In January of 1959, Fidel Castro was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba after leading a revolution against the United States backed Dictator Fulgencio Batista. Castro quickly established a one party socialist style economy in Cuba. Next, he sought to build international relations with powerful countries in order to improve Cuba. Castro first turned to United States for assistance but the United States rejected any relations because of the paranoia fear of Communism in the United States. Cuba then looked to the United States greatest rival at the time, the Soviet Union.
After establishing relations with the Soviet Union, Cuba removed all foreign investments in their country, most notably the United Fruit Company. The United Fruit Company has a history of destroying third world countries by exploiting the countries resources and giving nothing back to the country, prime examples are Latin American countries. After the removal of the United Fruit Company in Cuba, Kennedy furthered the embargo already placed on Cuba by restricting all forms of economic support for the country, this includes all trade with Cuba and the restriction of US citizens traveling to Cuba.
The effects of the embargo went relatively unnoticed by the country until the Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviets supported the economy by making up the trade lost with the United States, e.g. sugar exports. Without their support, Cuba went bankrupt as markets, subsides and trade agreements failed. Causing about 90 percent of all markets in Cuba to close, and fueled mass poverty in the nation. Without the support of any industrial superpower, the Cuban people remain in poverty till this day, with much of the blame on the United States government.
However, on February 24, 2008 Fidel would retire as the Prime Minister of Cuba. Appointed to succeed Fidel is his brother Raúl Castro. After the appointment to office, the United States was quick to respond that nothing will change for the Cuban people with another Castro in power. However, Raúl promised change and started the process almost immediately. Just recently, he allowed for the sale of farm equipment and supplies to farmers, therefore abolishing the old state run system, which was inefficient and wasteful.
Raúl’s plan is to lower the importing of food from the other countries, which total close to $2 billion in 2007. His overall plan is to remove anything that hinders the production and growth of the Cuba nation. In addition, Raúl plans to allow foreign investment of agriculture in Cuba to further the advancement of the economy.
The new leadership of Raúl Castro is allowing the country to expand and grow. However, the United States acts as the major roadblock in the growth of Cuba. With the embargo still heavily in place, the Cuba economy will have a hard time to recover from poverty and become a modern industrial country.
The United States continues to act hypocritical and stubborn as trade with another one party socialist country; China continues but blocks any connection to Cuba trade, allowing immoral acts against the people of Cuba and violations of free trade to thrive. Reform is needed in Cuban relations, but the United States continues to ignore the issue and waste time and effort in things such as their intrusion of Major League Baseball and other things.
