in its formation. The formation began with the revolution on October 10, 1868. When Carlos Manuel De Cespedes led his countrymen to revolt against Spanish rule. The struggle continued for ten years. From 1868 to 1878, Cuban rebels fought the Spanish under the slogan “Independence or Death!” . On April 10, 1869, the first Constitution of Cuba was adopted. She proclaimed the freedom of black slaves. Thousands of blacks became rebels, but were defeated. Among the reasons for the defeat were the inconsistency of leaders and the disunity of various regions of the country. In addition, the Spaniards had approximately twenty times more troops than the rebels.
But the struggle for independence did not stop. The ideologist, organizer and inspirer of the new struggle was Jose Marti. Cuban poet, writer and publicist, leader of the Cuban liberation movement from Spain. Nicknamed "Apostle of Independence". In 1892, he created the first revolutionary party. In April 1895, Jose Martí's troops landed in Cuba and began active military operations. On May 19, 1895, Jose Marti died in a battle with the Spaniards. But the rebel struggle continued, covering more and more areas of the country. On September 16, 1895, the rebels proclaimed the creation of an independent Cuban Republic and its separation from Spain.
Due to the global crisis of 1929-1933, the economy of the Republic of Cuba was in significant decline. On March 10, 1952, General Batista carried out a military coup and seized power, and Fidel Castro and his associates began creating a revolutionary underground youth organization. A plan for organizing armed struggle was developed. On July 26, 1953, a column of cars with rebels moved in the direction of Satyago de Cuba. The uprising was brutally suppressed by the superior forces of the dictatorship of General Batista. Fidel Castro and his associates were forced to flee to Mexico. There they began preparing a new armed uprising. In Mexico, they were joined by the Argentine doctor Ernesto Che Guevara. Latin American revolutionary, commander Cuban Revolution and Cuban statesman. On November 25, 1956, a schooner secretly departed from the coast of Mexico and on December 2, Fidel Castro’s detachment began fighting with Batista’s troops. General Batista's attempts to defeat the rebel army with the help of American weapons completely failed. The Batista regime was defeated. The Cuban Revolution at its initial stage completely restored national sovereignty, destroyed the existing state apparatus, eliminated the US monopoly and the exploitation of workers.
According to the 1976 Constitution and its new version in 1992, Cuba is a “socialist state.” The supreme body of power is the National Assembly of People's Power, which is elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term. The Assembly elects from among its members the State Council, which represents it between sessions, carries out its decisions and performs other functions. The Council is responsible to and reports to the Assembly.
The Chairman of the State Council heads the government and at the same time is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, convenes and leads meetings of the State Council and the Council of Ministers, issues laws, decrees, other decrees and regulations approved by the State Council and the Council of Ministers.
The Chairman of the Council of State since 1976 is Fidel Castro Ruz, who has headed the Cuban government since 1959. After the overthrow of General Fulgencio Batista, F. Castro became the head of the Cuban government, and in 1965 - Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. The power of the head of state, government, ruling party and armed forces is concentrated in his hands. In 2003, he was again elected Chairman of the State Council.
In the event of the absence or illness of the chairman of the State Council, the first deputy chairman, who is the second official in the state, must perform his duties. This post is occupied by F. Castro's brother, Raul Castro Rus. He is simultaneously the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, the first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and the minister of the armed forces.
According to the constitution, all power in the Republic of Cuba belongs to the working people, who exercise it directly or through the Assembly of People's Power and other state bodies. Cuba is a presidential republic. The head of the state is the president, elected by universal suffrage and combining in one person the powers of the head of state and the head of the executive branch.
The supreme state power belongs to the National Assembly of People's Power. It represents and expresses the will of the entire working people. The National Assembly of People's Power is the only body with constituent and legislative power in the Republic. It consists of deputies elected by the municipal Assemblies of People's Power for a term of 5 years. This period can only be extended by resolution of the Assembly itself in the event of war or other exceptional circumstances. Thirty days after the election of all deputies to the National Assembly of People's Power, it meets under the chairmanship of the oldest deputy, who is assisted as secretaries by the two youngest deputies. At this meeting, the validity of the elections of deputies is verified. They take the oath and elect the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary of the National Assembly of People's Power, who immediately begin to perform their duties. The National Assembly of People's Power elects from among its deputies a State Council, which consists of a Chairman, First Deputy Chairman, five Vice-Chairmen, a Secretary and twenty-three other members. The Chairman of the State Council is the Head of State and Head of Government. The State Council is an organ of the National Assembly of People's Power, carries out its decisions and performs other functions that the Constitution vests it with.
The Council of Ministers is the highest executive and administrative body and forms the Government of the Republic. The Chairman, First Deputy Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers form its Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee monitor and coordinate the work of ministries and central departments across sectors. The Council of Ministers is responsible and periodically reports on all its activities to the National Assembly of People's Power.
According to the constitution, the function of justice originates with the people and is exercised on their behalf by the People's Supreme Court and other courts established by law. The People's Supreme Court exercises the highest judicial power, in which case its decisions are final. The courts form a system of government bodies, which is subordinate only to the National Assembly of People's Power and the State Council.
Thus, two branches of power (executive and legislative) are concentrated in the hands of one person, specifically the head of state, since he is the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (executive body) and Chairman of the State Council (legislative body). This indicates the centralization of power, which is typical for a state with an authoritarian regime of power. However, the highest authority (the National Assembly) continues to be an elected body, which means that the people can, to some extent, control government power. In addition, state bodies carry out their activities on the basis of the principles of socialist democracy, unity of power and democratic centralism.
Administratively, Cuba is divided into 14 provinces and a special municipality - Isla Juventud (Island of Youth). The provinces, in turn, are divided into municipalities. Local government bodies are provincial and municipal assemblies elected by general vote. The term of office of provincial bodies is 5 years, municipal - 2.5 years. The “Committees for the Defense of the Revolution,” created after 1960, play an important role in the provinces. They carry out constant surveillance to maintain order, organize vaccination of the population, maintain cleanliness, and so on.
The highest bodies of state power at the local level are the Assembly of Delegates of People's Power. Local People's Power Assemblies are vested with the highest authority to carry out government functions in their respective administrative units. Through the bodies they form, they manage the economic organizations directly subordinate to them in the spheres of production and services. Develop activities necessary to meet the needs of the population of the territory, over which the jurisdiction of each Assembly extends, in the fields of supplies, culture, education and entertainment. In addition, they provide assistance in the development of activities and implementation of plans to organizations located in the territory under the jurisdiction of the Assemblies, but not subordinate to them. To carry out their functions, local Assemblies of People's Power rely on the initiative and broad participation of the population and act in close cooperation with public organizations.
After 1959, political parties opposed to Fidel Castro's government were dissolved. Only three pro-government organizations officially continued their activities. “26 July Movement”, led by F. Castro himself, “People's Socialist Party (Communist)” and “Revolutionary Directorate of March 13”. In 1961, they merged into the United Revolutionary Organizations, transformed in 1962-1963 into the United Party of the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (abbreviated as EPSRK). Since then, Cuba has had a one-party regime.
The Communist Party of Cuba was formed in October 1965 on the basis of the EPSRK, but its first congress was held only in 1975, the second in 1980. The ideology of the CCP is based on the “ideas of José Martí” and Marxism-Leninism. According to the Constitution, the party plays a leading role in society and the political system. Trade unions, youth, women's and other public organizations operate under its control.
In 1985, Cuba passed an association law. In accordance with it, the Social Democratic Party of Cuba, the Cuban Party for Human Rights and others tried to officially register, but they were all refused. The opposition in Cuba (human rights, social democratic, pacifist, liberal, anarchist, and so on) operates illegally and is persecuted.
The official program of the CCP was adopted at the third congress in 1986. The Fourth Congress, which took place in 1991 amid the collapse of the USSR, advocated economic reforms, opened up the party to believers, and gave emergency powers to the Central Committee. The new program of the CPC, in essence, was the document “The Party of Unity, Democracy and Human Rights We Protect,” adopted by the Fifth Congress in 1997. The ultimate goal of the Cuban Communist Party, in accordance with the current program, is the construction of communism, and the historical goal at the present stage is the completion of the construction of socialism.
The 1997 convention reaffirmed one-party rule as "a fundamental principle of the Cuban Revolution." According to the leadership of the CPC, the one-party regime is a more perfect model than “formal bourgeois democracy”, and civil liberties cannot operate “contrary to the existence and goals of the socialist state.”
Thus, we can come to the conclusion that the Republic of Cuba has its own unique political system. This system has no analogues in the world. The Cuban political system emerged as a result of combining the characteristic features of other political systems. In Cuba, the rights and freedoms of the citizens of the republic are proclaimed, which characterizes it as a developed democratic state in which great importance is attached to the interests of the individual and society. But at the same time, almost all power is concentrated in one hand, which indicates the centralization of power characteristic of countries with an authoritarian regime. But still, the guarantees of human freedoms and dignity, the enjoyment of rights, the exercise and fulfillment of duties, the comprehensive development of the individual in Cuba are confirmed by law. The Republic of Cuba has achieved enormous, universally recognized successes in the social field. Cuba and the Cuban people have gone through a long and difficult path to building a socialist state. However, due to the specifics of this type of political system, the development of the economic sector is significantly slower. But the presence of a similar political system in a state like China opens up a wide range of opportunities for the Republic of Cuba.
Free economic zones were created. In 1997, there were already three SEZs operating in the country (Mariel, Vahay and the city of Havana).
Cuba exports, bringing income to its country's budget, tobacco, seafood, sugar, nickel, medical goods, coffee, and citrus fruits.
Cuba's export partners are China, Canada, Spain, and the Netherlands. China invested $500 million in the Cuban nickel industry, Brazil - the same amount in the development of Cuban hydrocarbon deposits and in the construction of a plant for the production of technical oils. A large nickel ore mining plant has been built in the province of Holguin.
The country today imports food, petroleum products, industrial equipment, and chemical products. Its import business partners are Venezuela, China, and Spain. Particularly close and productive ties in terms of the Petrocaribe oil program with Venezuela. Trade turnover between states annually reaches about $10 billion.
Since 1962, the country has introduced a card system for food distribution. The “black market” is thriving, since food cards are issued here irregularly.
Cuba has a developed system of free public services: medical care, higher and secondary education.
Since October 2010, the list of types of business activities permitted by the government has increased in the country. In 2016, private small and medium-sized businesses were legalized.
Cuban branches of government
Cuba is a socialist republic of parliamentary type. Most of the deputies in parliament today represent the Communist Party of Cuba.
The head of state is the Chairman of the State Council (who is also the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba), who exercises executive power in the country. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers, who is also the Second Secretary of the Central Committee, helps him.
The government of the Cuban state consists of two branches: the Council of Ministers and the Council of State. The ministry employs 31 ministers.
The highest authority on Liberty Island is the National Assembly of People's Power, i.e. parliament of the republic. It includes 609 deputies who are elected for 5 years. She is entrusted with forming a government and appointing the head of the State Council. The responsibilities of the Assembly also include electing the People's Supreme Court. Provincial courts are elected by the provincial assemblies of people's power, municipal courts by the municipal assemblies.
The Republic of Cuba is divided administratively into 16 provinces, which are respectively divided into 169 municipalities. Only one municipality, Juventud, is accountable to the central government; the rest are subordinate to local administrative structures.
Cuba's participation in international organizations
In recent years, having changed course in the political sphere and being squeezed by economic sanctions, Cuba has become more active in influential international organizations.
The Republic is a member of the World Trade Organization and takes an active part in international agreements: the Paris Convention, the New York Convention on International Arbitration, and the Madrid Protocol. Cuba is a member of the international organization of ACP states. For decades, Cuba has been participating in social programs at the international level.
There are 57 Cuban specialists working in 101 countries, of whom 70% are health workers. One of Cuba's programs, Operation Miracle, provides affordable medical care in 16 countries to poor, seriously ill people. In 28 countries of Latin America there is a program “Yes, I can” aimed at combating illiteracy.
Whatever direction Cuba goes, the beauty of its natural landscape, the originality of its culture and the attractiveness of the Cuban mentality will remain unchanged.
