The Cuban Change
One day during winter recess my family and I traveled to Cuba. During my stay I would roam and explore Havana’s streets with my cousin Adrian, who unfortunately lives there. As we walked through the improperly constructed streets, I would notice that we were the only ones properly insulated with thick jackets. The news reported temperatures as low as 55 degrees, which is extremely cold compared to the usual Cuban days. Outside the sun was hiding behind the gray clouds, making the streets unusually mysterious. In also, I saw kids walking around wearing nothing but ripped cotton shorts and mud-covered tank tops. It gave off a very depressing feeling. I asked my cousin various questions to calm my confusion because I had never seen such poverty in my short nine years. He would reply to most of my questions with the simple phrase, "That’s life!".
Not even Miami’s poor class could compare to the poverty I saw in Cuba. I shifted all my questions to answers and began to imagine several solutions for the economical problems in Cuba. As I walked down the narrow shady street, the only responses, I could come up with seemed either political or aimed toward the stars. The thoughts about influencing the Cuban government into a new and improved system or organizing a fund raiser in order to provide all the Cubans with money didn’t seem possible and got old.
Being the realistic person I am, I quit aiming toward the stars and decided to land on the moon. Exiting my mental spaceship, I realized that instead of changing everyone's life in that small island, I would start by helping out one person. After finding my night's purpose, another question arose; who's life, should I change!? . I turned my cheek to the left and viewed three small kids with blank faces sitting on a bench made out of sturdy tree branches and dark bulky stones. Shifting my vision to my right I noticed a fragile old woman. She had glazes of suffering and depression engraved in her eyes while covering her food deprived body with a thin linen dress. At that moment I instantly felt that she was the one. I had figured out one of the reasons that God placed me on this planet that is full of wonders and beauty. I had to help her, but how?
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).
Fidel Castro entered Havana, Cuba and took his place as Prime Minister in January of 1959, just after the fall of the Batista regime. Within days, many of the Cuban upper class began exiting the island, wary of losing their socioeconomic status and possibly their lives (Leonard 13). Castro’s radical new policies appealed to most of the suppressed lower class seeking change, but the middle sector “became disillusioned with their new leader” and soon comprised the majority of the Cuban refugees in Miami, Florida (Leonard 3). Beginning in December 1960 and ending with the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, over 14,000 of those refugees wou...
Little by little, the free people of Cuba came to realize it could happen there. The grim facts of life on an island that became a police state” (Frankel 59). Every day, Castro came closer to controlling every aspect of life in Cuba. Fidel Castro even took control of the schools in Cuba, throwing out any teacher who he thought might be “disloyal” or disagreeing with Communism.... ... middle of paper ...
For the rest of the people still in Cuba, life was and still is not easy. The everyday necessities are not always available and their technology is not that advanced. in fact, it is
Farmers united to protect their interests, even creating a major political party. The party was called the peoples party which became known as the populist party. Populists drew its strength from rural areas. Populists tended to be poor and uneducated. They had ideas such as government ownership of major industries. The Populists supported labors demand for an eight hour work day. The most controversial Populist demand concerned the money supply. Farmers being both sellers and debtors, saw inflation as a way to improve their standard of living, but they wanted to expand the money supply. Farmers convinced the government to use silver as well as gold to back the money supply. The congress passed the Bland-Allison Act and the Sherman Silver Purchase. Populist platform urged congress to authorize free and unlimited minting of silver. The Populists were united in favoring the minting of silver to expand the money supply. Democrats agreed with the Populist, but most Republicans favored the gold standard and a smaller money supply. Democrats agreed on a presidential candidate that was with the mint silver, wh...
“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.
The 1920s was a time of conservatism and it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world of politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century. It was the age of prohibition, it was the age of prosperity, and it was the age of downfall.
“The Roaring Twenties were the period of that Great American Prosperity which was built on shaky foundation”. This quote came from an anonymous person describing the great life in the 20’s. It’s very true because it was a great time of social and economic growth, but it was a very unstable and random way of living, which didn’t end up lasting as long as some had hoped. As time goes by in history, many things make America what it is today. The roaring twenties were the most important years contributing to the change in America. First off, the twenties made such an important impact because this was a time for the economy to boom and reform, also during this time women’s rights became more focused on, and lastly due to the many advancements in technology the twenties was a time of great prosperity and wealth. The twenties made life seem so easy, until reality sets in.
In 1918 when World War I ended, American society and culture changed immediately after. World War I resulted in the death of nine million soldiers and twenty one million wounded. Families were left mourning the loss of their relatives and people titled World War I as a “war to end all war.” With the nation going through such tragedy, change was bound to happen. During the 1920s there was a change in consumer culture, art, music and literature. So much changed happened during the 1920s that it’s referred to as the roaring twenties. Entertainment was on a rise and the way that Americans were used to living started to change. Along with that came immigration laws that changed American culture as well.
On this day 191 years ago John Quincy Adams expressed his prediction for the future of Cuban-American contact. The Cuban wars of independence were only 15 years away from his prediction when he estimated. These independence wars continue to influence Cuba’s cultural and political attitude toward Europe and the United States; This in part due to the externalities involved in the remodeling of social structure in the aftermath of the revolution. The intentions and motives of each faction: rebels, United States government, Spanish government, United States public, and the Cuban public, varied widely to an extend that caused even more concern in the future. Depending on the point of view of an outsider the situation in Cuba seemed to be a continuation of revolution...
During the late 19th and early 20th century both the Populist Party and Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things, while also addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third parties” were initially not legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history. The Populists and Progressives were both grass roots movements, and addressed the needs of the poor and powerless, for the Populists it was farmers and for the Progressives it was urban lower and middle class workers. These two movements attempted to bring the powerless peoples issues to national politics. The Populists and Progressives wanted to preserve some American ideals of the past, such as a sense of community and the ability for farmers and workers to live happily without economic strains. Populists were more oriented to the plight of the farmer while the Progressives included women's rights, and protection of the consumer and labor.
After World War 1 had ended, Americans were happy and called for a time of celebration. Times were beginning to change and revolutionize into an era never experienced before. Many people thought that with the ending of the war, things wouldn’t look to good in the United States but the reality was that things looked way much better than they expected. The ending of World War 1 resulted in a boom of great new things in the U.S. during the 1920’s called the roaring 20’s. This era seemed as if I was a carefree era and people seemed to have more money than ever. The Roaring 20’s consisted of an era with new inventions, prohibition, jazz music, and women becoming more independent. Most of the roaring 20’s, was an uplifting time for the spirit of the United States and enhanced American life.
People have different reasons to start a revolution. However, the road to freedom is always full of one thing, death. The Cuban Revolution was a civil war led by rebel Fidel Castro with the goal of getting dictator Fulgencio Batista out of office. While the American Revolution also had a very strong leader in George Washington and a similar goal of attempting to gain control of the government the way they got there was very different. The Cuban and American Revolutions had many distinct characteristics that made them successful. People in the US and Cuba wanted a new system of government, but not necessarily for the same reasons. In Cuba, dictator Batista was a cruel being who was not helping the country. At the same time, Americans wanted reform so they could be a part of government. Every person in Cuba knew that Batista needed to be stopped, and eventually a rebel leader arose. Whereas, in America everyone King George needed to be stopped, but instead of just one leader, the whole nation rose to the occasion. Cuba becomes freed from the dictatorship of Batista, but instead of getting better, life in Cuba got worse. Cuba may not have been better off, but America was now thriving with their lives and government back under control. Americans and Cubans were both looking for a new government, but for contrasting reasons and with different results.
A revolution is no piece of cake. To make a revolution, there are a few necessary ingredients, like a reason to revolt, a well organized battle plan, and a powerful leader. Mix these all together, and there it is. A powerful Revolution. There are two specific revolutions that were very similar, and very successful. The american revolution was about the Colonists from Britain being treated unfairly from British Parliament. America was still under Britain Rule, and King George III was raising the taxes for the people for no reason. The colonists had no choice but revolt. The Cuban revolution was for a very similar cause. Ruler of cuba Fulgencio Batista was destroying Cuba’s economy, and the people were very angered by this. The organization was also very similar. And both countries got what they wanted, too. America got freedom from Britain, and Fidel Castro and his team overthrew Batista and took over the government. These two revolutions were both very effective.The Cuban Revolution and the American Revolution were both for the good of the people, and both revolts got what they wanted-a new, better government.
Seventeen years ago, I came bounding into a world of love and laughter. I was the first child, the first grandchild, the first niece, and the primary focus of my entire extended family. Although they were not married, my parents were young and energetic and had every good intention for their new baby girl. I grew up with opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth, secure in the knowledge that I was loved, free from fear, and confident that my world was close to perfect. And I was the center of a world that had meaning only in terms of its effect on me-- what I could see from a height of three feet and what I could comprehend with the intellect and emotions of a child. This state of innocence persisted through my early teens, but changed dramatically in the spring of my sophomore year of high school. My beloved father was dying of AIDS.