Cuba has very low rank in World Press Freedom index by Reporters Without Borders. World Press Freedom index places Cuba at No. 171 out of 181. Cuba is the world known country because of political issues and government mechanism. Cuba is socialism country so it is very close to communism, what means that the government has the first position and controls everything. Cuba has the most restrictive laws on freedom of speech. Since Cuba became socialism country, the government manages each work. There is only one party in Cuba, which is called PPC* and only this party is able to join the government. The Reporters Without Borders sorted the countries in the Index by checking the six criteria: Pluralism, Media independence, Transparency, Legislative framework, Infrastructure, Environment and self-censorship. From the World press index we can find the meaning of each criteria. Cuba’s place of 171 on the 2013 World Press Freedom Index is because Cuba is a socialism country where the press is strictly controlled by government. Firstly I would like to tell you about Pluralism and Media independence. The explanation of Pluralism in the article is: “Pluralism Measures the degree to which opinions are represented in the media”. The explanation of Media independence in the article is: “Media independence measures the degree to which the media are able to function independently of the authorities". There is no media independence in Cuba at all. Everything what is digital is controlled by government. The laws for media are very strict and the population is not happy about it. The government should definitely give more freedom for people in both media and political pluralism. Other two criteria are Transparency and Legislative framework. In the World Press Freedom article Transparency explained as it “Measures the transparency of the institutions” and the Legislative framework explained as it “Analyses the quality of the legislative framework and measures its effectiveness”. The laws in Cuba allow only one party to legislate, so none of other party don’t have any permission to legislate. To improve Transparency and Legislative framework the government of Cuba should change their laws for legislation and access more than one party to legislate. Also, in Cuba the price for media, technologies and other production is very high. The government should give more freedom for the private organizations to produce, so the technologies will be cheaper. The last criteria are Infrastructure, Environment and self-censorship.
Whether it 's for the music, people or food, Cuba is a popular and interesting place to visit. Cuba is located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. At 42,426 square miles, Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the 105th largest country in the world. Cuba has a population of 11.1 million. Out of that 11.1 million, Havana is home to 2.1 million (Nation Facts). The official language of Cuba is Spanish, but English and French are spoken throughout the country. The most practiced religion of Cuba is Roman Catholicism, but a large number of people follow the Afro-Cuban and Protestant religions. The president of Cuba is currently Raúl Castro, which is Fidel Castro 's brother. The currency of Cuba is the Cuban peso (Cuba).
Cuba’s unpredictable shift toward socialism and its growing dependence on the Soviet Union divided both the leadership and the country at large. With a relationship dating back to before Fidel Castro’s installment into power, Russia and Cuba have both played major roles in the development and regression of each other’s economies and societies.
Wylie, Lana. Perceptions of Cuba: Canadian and American Policies in Comparative Perspective. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010, 59-61 (accessed December 18, 2013).
“What light is to the eyes - what air is to the lungs - what love is to the heart, freedom is to the soul of man” (Brainy Quotes). Light is essential to the eyes, love is what makes the heart beat, and freedom is the hope of man kind; all of which are essential to the happiness of humanity. Having to live without these rights is a difficult way of living. For example, Cubans have suffered time after time in pursuit of their freedom, but sadly they never accomplish their goal. They live in fear of their broken government, but never stop fighting for freedom. In the early 20th century, Cuba was a democracy. From 1940 to 1944 Fulgencio Batista, a Cuban politician, was Cuba’s president. In 1952 he decided to run again, but when it was apparent he’d lose, Batista seized power before the election took place. The citizens were outraged causing them to turn against their flawed democracy that was brought upon by the election. As a result, Fidel Castro, a communist revolutionary political man, began to plot Batista’s downfall. The Cuban Revolution, also known as Castro’s Revolution, began on July 26, 1952, and ended January, 1, 1959. After Batista, Cuba’s former president, fled the country, Castro took complete control and turned Cuba into a communist country. The Revolution brought upon: many deaths, censored news and publicity, and no freedom of speech. Throughout the years Castro stayed in power, but due to health issues originating on July 31, 2006, he had to step down. After Castro returned, he took control of Cuba up until February 19, 2008. He then abdicated his place as dictator and handed down his position to his brother, Raul Castro.
In Cuba many citizens have a strong sense of Nationalism. Jose Marti had a strong impact on Nationalism in Cuban society. He states “If the republic does not open its arms to everyone and move forward the benefit of everyone, the republic will die” (Krauze 17). This statement shows how Marti believed that every Cuban was equal and that no matter of race or ethnicity they are all together in their soon to be republic. This shows how Marti believed that all people of Cuba are together and this strengthens their Nationalism. His push for independence from Spain shows that he believed Cubans were strong enough to become a strong, connected country independent of any outside influence. Marti’s belief that all people living in Cuba are Cubans plays an important role in Cuba’s fight for independents. Weather they are black, Spanish, indigenous or white they are all Cubans and should be free from others control. This idea of Nationalism laid the foundation for what is now modern day
In the long and turbulent history between Cuba and the United States, it can well be argued that Cuba did not turn out quite like its other Latin American peers. Things seemed to be on the right track in the early 1900’s, when it appeared that Cuba was destined for a future of “independence”, like its neighbour Puerto Rico and it was yet another South American nation rife with the now atypical blend of affluent American investors and poor workers usually native to the land herself. However, following a coup d’état that saw the fall of the American-backed Fulgencio Batista in favour of his social antithesis in communist Fidel Castro, the situation rapidly turned sour. The American government, finding themselves backed into a corner and unable to mold Cuba in its golden image, decided that it would be pertinent to sever all trade with Cuba.
Taking the analysis from the Cuban Revolution and upward, it can be stated that many forms of censorship existed in Cuba prior to 1959 (Moore, 2006). However, after the revolution the form censorship taken a wider approach, a fact that government representatives in Cuba do not deny, stating that “mass media in every country have administrators who decide what should and should not be included in programming” (Moore, 2006). A particular context in the conflict between Cuba and the United States can be said to have an influence on the poli...
―"Religious Repression in Cuba / Juan Clark, Ph.D. - Cuba News / Noticias - CubaNet News."
To begin, it is necessary to understand the reality of the oppression happening in Cuba. The Cuban government constantly suppresses and terrorizes the independent artists
... the majority of which sought refuge in the United States. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba now stands at a crossroads. The battle cry has changed from “ Socialism or death to Resist, struggle and win” (Castro’s Cuba II). Hopefully, Castro and/or Cuba will not be forced into a market-based economy and all the materialistic commodities that go along with capitalism. In my opinion, Castro should hold out for as long as possible griping to the former battle cry “Socialism or death”. Only time will tell what the fate of Castro’s Cuba will be. Trade might once again flourish the economy, tourism might open up new economic opportunities and foreign investments from Italy, France and Spain could possibly dig Cuba out the current economic hole it’s in. Until then however, the battle against capitalism must not lose any of its vigor.
Fidel Castro’s belief of a Cuba libre was not only his; many Cubans envisioned an independent Cuba, ‘A Cuba that could have been’. Plenty felt the urge to raise their voices and prove their discontent and patriotism to the world, but what could have been remained a silent whisper. Furthermore illiteracy and ignorance encircled a big chunk of society one which could not comprehend the causes and effects of such a term as ‘imperial’. In Thomas G. Patterson’s Contesting Castro: The United States and the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution, Nixon is quoted expressing that Castro is "either incredibly naive about communism or under communist discipline." (Paterson 257) His assumption was most probably correct "Pazzo recalled that Castro did not want to appear as one more Latin American leader ‘sold out’ to imperialism." (Paterson 257) Cuba’s history is revealed in numerous writings like Marifeli Perez-Stable’s The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course and Legacy ,and other documents which will be used to support the idea that Cuba was not a victim of it’s own rebellion, but one of a ‘wrong leader’, if one might say, and a harsh and complicated past. In addition the United States’ imperialism caused that many succeed and even more undergo horrendous treatment, illiteracy and inadequate lifestyles for the US own benefit. This caused the Cuban revelation, so why still ask why.
United States because there of have the rights to intervene in cuba affairs, and cuba had to
The U.S. imposed an Embargo on Cuba on Oct. 19, 1960. Has the time come for the United States to lift the 5-decade embargo? The Embargo on Cuba was a part of America’s Cold War strategy against the Soviet Union, imposed on the basis that Cuba was a threat to the U.S. National Security because of their alliance with the Soviet Union. Although Cuba would like the U.S to terminate the embargo against their country, the U.S. wants Cuba to make their situation a better living environment and to promote human rights for its citizens.
Cuba had a rapidly changing law system starting in 1959 and settling into the current law traditions around the 1990 's with the dissolving of the Soviet Union, one of its strongest allies. Cuba follows a civil law tradition, in which the laws that must be followed are from already established codes. Garcia, Iran and Maria Olivas. (N.d). Cuba also has an "inquisitorial system" that it follows for criminal procedure that shares similarities to other nations such as France and Spain. The courts in Cuba also has a separation on the criminal courts and the prosecutors.
Cuba's political history carries a pattern: when the masses are disillusioned by the current ruler, they turn to a young, strong-willed leader-of-the-people as their new ruler, only to become disillusioned to that ruler when he becomes too oppressive. It has seemed a never- ending cycle. Batista and Castro were both well-regarded leaders initially who appealed strongly to the masses and common citizen. Later, both established dictatorships and lost the support of many of those that they governed. Castro and Batista are each guilt of repression and corruption within their governments. For example, at some point under each regime, the constitution was either suspended or not followed at all. Castro did, though, make one very important contribution to Cuba's political system: Socialism. For the first time, Castro and Che Guevara a socialist plan called the New Man theory which called for developing an ideology amongst citizens that would call for working not for personal enrichment, but for social betterment.