Class Notes 9/16/19

Class started with Max’s LA in the news which was about the Argentinian agricultural industry. The government is switching from corn being the main crop to soy beans. Soy is a much less reliable crop when compared to corn. It is cheaper to grow which is why the switch was made. The corn market in the US maybe not great shape this winter because of this change, there will be a decrease in corn supply.

Dr. Holt discussed how the Cuban revolution is different from the other Latin American revolutions because it was a Spanish colony for much longer. Once Cuba became free it became a protectorate of the US. Cuba was dependent on the US for its economy. We then broke up into groups to discuss how the Cuban revolution fits the DeFronzo’s framework.

Mass frustration—poverty, inequality, corruption, neo-colonialism, censorship, exploitation (US controlled land)

Dissident elites—Castro as an elite since he was educated, also had alliances with students

Cross-class unification—Unified under Anti-Batista, and against brutality

Political crisis—the sugar economy was going downhill, limited profit over the course of the year, also the puppet president

Permissive world context—US scared about communism. At first the US was permissive about the revolution but once Castro shifted more towards the left end of the political spectrum the US became more nervous.

Exam Questions:

-Does the Cuban Revolution fit DeFronzo’s framework why or why not?

-How does the US’s view of the revolution change over the course of the revolution?

Links:

https://vimeo.com/283563848

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Revolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro

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