Cuba was founded as an independent republic in May 1902 following a long struggle for independence from Spain that included three successive wars in the second half of the 19th century and culminated in US military intervention provoked by the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1898. It was against this background that the history of Cuba developed a pattern which became characterized as politically violent and revolutionary-prone. The author maintains that United States' intervention at the time independence was gained added new controversial elements that further complicated Cuba's political development in the 20th century, so that this intervention in time became a major factor contributing to the revolution in 1959. Bearing in mind the influence that history has had upon Cuban current affairs, this book examines the Castro regime from the political, economic and sociological point of view. It incorporates material on the political events of 1986 and recent demographic changes.
