The Rise Of America's Post-Cuban Revolution

From 1959 to 1962, the island of Cuba changed from being America’s playground to the Soviet’s front line. Post Cuban revolution, a threat was seen in the eyes of America. Ninety miles off the coast of Florida was an island whose new set of ideals and leaders could destroy everything that 50’s America had created. This change in regime would shock the entire world and change the fate of the Cold War indefinitely. Prior to these events, America had used Cuba as a source of labor, new land for investments, and even an extension of itself where the US would intervene in affairs. This lack of respect lead Stephan Rabe to theorize that were it not because of the Cuban revolution, the mistreatment by the US would have lead to the eventual internal
Cold War in Latin America. On the other hand, it is argued by Hal Brands the 1959 revolution was the breaking point of US relations with Cuba as we feared having a socialist nation this close to our country. The proceeding years lacked diplomatic relations and cooperation, this led to a major falling out between the two countries. Another historian, Daniela Spenser, makes a point that the US was not the only country whose relationship with Cuba had changed in this period. Although it originally was the Soviets who backed up Cuba and installed the missiles on the island to ward off and US invasion, it was also the Soviets who eventually found the Cuban leadership to be unfit to wield such weapons and after debates with the US, the missiles were removed. Cuba was betrayed by those closest to them and Castro let his frustrations be heard in many letters to the Kremlin. In the fallout of the Missile Crisis, the Soviets wished to maintain a strong influence on Cuba and in Latin America. While this was the plan it ended up being the opposite. Cuba knew that the Soviets needed good relations with them and they used this knowledge to used the Soviet power in new guerilla revolts across Latin America. Not only did Cuba not become a Soviet puppet, they took control of the USSR because of their ideological position. While Spenser’s statements do not neatly fall into the same categories as Brands and Rabe, her argument and information gives a unique insight in the the vulnerability in the Soviet government and how Cuba took advantage of this to globally push their revolution.