• Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
  • Contact

Cold War

Before, During, and After the Cold War

  • Podcast
  • Red Scare
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Urbanization
  • Spy
  • Afghanistan
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Timelines

CUBA, THE SOVIETS AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD

July 20, 2010 by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Cold War

Although the period of Soviet boldness ended with the Iran hostage crisis, the US was worried that the USSR had established a broad arc of crisis from Africa to Southeast Asia.

After some hesitation, the Soviets and Cuba had worked hand in hand during a good part of the 1970s.

The Soviets gave strong backing to an independent Cuban initiative to intervene first in Angola, and later in Ethiopia and South Yemen, based on a need for landing and overflight privileges, tracking stations, and the possibility of acquiring base rights for naval vessels in the Atlantic or Indian Oceans.

The two nations also teamed up in Syria and Indochina.

Castro also provided advisory and training missions in Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, and Somalia. He sent large numbers of combat troops to Angola and Ethiopia, and smaller contingencies to Libya and the Congo.

(As an aside, it is important to note that Castro’s  military involvements in Africa in the 1970s had no parallel in the Americas.)

Successes in Angola and Ethiopia were particularly important because they proved that Cuba could effectively advance Soviet objectives — as well as its own — in the Third World.

This realization created new possibilities for the Soviets at the same time that the US was noticeably weakened  by controversy surrounding Vietnam and Watergate.

By 1980, the Soviets had obtained basing facilities in Cuba, Angola, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia, while also acquiring military basing, port, or refueling facilities in Algeria, Libya, Mozambique, South Yemen, Syria, and Vietnam.

The Havana – Moscow symbiosis was crucial to Soviet achievements, with the Kremlin providing equipment and financing, and the Cubans providing personnel.

Castro did not rely simply on the content of Marxist – Leninist theory as the impetus to defeat imperialism and abolish colonialism. Rather he used the fact that the Cuban forces in Africa were primarily black or mulatto to reinforce solidarity with the Angolan population, and he contrasted the role of these groups in the struggle at the Bay of Pigs to their role in the current conflict. He said:

At Giron [the Bay of Pigs], African blood was shed, that of the selfless descendants of a people who were slaves before they became workers …. And in Africa together with the blood of the heroic fighters of Angola, Cuban blood also flowed. The victory in Angola was the twin sister of the victory at Giron …. Angola represents an African Giron.

Unlike either of the two superpowers, the Cubans also used everyday “hands on” activities as a means of attaining political objectives.

Cuba does not send construction materials; it sends people to build a road. It does not equip a hospital, but it sends health personnel to staff it. It does not provide weaponry, but it supplies military instructors to teach how to use Soviet weapons.

When Castro’s efforts proved successful in Africa, leverage with Moscow increased. The relationship was strong throughout the 1970s.

 

Filed Under: Cuba

About Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Widely published, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of particular interest and expertise include Cold War Studies, sustainable development, heritage, and the environment.

Comments

  1. pablo j.hernandez says

    May 25, 2012 at 11:22 am

    Cuba was coordinated with USSR in Angolan affair since late 1974,with the so called Cadelo mission.Moscow and Havana had paralel activities in favor of the political and military weak but loyal marxist/leninist minoritary MPLA. Moscow send weapons since summer of 1974 and Cuba advisors from March 1975 and deployed regular troops in its garrison of Pointe Noire,Congo since May. Moscow and Havana coordinated his actuations in Angola well before the Portuguese withdrawal of early November 1975.
    The so called independent Cuban actuations in Angola is mythical, and a retrointerpretation of official historians accepted acritically in some academics circles of the West.
    The globalism and interventions of the Castroism in Africa was funded,supported and equipped by the Kremlin.The reformation of the cuban armed forces by the Soviets since 1970 was decisive for the new use in the Third World scenarios.A mix of Shelepin Doctrine (1961) with Brezhnev Doctrine(1968)and the ever exultant Castros ego.

  2. Lisa Reynolds Wolfe says

    May 25, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    Thanks much for the additional perspective Pablo.

    Lisa

Follow Us On Twitter

Cold War Studies Follow

A Cold War historian, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a MS in Policy Analysis and Public Management from SUNY Stony Brook.

Avatar
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
29 Jan

11 Places to Explore Spycraft @atlasobscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/history-of-spies

Reply on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Retweet on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Like on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Twitter 1619760825916604417
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
29 Jan

Inside Cold War spy Kim Philby's life - sex, deception and double-dealing https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inside-cold-war-spy-kim-29074870?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Reply on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Retweet on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Like on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Twitter 1619760444658565120
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
28 Jan

Check out this article from @nytimes. Because I'm a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/opinion/sunday/knitting-fabric-michelle-obama.html?unlocked_article_code=1ew_IOkoQKL6pwCvaRQwqw7kaWYxQwBmX4RM8ZwtFdZYqpOghTnXUxbK7NmSwILpgVkTsehpl3Au4GhqUs1-dQP4onemJRdEVXYlONemCl8eqaGxUhfyGFeV0mwhRgrGJBllB6l7bc09s40JuyYDCn-Pzj_QRnzJRPcBVqRfaOwmRVceyoxIxg3hjSG4aJC0jFK7rVqZ3d-HPGkCAInMKNtJNaRye6_h-msXKJWjY1ipfpuF4gvQQjACg6r618EQKLx4kY3mXwdfk4DYZAbtqtAoHTE9btePy6OljFN7QC_ZDdcEA_0JCp2Cqwlnrht_EQUuLBsVhjEs-doVEvBw0WJ9hFHqwu9kVp9GTguk1Q&smid=tw-share

Reply on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Retweet on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Like on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Twitter 1619318960922714113
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
25 Jan

Cold War Nuclear Bunker Lures Tourists Worried About New Threats https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/canada/diefenbunker-museum-ottawa.html?smid=tw-share

Reply on Twitter 1618235296033943554 Retweet on Twitter 1618235296033943554 Like on Twitter 1618235296033943554 Twitter 1618235296033943554
Load More

Affiliate Disclosure

Cold War Studies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small commission by advertising and linking to amazon.com. You never pay more if you puchase your Amazon product from one of our links. Thanks for supporting Cold War Studies!

 

How Much Do You Know About the Cold War?

Want to find out how much you really know about the Cold War. Click here to take our quiz. 

 

Most Popular Posts

Cold War Fashion: The Early Years (1950s-1960s)

History of Colonization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Precursor to Cold War Conflict

Cold War Chile

The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste

The Red Scare

10 Little Known Facts About the Peace Sign

Immigration to the US During the Cold War

The First Red Scare: A Timeline

Korean War Music

Cold War Argentina: The Dirty War

The Cold War: Decolonization and Conflict in the Third World

Check Out Our Red Scare White Paper

Read all about the Red Scare. Just click on the cover below.

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in