Colonial legacies can be found within Latin American political regimes like the Spaniards and Portuguese through the Allende and the Castro regime. The legacies have established social structure and unequal land holdings predominantly placing the affluent above mixed, indigenous, and Africans. Furthermore, colonial legacies are useful when examining Latin America as it compares colonialism to the long-term effects of colonialism implemented in different eras. It also focuses on the long-term effects it had on Indigenous, mixed, and Africans, which highlights how colonialism in Latin America impacted regimes, relations, and the economy.
The regimes established subsequently after colonization were failures as Cuba fell to the oppressive regime of Machado and Batista. The Machado and Batista regime’s economic capital relied on trade. When the Great Depression hit Cuba’s sugar prices fell leading to underemployment and a decrease in income. This provoked political conflict and repressive military action toward Cubans. Cubans tried to pressure Machado out through strikes, resulting in success as Machado fled Havana (Skidmore and Smith, 2013). This demonstrates how colonial legacies in the form of regimes turn out to become repressive and revert to the same economic cycle of exploiting the native people.
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The culture of Cuba was desperate to have a regime that would solve “el problema de la Tierra” and as Fidel began his revolution he was received with support by the working class, students, and peasants. As the US placed an embargo on weapons Castro saw it as an advantage to overthrow Batista's oppressive regime (Fidel Castro, 1953). However, the US was worried about their economic interests and Castro's rule implementing a domino theory other countries would follow. The US planned to overthrow Castro because he nationalized Cuban land and American companies for Cuba's benefit (DOS, 1959). Castro was focused on the revitalization of Cuba by tackling massive poverty, malnourishment, and lack of education that colonialism left encapsulates how colonial legacies transcend through eras. It also highlights how it impacts relations between nations due to their countries' economic interests.
Fidel Castro's era of rule reduced underemployment and grew the economy by 9% due to the trade of sugar. As Cuba relied significantly on the export of sugar and the use of oil, Fidel found inexpensive oil in the Soviet Union, which the US wouldn't process in their Cuban factories. The US canceled its sugar deal with Cuba consolidated US factories. This led to the Cuba embargo which lasted until the 21 century. However, the nationalization and export of sugar, with us the USSR, contributed to the equalization of land and diminished the lack of housing, education, malnourishment, and poverty. However, this did not last for long as the US left Cuba, and projects to build new housing weren't seen as a priority anymore as well as an increase in food shortages (Skidmore and Smith, 2013). The authoritarian regimes in Cuba reflect upon European rule as they disregarded the problems within their society and focused on trade and economic growth leaving the native people in poverty.
Overall, the colonial legacies' depiction of unequal land and social structure was “fixed” through a new regime of dictatorship through communism. The beginning of colonialism demonstrates how poverty, diversity, and trade transcend into different eras as colonial rule grew and how within each era it impacted Latin Americans differently whether they benefited from it or not. Colonial legacies can be very useful in the analysis of Latin American regimes to deduce the long-term effects caused by colonization and how the regimes are dealing with or following the established long-term effects.
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