History of Cuba

Cuba is most known for it’s Havana rum, dictatorship and the missile crisis, but that’s not all this Caribbean island should be remembered for. It is an island with a rich and cultural past.

Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands and was originally inhabited by native Indians, before being colonized by the Spanish, following the arrival of the explorer Columbus in 1492. The island was a matter of contention for several European powers in the 1600s but the resident Cubans fought for their independence, finally gaining freedom from Spain in 1899. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as free as it should have been and spent the following 60 years being steered by various American governments.

Fidel Castro, Cuba’s famous dictator, finally won freedom for Cuba in the late fifties, after two years of war, aided by revolutionary forces including Che Guevara. The US implemented economic sanctions, which led to the island receiving support from Soviet forces, which led to communism being widely adopted in the country and becoming the official political policy.

In the mid eighties the country entered a period known as the Era of Rectification; a reaction to Che Guevara had left Cuba, fuelling criticism of the government and their policies. The Era of rectification was designed to appease public discontent, with a new local government structure and more schools, hospitals and housing being built.

After the fall of the Soviet bloc in 1989, Cuba was thrown into an economic crisis, as many of their export markets disappeared. It was expected that the island would bend to incorporate capitalism, but instead the Cubans implemented economic reforms, encouraged world trade, developed their tourist industry and legalized small private enterprises.

Today, Cuba remains an independent island and is still communist, and they are a fiercly proud, indigenous island. With so much reform and development it is one of the best places in the Caribbean to visit with beautiful beaches, cuisine and resorts.