I wrote this post for Cold War Magazine in 2016 when, for the first time in 88 years, an American president was visiting the island of Cuba. Now, Cuban Americans are in the news again because of their voting power in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, so I thought this would be a good time to reprint the article. The focus is on what's been happening in Cuba since the … [Read more...] about CUBA IN A NUTSHELL: PART ONE (1959-1990)
Cuba
Havana (Cuba): A Cold War City No More
Note: This will be our last regular post until fall. Over the summer, you can follow @coldwarstudies on Twitter. You can also join the Cold War Studies Facebook community. We'd love to have you. Meanwhile, have a wonderful summer and we'll see you in September. By the mid 1980s, Havana was receiving more military assistance from the Soviet Union than ever before. Moreover, … [Read more...] about Havana (Cuba): A Cold War City No More
Slow Growth in a Cold War City
Migration from the countryside of Cuba to the nation's capital, Havana, was extremely sluggish during much of the 1970s. This, along with other factors, contributed to the capital's low population increase. Havana's percentage increase remained low compared to that of other Latin American cities throughout the decade. The capital's rate of growth increased over the period … [Read more...] about Slow Growth in a Cold War City
Cold War Cuba: Labor Migration
Export of Labor Flows The outflow of Cuban labor associated with the country's military activity overseas is well documented. However, Cuba's export of labor flows for revenue and training purposes is less discussed. Still, these programs affected Havana during the 1970s and 1980s because they targeted the most desirable members of the city's labor force, young men loyal to … [Read more...] about Cold War Cuba: Labor Migration
Cuban Internationalism
During the 1970s, Cuba expanded its involvement overseas, initially volunteering, but soon selling its military and civilian services to other nations of the Third World. Some argue that Cuba was merely a puppet with the Soviet Union pulling the strings. However, many believe that Cuba had its own reasons for international opportunism. In fact, as can be deduced from … [Read more...] about Cuban Internationalism
