Cuba: A New History [Paperback]

-- of those one-star reviews. They have their own biases and axes to grind, as they link you to rightwing websites full of lies and distortions of their own. These folks want to squelch and slander anyone with a differing point of view, especially regarding Cuba. When talking about "agents of influence," it is pertinent to remember these "reviewers" are likely themselves members of organizations sent here to trash this book.

Mr. Gott is a well-respected journalist on Latin American affairs, one who has been avowedly sympathetic to the Left, armed struggle, and the Cuban Revolution. However one may agree or not with his views, they are necessary to read if one would wish a well-rounded education on Cuba. Beware anyone who tries to suppress this book, as they are guilty of the same thing of which they accuse Fidel Castro.

For many, Cuban history started with Fidel Castro's political ascent in the 1950's. Nothing before seems relevant and sadly anything after has been a virtual black hole. Since the revolution of 1959, most writing about the island has been polarized, either ardently sympathetic or passionately hostile. But author Richard Gott, a British journalist and specialist in Latin American history, keeps a level head, guiding us from the first attempt at colonization by the Spanish in 1511 to the present day. By providing a full historical context, the author gives a much needed contextual understanding of an island only ninety miles from the Florida Keys, yet a world away in almost every other respect.

Gott dispels many convenient myths, such as the timing of the Communist influence. It didn't start with Castro but actually in 1907 with the Independent Party of Color, when socialists banded together to try to relieve themselves from the oppression they felt from U.S. occupation after the Spanish-American War. The group fomented into an embryonic Communist Party in 1925, which went unabated for years afterward. They even launched their own newspaper and promised then-revolutionary Fulgencio Batista the political support he needed to become Cuba's president during World War II. So, contrary to popular belief, Batista welcomed Communists into his government. But Batista became cruelly repressive during the 1950's, which triggered Castro to launch a failed armed attack on the Moncada fortress barracks in Santiago. It was at this time that Castro met Che Guevara, and Gott vividly describes their first meeting. The two men initially got on very well, brothers in arms. Guevara badly needed a political cause, while he gave Fidel valuable insights into other revolutionary experiments around Latin America. For those who have read and seen the recent movie version of "The Motorcycle Diaries", Guevara's sociopolitical evolution now becomes clear from Gott's account. As we all know, Castro and Guevara combined forces, which led to Batista escaping and Castro taking control in January 1959.

What is enlightening in this book is how Castro's energy inspired some of the greatest Latin American novelists of the 20th century, including Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Fuentes. He charmed not only Russian politicians like Nikita Khrushchev and African revolutionaries such as Ahmed Ben Bella, but also French intellectuals such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Castro had a falling out with Pablo Neruda when he implied that Castro may be taking too much credit for the revolution, and one begins to see the megalomania that induced fissures in his power base. Nonetheless, Gott is very thorough when it comes to describing Castro's acumen as a politician, especially as he faced the challenge of becoming more estranged from Guevara, who saw himself as a political visionary compelled to spread the word about the revolution globally. But Castro started seeing Guevara as a loose cannon and wanted no part of the armed struggle Guevara desired. As we know, this all ended with Guevara's assassination in Bolivia in 1967, which has been attributed at various times to the CIA and even Castro himself. Gott was actually on hand himself to identify Che's body after the murder.

The author explores Castro's perceived political softening recently, for example, his cautious attitude to the Sandinista overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua in 1979. According to Gott, Castro even suggested that the Sandinistas should establish a mixed economy and a pluralistic political system. Likely the most intriguing portions of the book focus on the continuing interest the U.S. has in usurping the power structure within Cuba. Gott handles these episodes lucidly, for instance, taking the drama out of historical watermark events like the 1962 Bay of Pigs missile crisis. Perhaps his most surprising assertion is that virtually all of the most ruthless acts of U.S. political interference and military aggression in the 20th century have been the work of Democrat rather than Republican Presidents - Wilson's deployment of marines to occupy Cuba in 1917; FDR's interventions to crush the 1933 revolution; JFK's 1961 invasion; LBJ's immigration scheme; and the Torricelli and Helms-Burton Acts under Clinton. In fact, plans have been underway since the Clinton administration to suborn the Cuban officer corps after the departure of Castro. Gott also describes the Miami power base of Cuban-Americans, who contemplate with satisfaction the recovery of properties lost long ago. But the author leaves us with the most revealing of conclusions - that he expects little change in Cuba in the years ahead even after Castro dies. Gott believes Castro has become a mere figurehead and that a post-Castro government has been in place for several years. And despite images exalted by popular culture, reintegration of Cuba into the international community may not be such a harmonious affair. This has to be the definitive book on Cuba's history and current political situation and consequently, essential reading for those who want to take a harder look at where things will evolve there.

'Cuba: A New History' is an excellent account of Cuban history up until this books publication in 2004. Gott manages to write in a completely engaging way and draws you in to the rich and diverse history of this amazing Caribbean island. This is in no way a dry and uninspiring read, but one that helps you immerse yourself in the history and developments over the years. From Spanish colonial rule, US intervention and soviet support, Cuba has managed to retain some remnant of it's own identity and this book shows this side perfectly. The first 100 pages (looking at Spanish Colonial rule and the slave trades to Cuba) were the hardest to engage with for me, but as soon as the revolution occurred and the book focused on the Castro government and all that it entails, I became hooked to this masterly text. The author doesn't seem overly biased one way or the other, although you can tell he has respect for this tiny island nation. He doesn't seem to be too sensationalist either, for example when Che Guevara dies it is noted in quite an understated way and not overly hyped to have a greater impact. Two minor flaws with this book are the tiny font which by the end had given me serious eye strain, why academic texts insist on using this size font I'll never know. And the other flaw is a distinct lack of decent photography to add to the package. There are a few pages of grey photos in the middle, but not on good quality paper, or especially relevant to the overall text, i've come to expect better from history books these days. These are minor flaws in what is a brilliant account of Cuban history which leaves you with some indication of what the future may hold as well. If Cuba interests you in the slightest, I'd seriously recommend you take a look at this book.

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