The history shared by the United States and Cuba is a complicated one that stems back to the age of imperialism, after the U.S. had found its freedom from Great Britain but before Cuba was freed from Spain. As the United States’ sphere of influence grew and Spain’s diminished, Cuba became an unofficial territory of the U.S. and was heavily influenced by it until Fidel Castro led a revolution in 1958 to oust the U.S.-backed leader. For the next half a century, relations between the two countries were openly adversarial and the situation nearly came to violence a handful of times. But in the 21st century, this conflict has calmed down significantly, and it even seems like relations between the U.S. and Cuba may someday normalize completely. In this project, the primary sources will together create a clear continuity of worsening relations between the U.S. and Cuba before slowly returning to a more diplomatic relationship. It is well documented that the U.S. and Cuba have a very tense history, but it is also important to see how far it has come today compared to what it has been in the past. From the colonial era to the Cold War and beyond, these neighboring countries have been in conflict. But when looking at how relations have improved, the future for the U.S. and Cuba seems much more hopeful.
The United States and Cuba have a fraught relationship that peaked in animosity during the Cold War on the mid to late 20th century. But the issues between the two states date back at least a century prior. Cuba was originally inhabited by natives before becoming colonized by Spain in the 16th century1. As the native population died out, Cuba was populated by immigrants from Spain and Latin America, as well as slaves from Africa1. Other European countries tried and failed to take Cuba from Spain, and it would remain a Spanish possession until the 19th century. Independence was a popular idea in Cuba that failed to gain momentum for decades until 1868 when, much like the United States a century prior, the people revolted against European control1. The Ten Years war ended after a decade in a truce between Spain and Cuba, though Spain failed to uphold parts of their agreement. Spain had agreed to reform their governance of Cuba, offer greater independence, and abolish slavery, but they only fulfilled the latter promise1. However, revolutionary leaders exiled in the United States plotted another rebellion and launched a second war for independence in 1895, with the rebels being led by José Martí1. Support for the rebels was high in the United States, and the U.S. entered the war when the USS Maine was sunk in Havana’s harbor after being sent to Cuba in response to a riot that had broken out2. Spain surrendered Cuba, which was declared an independent republic in 1898. However, the U.S. military would continue to occupy Cuba until 1902, and in that time, they worked to rebuild the damaged island and eradicate yellow fever there1. The U.S. would deploy troops to the island periodically to deal with protests, but the main tool of U.S. control in Cuba in the early 20th century was the large number of sugar mills and other economically important institutions owned by Americans1. Anti-U.S. sentiment in Cuba increased due to the American support given to dictator Fulgencio Batista until 1958. At that time, revolutionary Fidel Castro successfully ousted Batista1.
During the Cold War between the United States and Russia that lasted half the 20th century, Cuba and the U.S. became bitter adversaries. Cuba, now led by charismatic communist leader Fidel Castro, quickly became an enemy of the United States, and ally of the USSR, due to the hardline anti-communist stance taken by America. In 1961, the U.S. and Cuba severed diplomatic ties after U.S.-owned land in Cuba was seized by the Cuban government1. The United States imposed strict trade embargos on Cuba with the intent of crippling its economy. Following that, the U.S. launched many covert military operations to try and overthrow the communist government and Fidel Castro, including the infamous, failed Bay of Pigs invasion1. Cuba’s relationship with the U.S. reached its most dire point in 1962 when Cuba allowed Soviet missiles to be installed on the island, leading to a tense standoff that ended with the USSR removing its missiles. Relations worsened in the aftermath of the crisis however, with U.S. President Kennedy imposing a restriction on any U.S. citizens traveling to or doing business with Cuba3. In the 1970s, the U.S. eased some economic restrictions, and allowed Cubans living in America to visit and send money to family still living in Cuba3. Cuba began to lose popularity among South American countries as well, as Castro had made it policy to try and export the communist revolution abroad, with Cuba giving financial and military support to rebels1. Cuba’s support of these foreign rebellions continued to anger the U.S., and so Cuba grew closer to the USSR to the point that the island state began to rely heavily on Soviet aid1.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s main ally and economic partner, was a critical blow for the island state. Since the 1980s, Cuba saw hundreds of thousands of its people flee to the United States, but the two countries came to an agreement to limit the migrant crisis1. Leadership in the U.S. believed that they could force the communist government in Cuba to fall like the USSR had, so President H.W. Bush tightened the embargo and increased sanctions to their highest point in decades3. Part of these new restrictions was the rule that no ship could dock in the U.S. if it had docked in Cuba in the past 180 days, as well as a policy that decreased U.S. aid to any country that traded with Cuba3. Because of the economic problems that arose in Cuba following the collapse of the USSR, the government had to begin to make economic reforms that eased some of the strict socialist aspects of the economy. Despite these attempts at improving the quality of life in Cuba, thousands of Cubans would continue to flee to the United States in the 1990s1. Tensions spiked again in 1996 when Cuba shot down two civilian planes operated by Cuban exiles living in Miami, and this led to the U.S. making its annually-renewed embargo into a permanent one1. The U.S. also allowed its citizens to begin suing foreign companies that profited off of the confiscated U.S. properties in Cuba, effectively allowing the U.S. to attempt to punish any foreign company doing business with Cuba1. These restrictions were met with anger by countries like Canada and Mexico, who saw this policy as a severe overreach of American authority and these countries enacted their own laws that said they would not abide by the U.S.’ decision3. Restrictions placed on Cuba by the U.S. would continue to ease and tighten throughout the following decade. The U.S. determined in 2000 that food and medicine would be exempt from the embargo, but four years later U.S. President Bush tightened other aspects of the embargo1. Despite the tightening of some restrictions, by 2007 the U.S. was Cuba’s sixth biggest trading partner and its largest supplier of food3. In 2008, Fidel Castro stepped down as president of Cuba and was succeeded by his brother and vice president Raúl Castro. Raúl Castro continued to ease socialist economic restrictions in Cuba, primarily in agriculture1. In 2009, harsher restrictions imposed by the previous two U.S. presidents were lifted by President Obama and the U.S. Congress. Then, in 2014, the United States and Cuba conducted a prisoner swap and agreed to restore diplomatic relations. President Obama then eased travel and trade restrictions, as well as calling on Congress to end the embargo1. Since then, Obama’s successor reinstated some of the restrictions and Raúl Castro has stepped down as president of Cuba, but negotiations and diplomacy continue between the two countries.
References
1 “Cuba.” In The Columbia Encyclopedia, by Paul Lagasse, and Columbia University. 8th ed. Columbia University Press, 2018. https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/columency/cuba/0
2 Gravlin, Steven C. “Maine, USS, Sinking of: The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Military and Diplomatic History – Credo Reference.” MAINE, USS, SINKING OF | The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Military and Diplomatic History – Credo Reference, 2013. https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/oupomad/maine_uss_sinking_of/0.
3 Hames, Gina. “Cuba, U.S. Embargo of: Encyclopedia of United States – Latin American Relations -Credo Reference.” Cuba, U.S. Embargo of | Encyclopedia of United States – Latin American Relations – Credo Reference, 2012. https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/cquslatinrel/cuba_u_s_embargo_of/0.