Cuba: Castroism and Communism, 1959-1966 surveys the course of events in Cuba from early revolutionary days to the complicated middle-sixties split in the international Communist camp. In this study, Andrés Suárez investigates some of the most fascinating questions about Cuba, and some of the most useful: Where did the Cuban revolution originate? Why did Castro choose an affiliation with the Soviet Union? What is Castro's present strategy in managing his regime and in directing his pas de deux with the Soviets? The book is based on reports in the contemporary Cuban press and on the author's personal experience as a member of the struggle against Batista and as an officer of the Cuban revolutionary government for almost two years; factually comprehensive and sound in judgment, it develops a consistent and illuminating picture of Castro and his government.
The specific achievements of this book are many and important. It documents conclusively that the old established Communist Party in Cuba had little if anything to do with the revolution; it demonstrates that “the masses” were even less important. Pointing to the “administrative character” of the revolution, Dr. Suárez indicates that one man alone – Fidel Castro – was responsible for it and afterward maintained his total power, to the eclipse of all other political interests on the island. Second, it shows that foreign policy considerations determined Castro's conversion to communism and the transformation of Cuba into a Communist state: in fine, Castro sought Soviet nuclear protection in his attempts to spread the Cuban revolution to other countries in Latin America. These facts shed light on further issues: Castro's exploitation of the Sino-Soviet rift to prevent his subordination to the U.S.S.R., and his quiescence in the face of a strong stand in the Western Hemisphere from the United States.
Cuba: Castroism and Communism, 1959-1966 meets a need that all students of Cuba and of Latin American affairs must recognize. A clear-sighted study of one of the important political events of our time, it is a source book as well on the anatomy of revolution and the mechanics of totalitarian rule.
