USA Involvement in Cuba

Background Information
  • Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1898 in the Treaty of Paris (a treaty where USA won a conflict to lessen Spanish influence in the Americas)
  • USA came out of the Spanish-American War with some power over Cuba
  • Cuba's constitution allowed the USA to help manage finances and step into affairs in Cuba
  • America forced Cuba to sell raw materials to low prices
  • Cuba also had to buy American goods, and by 1914, 3/4 of total Cuban imports were from the USA
  • The USA made many investments in Cuba
    • The USA ran the railway industry
    • The USA controlled the telephone system and tobacco plantations
    • 2/3 of land suitable for growing crops was owned by the US
    • Guantanamo Bay became a naval base under the control of the USA (a south-eastern bay with a large harbour protected by steep hilles on one side)


Cuba in the 1950s
  • Cubans were discontent with the influence that the USA had over Cuba, especially in politics
  • Cuban governments that did not have policies in favour of the USA were not elected, and Cuban government ministers were paid by American businessmen for these policies favourable to the USA
  • Cuba became a popular holiday destination for the Americans, as they could drink, gamble, and engage in prostitution which was illegal in many parts of the USA
  • The relaxed control over Cuba from the government meant that the American Mafia gained control over the gambling, hotels, and horseracing industries
  • The American Mafia even met with the Cuban president to maintain their own benefits


The development of tension in Cuban-American relations
  • In 1959, revolutionary Fidel Castro overthrew the disliked government under President Batista
  • Fidel Castro aimed to end American corruption and regain power for Cuba itself, and also promised to protect the rights of the poor and provide land to the people
  • Here is a list showing the changes that Castro made in comparison to the original Cuba under Batista


Before and After Table of Cuba
Sector Batista's Cuba Castro's Cuba
Industry Key industries such as the telephone industries were nationalised (transferred to state control) and made cheaper
Land 75% of high quality land was privately owned Rent was made 50% cheaper for those who earned low wages, and land was redistributed to the peasants
Equality Blacks and Whites were segregated like America Facilities that segregated blacks and whites were abolished
Education Greater than 20% of Cubans couldn't read or write. The percentage of those who couldn't read or write in rural areas was 50%. 61% of children in rural areas did not go to school. Education was made free-for-all, and Castro requested that educated students could teach the people in the countryside
Healthcare 64% of the 6,000 doctors in Cuba worked in Havana (an area housing most of the rich) Castro ordered the redistribution of doctors across Cuba. Over half of them left the country. To make up for this, three new training schools for doctors were set up. Healthcare was also made free for all, and by 1970, Cuba had a higher doctor-to-population ratio than the USA
Society The American Mafia were kicked out of Cuba, and many of their hotels and casinos were shut down
Politics Castro was supported by 90% of the population, but did not hold free elections as promised
Repression Over 20,000 Cubans had been killed over Batista's reign Anyone publicly disagreeing with Castro could be arrested, including writers that had differing views from the majority and those who were he deemed misfits such as homosexuals
Links with foreign nations America had a lot of influence over Cuba's economy and politics Castro formed trade agreements with the USSR and other communist countries, exporting sugar, and importing technology and weapons


The USA's reaction to the Cuban Revolution
  • America disliked the fact that it lost its control over Cuba
  • Worried about the spread of communism in a country so close to America
  • American private owners were at a loss, as Fidel Castro redistributed the land they owned to peasants
  • American corporations that originally controlled Cuban industries now had their power removed as Castro nationalised several industries
  • US President Eisenhower imposed economic sanctions in an attempt to damage Castro's Cuba or at least cause it to change its economic policies
  • On March 17 1960, the US National Security Council made a decision (approved by Eisenhower) to try to remove Castro from power with a budget of $13 million.


The Bay of the Pigs Invasion
  • A small army had been trained for assault landing (attacking by being landed by transport) and guerilla warfare (fighting involving smaller groups and tactics like sabotages, ambushes...) in Guatemala in camps set up by the CIA. Their training had been complete by November
  • The USA planned for Jose Miro Cordana, a popular politician in exile, to be the new president if Castro was successfully removed from power
  • The plan was to...
    • Attack Cuban airbases with two airstrikes with planes disguised as Cuban air force planes
    • 1,400 troops and many exiled Cubans would land at the Bay of the Pigs (a remote beach) at night
    • Simultaneously, paratroopers would be deployed to disrupt transport and fight Cuban forces present
    • A second smaller attack on the east coast would attempt to confuse the Cubans
    • The troops would storm into Havana with the exiles to regain popularity, and overthrow Castro's government


Failure of the Plan

There were two objectives of the plan:

  1. To remove Castro
  2. Have the USA not take responsibilty for the attacks.


Both objectives failed. This was because of a number of factors such as...

  • Poor Confidentiality
    • The government tried to make the plan secret
    • Cuban exiles commonly knew about the plan in Miami
    • Castro discovered what America was trying through Cuban agents, and prepared for the attack
  • Failure in airstrikes
    • The airstrikes did not hit many targets
    • The Cuban airforce could still function
    • Therefore, the USA lost control over the air
    • Also, photos of the repainted planes revealed the USA's participation in the invasion
  • Failure in support
    • The landing troops at the Bay of the Pigs was met with great opposition
    • Some troops escaped through the sea, while many others were captured or killed
    • Very few of the Cuban population helped the USA
  • Castro's Response
    • Castro sent 20,000 troops and the airforce
    • The air force dominated the sky, and the USA was heavily outnumbered
    • The invasion failed badly


Aftermath
  • The captured invasion forces were displayed in the cities with Castro
  • The results of the invasion gave Castro material for propaganda
  • Castro's popularity increased after the invasion
  • The captured troops were imprisoned for 20 months
  • The USA negotiated for the freedom of the prisoners by giving baby food and medicine worth $53M (which were resources that Cuba lacked)


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