Page 73 - E&B_septemvri 2015 ENG.indd

WORLD

and unhidden desires for Cuba to become another coun- Thomas Jefferson – one of the founders of America, author and signer of the DOSSIER
try in the federation of the United States of America. For Declaration of Independence and US President in 1820:
this purpose, on several occasions they failed in the at- “Cuba is the most interesting annexation that could be made to our system of
tempts to purchase Cuba’s territory from the Spanish states… On the very first occasion, USA should annex Cuba.”
Empire, led by such previous successful political-finan-
cial transactions with Louisiana, Florida, the Virgin Is- John Quincy Adams – US President in 1825:
lands, Alaska etc. Even at the end of the 19th century, “If an apple is violently removed from its branch, it will naturally fall under the
with the American intervention in the so-called Cuban apple tree. If Cuba is forcibly separated from its unnatural connection to Spain,
fight for independence, in 1898 Spain was forced to sign and if in this manner it is unable to sustain independently, it may only gravitate
the Peace Treaty in Paris, whereby Cuba officially be- towards the Northern-American Union, which according to the same natural law,
came an American protectorate. Interestingly, during cannot reject this embrace”
the approval of the American Intervention in Cuba by the
Congress, under the impact of several political groups, James Blaine - US Secretary of State in 1881:
the so called “Teller Amendment” was imposed, named “The rich island, the key to the Gulf of Mexico and the most important commer-
according to the proposer – Senator Henry Moore Teller, cial point in the Western hemisphere, although in the hands of Spain, is part of the
wherewith USA excluded the possibility to annex Cuba. American commercial system… If it ever gets out of the Spanish rule, Cuba must
Later on, during the realization of the complete formal become American, and may not fall under the influence of any other European
independence in 1902, Cuba accepted the so called “Platt country.”
Amendment”, named according to the proposer – Sena-
tor Orville Hitchcock Platt, whereby Cuba agreed with
the right of USA to militarily and politically intervene
in Cuba’s internal politics, aimed at good governance.
In addition, with this Amendment Cuba agreed to cede
part of the territory in the Guantanamo Bay to USA,
for construction of a marine base, which is being used
by USA to this date. This amendment later on became
part of Cuba’s constitutional changes, wherewith Cuba
obtained formal independence from USA, which with-
draw its troops from the island. These two Amendments
were a turning point from the beginning of the twentieth
century, which probably had a crucial role in the further
development of the American-Cuban relations. In the fol-
lowing several decades, USA would militarily intervene
in Cuba several times, whereby the relations between the
two countries would turn into a real agony for the Cuban
residents, creating animosity between the two nations,
which is present to this date. Cuba’s pro-American presi-
dent, Batista, whose rule mostly rested on the military
and economic cooperation with the USA, established a
strong autocratic regime, which turned into an open dic-
tatorship. In 1959, due to the excessive violation of hu-
man rights, USA cancelled the military assistance and
support for Batista, something that was used by the op-
position rebel movement led by Fidel Castro, who man-
aged to overthrow Batista through an uprising. This was
the commencement of the communist dictatorship in
Cuba, led by the family Castro, which lasts to this date.

The new power almost instantly tightened the rela-
tions with the USA, through nationalization and con-
fiscation of the property of the first American compa-
nies, which possessed most of the Cuban economy. This
caused the introduction of sanctions by USA against
Cuba, whereby Cuba, being a new communist country,

September 2015 73