Cuban revolution
This paper will discuss the challenges faced by women in the pre revolution Cuba and their role in the revolution.
Women in the Cuban revolution
Cuba was colonized by Spain and attained it independence during the events of the Spanish American war. After gaining independence, Cuba became a protectorate of the United States. The Cuban economy and administration was dominated by the United States where lands in the country were owned by corporate from the United States. However, in the 1930s, things in Cuba started to change with the immergence of figures such as Fulgencio Batista who was determined to spearhead the Cuban destiny. He was concerned about the trend in the country which was becoming more of a nationalist country and started ganging up support for businesses owned by Cubans. By the mid 1930s, Batista had become a very popular leader in the country. His support for Cuban business created wealthy classes in the country which had not existed before. He was determined to make Cuban economy one of the best economies in the Caribbean (Wright, pg 74).
Although Batista was a very popular leader at first, his popularity faded with time. He was unable to deal with corruption that had become a major political problem in the country, the increased number of criminal gangs which had gained influence in the country controlling gambling. He was also unable to deal with the interest of large corporate organizations operating in the country especially those from the United States. His inability to deal with the growing situation in the country was evident when he became easily influenced by interest groups such as the criminal syndicates and the corporate from the United States (Wright, pp 94). His image deteriorated significantly as he turned into a corrupt and selfish dictator. He employed autocratic form of leadership outlawing all opposition political parties and trade unions. He also formed a special police force which had a mandate of intimidating anybody opposed to his leadership. His autocratic leadership especially in the 1950s changed the Cuban society significantly. Economic interests were a major issue in his leadership which resulted into social stratification. The economic and social disparities between different races became so pronounced in the country than it had been experienced before (Wright, pp 106).
Prior to the Cuban revolution, the Cuban society like other societies in the world was a patriarchal society. The social, political and economic aspects of life were dominated by men. Stereotypes existed in the society and the roles of women and men at home or in the society were stipulated. The role of women was taking care of the family while men were considered the head of the family. Women were entitled to very few basic rights and sacrificed their potential in the public life and other interests including their wellbeing and happiness on behalf of the family. Women were mistreated by men and despite laws in the country that outlawed such mistreatments, women received limited assistance from the government agencies such as the law enforcers and legal establishments. During the reign of Batista, a big disparity was created between the lives of women in the country. There were women who were wealth and influential in the society changing the role in the traditional Hispanic societies (Murray, pp 57).
Prior to the revolution, the structure of leadership in the country had created a group of wealth women who played a role in the patriarchal society. These wealthy women who were mainly white and lived in the urban centers had increasingly gotten into power. They were involved in large businesses and took active roles in the politics of the country. The primary mode of operations of these influential women in the society was through attachment to an influential male. In the 1950s more and more women started attaining university education and held various positions in the government and the corporate world (Murray, pp 57).
While women attached to wealthy and influential males in the country gained influence in the society and lived a decent life, the majority of women in the country lived in extreme poverty. Majority of the poor women were overlooked by feminism which favored wealthy and influential women in the society. The growing feminism was an advantage to the wealthy women who became more or less equal to the wealthy men. The racial biasness and social stratification created by the autocracy of Batista negatively affected majority of the women. While the traditional values of the Hispanic societies kept most of the women out of political and social life, the social stratification and racial biasness kept African Cubans out of influential positions (Murray, pp 58).
The society in Cuba was not different from other societies in the world where wealthy women were making gains in the male dominated society. Such women would have a tendency of pushing for reforms and the rights of women since they are likely to benefit more. This is according to the Marxist ideologies. This was the case in the United States suffrage movement where wealthy white women gained their right to vote and did not care about the rights of the black poor women. Although Batista was able to gang up support for Cuban owned businesses, many of the land in the country were owned by corporate organizations from America. They were marked by exploitation of the society and corruption. The Cuban women in the peasant society were at a disadvantage. They were married at a very young age and in many cases to elderly men. Women had to work hard in the field to provide for their families at a very tender age (Stone, pp 92).
Batista who had grown to a corrupt dictator started receiving severe opposition from the general public and many people who previously supported him started disappearing. The curfews he enforced were violated by the majority of the public. This led to him authorizing the use of force against those who opposed his leadership. However, he was unable to stop the revolution by smashing the press, shooting of those who opposed him or curfews. Although the revolution led by Fidel Castro that brought the radical change in the country was dominated by male figures, the women also played a major role in the revolution. However, the role of women in this historical revolution has been in many cases overlooked by many historians. Most of the publications discussing the Cuban revolution have slighted the role of the females in bringing change to the island (smith and padula, pp 22). One downplay on the role played by women in the Cuban revolution is in the movie released in 1964. The movie known as the Soya Cuba portrays the woman in the society as a submissive being while the male is portrayed to play a dominant role in the society. The movie portrays the Cuban women as powerless and unable to defend themselves against oppression. Although the movie has scenes that make it clear that both men and women are victims of the oppression, women have nothing to do about it.
However, this was not the true picture of the revolution. Women took major roles in bringing change into the island. The role of women in the Moncada attack while Fidel Castro was in jail is indisputable. The movement was led by women with most of the prints being distributed by women. Fidel Castro justified the attack using the history will absolve me slogan which was printed and distributed by women notably his sister Lydia, his wife, Hernandez and Santa Maria (Gonzalez-Perez, pp 50). Lydia also played a major role in freeing Castro out of prison. She was a courageous lady who played an important role in the formation and leadership of a group of women who had their husbands or close relatives imprisoned. This group of women carried out numerous campaigns and corrected signatures from the public which was later presented to the senate as a petition for amnesty of the imprisoned men. The women also organized demonstrations to push the government to grant the political prisoners amnesty in 1955. The pressure resulting from these women forced Batista to release Fidel Castro and other political prisoners on the mothers day in 1955 (Murray, pp 66).
Fidel Castros sister played a significant role in the revolution. Fidel took refuge in her house when he was released from prison from where he issued directions to his supporters. The July 26th movement which took place after Fidel was released for example was spread throughout the country by women such as Hernandez and Santamaria. They were members of the national directorate that was formed by Fidel Castro together with other rebel leaders. While women were performing this role in the country, Fidel together with other rebels left for Mexico to for guerrilla warfare training. It is noted that Fidel welcomed the eagerness of women and their dedication to take part in the revolution. As opposed to what is portrayed in the Soy Cuba, the idea that revolution was the role of men did not exist in these women who are today considered heroines in the revolution (Murray, pp 67).
The involvement of women in the revolution attracted the attention of the male rebels. Some rebels questioned Fidels decision to give women weapons while some of the men did not have them. While some men were not armed, some of the women were armed with M-1. This irritated Fidel who told his men that women were better soldiers out of anger. In a speech in 1981 in Granma, Fidel acknowledged the role of women in the revolution where he stated that the women truly showed that they were better soldiers. The Mariana Grajales was the name given to the brigade in which women who participated in the revolution were placed. This brigade distinguished itself in the operations and combats (Wright, pg 46). Fidel noted the dedication and distinguished service of the brigade with many victories which made them show up the mens brigades. They were able to capture weapons by raiding truckload which the male brigades were unable to capture. In his speech, Fidel Castro admitted that there was biasness in the combats against women. However, Federal believed that women should not be discriminated even before the revolution and saw their role as an essential role in the revolution. Despite this believe, the role of women in the revolution surpassed his expectations on their capabilities in carrying out their mandates (Muriel, pp 246).
The event after the revolution changed the Cuban society and the life of the Cuban woman. This took place when Fidel Castro took power. His communist party of Cuba pushed for many changes in the country. They were however faced with several challenges which included illiteracy. By the time Fidel Castro come to power after the fall of Batista leadership, over fifty percent of the Cubans were illiterate. Most of the illiterate people were women due to the biasness in the patriarchal society. Brigadistas was formed by women who took active part in the revolution war. Most of these women were below the age of 18 years. These young women went to school and later traveled in different parts of the country teaching other people how to read and write. These young women believed that by teaching others to read and write they, learn more (Stone, pp 110).
Despite these changes in the society as a direct consequence of the revolution, women faced discrimination in the male dominated society. There were cases where men were opposed to their women going to school to learn. The Brigadistas used several methods to alleviate this challenge. They instilled the belief that men who were opposed to their wifes going to school were villainous using a film called Lucia. Fidels administration came up with mechanisms of alleviating the biasness men had against women. The government established a school in Havana where women were attracted to the school with the promise that they will learn beneficial skills such as sewing. This was considered to be the work of women which attracted a lot of women in the countryside. However, the sewing classes in the school were combined with other classes where the women were taught to read and write. The women were also taught history as well as the ideologies of the communist party (Stone, pp 9).
The effects of this approach by the government have had far reaching impact on the society of Cuba. The focus on improving the literacy level by Fidel Castros administration immediately after the revolution has created a literate society in Cuba. Cuba is today rated the country with the highest literacy level in the western hemisphere. The literacy level in Cuba is high than in any country in Latin America and the United States (Stone, pp 69).
The Cuban women are faced with various challenges as they try to involve themselves in the social, political and economic life. These challenges includes the gender based discrimination and economic embargos placed against the Cuban government by the United States. It is clear that more women taking part in politics and in the workforce was one of the goals of the revolution. Unless women were given the opportunity to participate productively other than being restricted in the household jobs, there will always be inequality. Therefore, by more women going to work, it was beneficial to the revolution. However, the women were faced with protest from their husbands who followed the Batista national doctrines that discriminated women. The economic embargos however forced the women back home because the income did not enable them access better living conditions (Muriel, pp 246).
Since the Cuban revolution in the second half of the 20th century, the rights of women have been a central issue in the Cuban policies. However, the Cuban society is still a male dominated with some gender based discrimination being evident. Women in Cuba today are not assured of equal opportunities or status with men in the society. The Cuban society has remained an extended family structured society with the women assuming the household chores while men dominate the public life (Safa, pp 137). The government has enacted policies that over the years have transformed the lives of women in the society since the revolution.
The Cuban constitution is explicit in the rights of women in the society. Women are guaranteed social, economical and political rights in the constitution. The women are also guaranteed family and cultural rights as well as equal opportunities by the constitution. The role discriminates any form of discrimination that is based on gender and maintains that men and women are equal before the law. Apart from the constitution, there are various parliamentary commissions that have been established by the government of Cuba to enforce laws that touch on the rights of women (Muriel, pp 257).
These government policies have transformed the lives of many women in Cuba. Cuba has developed into one of the most fair and equal society in the world. The literacy level among the women is very high with a good number of women being employed and accessing better healthcare services. The lives of women in Cuba have to that effect improved. This is partly due to the society focus on the quality of life the people are living rather than the amount of profits made by corporate organization. The women of Cuba have emerged out of the subjugation evident in capitalistic societies and have taken a more active role in the social and economic life (Murray, pp 59).
The role of women in the Cuban revolution and the building of the post revolution Cuba cannot be underestimated. They took part in spreading the revolutionary ideologies in the country as the rebel men trained in Mexico. Fidel Castro also acknowledged the role of women in the combat missions where he noted that women proved to be better soldiers during the revolution. Despite the biasness prior to the revolution, the post revolution government has guaranteed women equal rights and opportunities.
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