cuba

History

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from the US in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel Castro led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul Castro. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source if its difficulties. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted some 1,000 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2011.

The  Flag of Cuba The five equal bands of blue alternating with white bands. The blue bands refer to the three old division of the island such as central, oriental and occidental. The white bands represents the independence ideals. The triangle of the flag symbolize for liberty, equality and fraternity while the red color stands for the blood shed during the independence struggle.The white star which is also known as the "Lone Star"symbolizes the light to their freedom and it was taken from the Flag of Texas Political System of Cuba  The president is elected by the National Assembly and there is no limit to the number of terms of office. The incumbent president is Raul Castro, the brother of Fidel Castro -the man who played a major role in Cuban Revolution. Being the president ,he encompassed a lot of power. He is the President of the State and the President of the Council of Ministers , the First Secretary of the Communist Party and the Commander in Chief of the Revolutionary Army.These duties were delegated by Fidel to his brother on Cuban transfer of duties on 2006. This was in line with Article 94 of their constitution that in case of death and illness of the president,the first vice president asummes the position.    The National Assembly is the legislative parliament of the land of the republic of Cuba and are elected in a single-member electoral  districts for five years.   It has 614 members. Candidates for the assembly are approved by referendum. All Cuban over 16 years old without criminal offenses are allowed to vote. The country followed a secret ballot system as stipulated in Article 131 in the constitution.   A secret ballot is a voting method in which the voters who made the choice in an election or referendum are anonymous. It take in a form of a blank piece of paper upon the which the voter will only write his/her choice and put it inside the sealed box. This box will be emptied during the counting which will also be done in public views.     The Cabinet is highest ranking executive and administrative body of the Republic of Cuba.It consists of the president,the first vice president,the five vice presidents of the council of state,the secretary of the executive committee and the head of the national ministries.  The Supreme Court is the highest judicial power in Cuba. Judges  are again again elected and accountable to the National Assembly. The People's Supreme Court comprises a president, vice president and all professional and lay judges. Superior Courts are at the next level.Every province has its own superior court.  They decide which cases are able to pass to the Supreme Court.  The Courts of First Instance is the court on all major criminal matters, civil cases, juvenile cases, administrative law, and labor law. Appeals are sent to the Superior Courts. The Courts of Peace rule on small claims and minor criminal offenses such as petty theft. They are not allowed to appeal to any higher court. Cuban courts are organized into three divisions namely the national, municipal and provincial levels. Most civil and criminal offenses are heard in the municipal and provincial court by a panel of two lay judges and one professional judge. Cases that involve a potential sentence longer than eight years or complex civil cases are heard at the supreme level by a panel of three professional judges and two lay judges. Both are elected by the national assembly. Lay judges are peasants, workers, professional housewives or university students forming a panel. They enjoy the same rights that the professional judges have in making decisions in cases that are submitted in the court. They serve for thirty days THE UNFORGETTABLE PAST  Cuba had not also escaped from a painful past. A past that had marked several struggles in order to attain the freedom that they have right now. Here is a video that show the dark hours of Cuba. The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolution led  by Fidel Castro, the illegitimate  son of a wealthy farmer. He was inspired by the Marxism Leninism ideology that during his time he converted the Republic of Cuba into a one party socialist state. The said revolution began in the 26th of July 1953 with such aim to overthrow the U.S. backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista.       Batista was the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944. He rose for power after the 1933 Revolt of  Sergeants that overthrew the rule of Gerardo Machado who was the general during the " War of Independence" against Spain and became the president of Cuba from 1925 to 1933. Going back, Batista ruled Cuba for 4 years. After his term ,he lived in U.S. and went back to Cuba to run as president again in 1952. Upon facing a election defeat he led a military coup that preempted the election.Back in his position he suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked a lot of rights including the right to strike. His rule was marked by increasing corruptions. He exploited Cuba's commercial interests by negotiating with the American Mafia that controlled the gambling, drug and prostitution businesses in Havana-the leading commercal center and the capital city of Cuba. The people reacted with several riots and demonstrations. To silence them,Batista ordered first a tighter censorship of the media and utilized his secret police in his established agency called Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities to fight against pro-Castro rebels. They carried out wide-scale violence, torture and public executions that killed 1,000 to 20,000 people. ANOTHER LIGHT FOR CUBA  The revolutionary government of Fidel Castro with the help of his brother Raul Castro and his friend Che Guevarra who happened to be a guerilla leader, headed the revolution of the nationalists. They met Che Guevarra in Mexico and he  happened to have fought the same ideology that Fidel believed. He joined forces with them. He took key roles during the Cuba Revolution that yielded them their victory after  several years.  Batista was successfully overthrown on January 1, 1569 in the which the Cuban history called the "Battle at Santa Clara" This is a series of events that took place in December 28 until January 1, 1959 until the revolutionaries won the decisive fight against the army of Batista at Santa Clara-one city of Cuba. Guevarra again played a major role in  winning another historical battle called Bay of Pigs Invasion against the CIA trained Cuban exiles. Bay of Pigs refers to an inlet of the Gulf of Cazones on the southern coast of Cuba.  GUEVARA'S CONTRIBUTIONS After the revolution, he  reviewed the appeals of those people who were sentenced of firing squad  because they were convicted as war criminals during the revolutionary tribunals, spearheaded literacy campaign and initiated agrarian reform programs. One of his greatest contribution was when Cuba and USSR won the 13-day confrontation against the United States and brought home the Union Soviet Nuclear  Armed Ballistic Missiles that precipitated the Missile Crisis or also known the October Crisis in Cuba in 1962 during the Cold War. He left Cuba in 1965 to pursue his rebellion abroad but he was captured and killed by the CIA-assisted forces in Bolivia. His martyrdom brought him to the peak of appreciation being dubbed as "a new man"  driven by moral and not of material incentives. Time magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the 20th Century.  My Reflection Upon reading all these things I learn that there are really a lot of people who are willing to die for their ideals. I learn that delving deeper to the nation's history, you would come to meet , hate and love a lot of personalities. But what is important is that the past would have yield memories of  sufferings and downfall , a part of it would always be the light of triumphant on   victories over difficult battles that would be just enough cover the painful memoirs of the past. CUBA'S BEAUTIFUL PLACES, CULTURE  AND  PEOPLE   This video had brought me to Cuba in at least 26 minutes. I learn a lot of things. I saw  commendable talents from the people  and wonderful places in the land. Like any other countries, the government should protect and preserve these  things because these help cultivate the nation's pride and these things would make every person in the country happy and proud.