Pre-Revolutionary Cuba, 1899-1933

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Resulting of the Spanish-American War, control of Cuba passed from Spain to the United States at the beginning of 1899 and was governed by a military administration of the United States until 1902. Things such as Yellow Fever were finally eradicated after it plagued Cuba for centuries. Cubans began occupying public offices more than when Spain controlled it. Many things were accomplished such as improvements in sanitation, education, and other public works areas.

In November of 1900, a constitutional convention was held in Havana. The resulting constitution contained provisions, known as the Platt Amendment, which were put in place by the U.S. as conditional for acceptance of the constitution and were approved by Cuba in June 1901. In these Provisions, it was outlined that Cuba promised not to accrue debt that couldn’t be taken care of by their national revenue, continue with the public works plans, and lease a naval station to the U.S., as well as permit the U.S. to intervene in order to preserve Cuban independence.

Tomás Estrada Palma would become the first president of the new republic of Cuba, and in fact, material prosperity did come to certain parts of the people of Cuba. This was largely due to the export of Sugar from Cuba to the United States and would dominate the Cuban economy as the U.S. became Cuba’s leading trade partner.

Palma’s party, the Conservatives, won the election in December 1905, but the Liberals accused the newly formed government of rigging the election. This, along with pension fraud, and failed government reform, triggered the first revolution in 1906. Palma requested U.S. intervention due to the insurrection progressing at a rapid pace, and the U.S. responded by sending commissioners to mitigate the fallout. Sound familiar?

William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of War, was placed as Cuba’s provisional governor along with a provisional government, which would only last long enough to restore order and the public’s confidence in the Cuban government. The government was maintained, the Cuban flag continued to fly to illustrate a free and sovereign nation, and regular constitutional reforms remained unchanged. By 1909, the opposition had largely disbanded and fallen apart, and the Republic of Cuba was inaugurated for the 2nd time. U.S. troops withdrew from Cuba in April 1909.

From 1909 to 1925, the Cuban Presidency would change hands 3 times. The office would be held by the following:

• José Miguel Gómez (1909 to 1913)

• Mario García Menocal (1913 to 1921)

• Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso (1921 – 1925)

The U.S. Military would intervene twice during this period and threatened intervention multiple times more. It was a period of gross corruption, racial prejudice, and nepotism.

Cuba’s first fully-fledged dictator would emerge in 1925 as President Gerardo Machado. He went on to accomplish only a few of his campaign promises, and in 1928, his rule of terror started. Martial Law was imposed, freedom of speech was suspended, and the economic depression fully found the island of Cuba. Machado would be forced to exile and leave the country by the Cuban Military, and the presidency was changed periodically under the direction of Batista. Eventually, Batista would become the president.

Before the revolutions, Cuba’s capital, Havana, was a modern dynamic city, with glitz, casinos, and luxurious hotels. The sale of sugar to the United States had moved Cuba to rank 5th in the Northern Hemisphere in per capita income, 3rd in life expectancy, 2nd in per capita ownership of automobiles and telephones, and 1st in the number of TVs per household. Cuba’s literacy rate was an astonishing 76%, the 4th largest in Latin America, and Cuba ranked 11th in the world in the number of doctors per capita.

Unknown to the general public, pre-Castro Cuba was grandiose, and mostly fueled by Mafia exploitation. The Mafia would funnel dirty money into Cuba and build Casino after Casino and Hotel after Hotel, which in turn would eventually generate revenue, not for the country, but to fund the political system under President Fulgencio Batista, who would eventually rise to power.

La Cosa Nostre’s idea for Cuba was to create a criminal empire outside the U.S. where they could directly influence local politics outside of U.S. law enforcement’s control. They also had their eyes set on other Latin American countries such as the Dominican Republic and others. Mafia bosses didn’t see themselves as criminals but as CEOs of international corporations. These bosses include the names Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, and even the name Gambino pops up when you research this.

The late 20s, while they were roaring for the United States, was a period of unrest and transformation for Latin America, especially Cuba. In 1928, President Gerardo Machado attempted to perpetuate himself in power, sparking protests mixed with violence amongst the Cuban people. The situation deteriorated, even more, when Cuba’s economy collapsed in 1929.

A new and radical type of nationalism began to appear in Cuba. Labor Unions began to grow, and students were becoming more opinionated in their views of the society that had been created by their elders. Together, the Labor Unions and students would eventually unite together and create new organizations with a more liberal point of view to defend the rights of the people. All of these changes manifested together, turning the anti-Machado demonstrations into a base for revolution.