The history of the relationship between Cuba and the United States was rich and strong until 1959 when Fidel Castro took over power and created a Communist government on the island. Due to this, relations between the United States and Cuba was strained and it has been uneasy since the 1960s. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze and review the relations between Cuba and the United States and the cultural features and elements of the two nations in this process of transition.
Research Methodology
This research is done on the basis of secondary research with an interview with two Cuba-Americans who have lived for a considerable period in the United States and in Cuba. These Cuban Americans were interviewed on telephone and they give perspectives of the media and other contemporary trends in the relationship between Cuba and the United States. This will give an outlook that will add up and connect to the findings and views of the different secondary sources that are used in this paper.
History of Relationship between Cuba and the United States
The relationship between the United States and Cuba goes back to the days of European colonization. Cuba – then known as a part of Hispaniola was claimed by Spain and was part of the earliest colonial projects in the New World. Spain expanded into most of South America and Central America and many colonies sprung up as North America was colonized by the British.
The United States came up with the Monroe Doctrine in 1819 to support the massive independence of nations in Latin America from European colonial aggression. This led to a wave of independence amongst states in Latin America. Most of the elites that were loyal to Spain in the newly independent nations of mainland South America relocated to Cuba with their wealth. This made Cuba an affluent island with a lot of fun and entertainment as well as luxury in the 1800s.
Cuba remained a Spanish colony and a popular tourist destination for Americans. Due to the financial wealth on the island, there was a lot of trade relationships between the United States and Cuba in the 1800s. However, at the end of the 1800s when the Cubans sought to end colonial rule, the struggle was supported by the United States which sent military support and aid to Cuba to overthrow the Spanish colonial rule.
Thus, the United States played a major role in securing Cuba’s independence and became a very good and positive ally to Cuba. The United States made Cuba a destination for tourism since there was a lot of luxury and affluence and Americans could have a good time in Cuba. The government of Cuba was legitimized by the United States which saw Cuba as an ally in the international front throughout the first half of the 20th Century.
When the Cold War commenced, Cuba was part of America’s Capitalist nations from 1949 to 1958 when Fidel Castro’s Soviet-backed Communist forces overthrew the American backed government in 1959. This led to the missile crisis which involved the siting of Soviet missiles in Cuba which was 90 kilometers from the Miami coastline. Thus, with the relations behind the scenes, America and the Soviet Union agreed to recognize the Castro regime in Cuba. America kept Cuba sanctioned and this caused US-Cuba relations to be strained significantly.
Cross Cultural Differences between the United States and Cuba
The culture and customs of Cuba and the United States share some similarities. Since both of them were colonial creations that became independent, there is a class-based system in both countries that mirrors the elements of their history. There is a White elite who are mainly from property-owning class from England and Spain who occupy the upper class. Then there is a White working class and there is a poor White class usually relating to migrants from other countries and descendants of enslaved Africans captured and sent to the two countries.
The fundamental difference between the United States and Cuba in terms of class has to do with the differences that were instituted in Cuba after 1959. The Cuban regime expropriated the wealth of the property-owning class of European descendant after the Revolution. This caused the country to be rearranged and restructured in order to get the powerful who owned so much wealth to lose their money. Cuba also expropriated the property of the rich and created an egalitarian community. In the United States though, the rich and the wealthy continued to hold their wealth. The culture of affluence was encouraged and the free market ideas and principles guided and caused the American people to maintain a culture distinct from Cuba.
The United States is an extremely diverse country with many different communities and ethnic groups coming together to define the activities of the country. On the other hand, Cuba is homogenous and that is due to the culture instituted by the Communist regime of Fidel Castro after 1959. This was necessary because Cuba’s diverse and class-based culture had to be changed and modified to maintain the Communist system and process of the country. Thus, Cuba remains one that has a nationalistic culture whereby people are to work and pursue the interest of one single unified country. America is very different from this. It has a constitution that allows anything to be done and any sub-cultural identity to be practiced as long as it is not illegal or against other people.
Cuba’s culture is viewed as being more authentic than the culture of the United States. This is because it preserves ideas and ways of life that relates to indigenous people with no attempts to modify or change things. Thus, the cultural practices from Africa are more preserved than they are in the United States. Cultural practices from Spain are better preserved. The explanation to this can be due to the fact that Cuba has been closed up from the world of the world due to the sanctions and propaganda. This is to be compared to the United States where there are more mixes and people tend to “Americanize” most cultural practices and activities.
The culture of people in both countries are significantly different. In the United States, the culture of people is based on Capitalist values – people work and take a vacation. In Cuba, it is said that the people are polychromic. They have a limited period of work and things are done when they are very necessary. There is no rigid need to follow a rigid timeline and do things in such a strict way and manner. On the other hand, Americans are monochromic. Things are to be done at specific periods of time and the day is divided up on the basis of a series of things that are to be done at specific times. Therefore, a person wakes up and goes to work at a specific time. People are supposed to return at specific times and do things according to a given timetable. There is a high level of uncertainty avoidance in America and people are to notify others at specific times when they fail to meet their obligations in relation to time. Cuba has a much more flexible attitude towards time. Time is treated in a much more liberal manner and people are to do what they deem important and necessary at any point in time.
Interview Results
The two interviewees were called and asked about the way things differ from the United States and Cuba in terms of relationships. These are people who are Americans today, but were born in Cuba and moved to the United States under the rule of Fidel Castro. Due to their background, they were not asked questions relating to the cross-cultural comparisons on the relations between the United States and Cuba.
The respondents were asked about what they deemed to be the main trend in the relations between the two countries. They both said the underlying feature of the culture of the relationship between the two countries is propaganda and lies. This is because the two countries believe the other is evil and there was so much suspicion in the actions against each other. They both identify that there is so much exaggeration in the view of the other country and they only highlight on things that are negative about the other to incite their citizens to hate the other nation.
The second question was about how they view the media in both nations. The first respondent identified that the Cuban media is heavily censored through a conscious government-control program. The second respondent stated that Cuba has no option but to make the country a greater entity over any other thing. So they have to ensure that the Cuban people get information that causes people to love and appreciate their identity in a nationalistic manner. In the United States thought, they both identify that the Anti-Cuban sentiment was extreme for them when they first came to the United States. They said they had never heard so much antagonistic feelings about their country of Cuba until they came and heard about the American media. One said it is a shock and another said it took time to get used to the level of information that was being spread in the American media about the negatives in Cuba.
The third question was about the culture and the differences between the United States and Cuba. One confirmed that the Cuban culture is somewhat homogenous because the kind of fun and entertainment is within a given tight scope that does not accommodate other cultures. There is classical music that is turned into dance music and there are traditional Afro-Cuban songs and dances. The second interviewee stated that Cuban culture is very passionate. It is based on what people find to be interesting and this is developed over and over. However, American culture is fueled by money and the role of technology makes the American culture easy to mix with other cultures and everything is influenced by money with little concern for people and individuals.
There was a question of how the culture in the United States seem to help people to achieve their expectations. Both respondents identified that America is extremely affluent and the wealth in the United States is extremely high. One stated that the wealth in America was incredible to believe when he first came to America. However, they both agree that socially, the United States has serious problems. This is because they believed the social system and the social structures of America is not as intense as Cuba where families have to spend a lot of quality time with each other and get to achieve a lot of care and sensitivity.
The final question was about the political structures and the activities of the rich and elite in power and authority in both nation. The response indicated that both countries are with leaders who are made to hate and treat each other with contempt. This indicates a kind of culture in which the two parties and the two entities involved are against each other and seek the downfall and destruction of each other. They indicated that the conflict seem to empower the leading classes of people and they are able to make a lot of positive benefits from the tension and also prove their points to remain affluent and stay in power. One respondent argued that the current diplomatic effort that is going on must be encouraged because the diplomatic tensions help none other but the ruling elite and the leading classes in both countries.
Conclusion
Cuba and the United States have different cultural systems that are modeled on the colonial legacy from Spain and England respectively. Cuba’s history however digressed significantly after the Cuban Revolution that led to the promotion of Communism on the island. The interviews conducted indicate that the conflict between the two countries is one that causes the other to be demonized in the either countries. This is something that has caused Cuba to be isolated and retain authentic cultures but the Capitalist structures of America has caused America to become diverse and more opened and interactive.
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