May 17, 1959: Castro signs the Agrarian Reform Act

This was the first major act of revolutionary policy to be established by the new government under the control of Fidel Castro after the Batista Regime. The government expropriates farm lands over 1,000 acres and bans land ownership by foreigners. Two hundred thousand peasants receive titles to land. Indeed, the Agrarian Reform Act seemed to be a good idea to give equal agricultural opportunities to Cuban citizens, especially since more than 70% of the agricultural land was owned by foreigners. However, according to my dad, a lot of citizens that were against this Act were forced to conform in fear of the severe punishment. Depending on the offense, if you showed any sign of unwillingness to conform to Castro's regime, you would either be arrested, killed, or just abandoned by the government.

After the Agrarian Reform Act...

After the Agrarian Reform Act of that was signed in 1959, all the farms were split up (usually into fourths) and split amongst the Cuban citizens equally. Castro's family farm was nationalized first, to gain the respect and trust of the nation. However, he ordered militia to check in on farm lands just to keep track of the household cultivation. Every family had/has to account for all cattle. If one was to be missing any, they would have to be questioned by the militia that come on a monthly basis. They would usually let it go the first time, and maybe even the second, but if it continued that way you could be larger penelized.

How trade with Russia caused a shortage of food in Cuba...

This is an audio clip from me interviewing my Dad...

Although this is an attempt of spreading comic relief on the situation, which I might add that may Dad completely loved, he still could not walk away without explaining again how serious the situation really was. Not only were they trading food, but my father witnessed the rise of war tanks and other arms which ultimately led to the Cuban Missile crisis.

February 6 of 1960: The Sugar Compromise...

February 6, 1960, The Soviet Union agrees to buy five million tons of sugar over five years. They also agree to support Cuba with oil, grain, and credit.

Web source:
www.historyofcuba.com/history/havana/Sugar1.htm

"The sugar industry-always a parasitical growth-has never been able to pay its expenses with its own resources in normal times. It depended on slavery for its prosperity in former times and now the masked slavery of the West Indian laborers is unable to save it. Some sort of economic euthanasia is needed for industries which have developed into monstrosities as is the case with Cuba's sugar industry."
- Herminio Portell Vilá, Hispanic American Historical Review, 1932

Sugar was Cuba's primary source of control because they had such a large quantity of it. The funny thing is, is the fact that Castro so promptly made this promise to the Soviets; he knew everyone else in Cuba would be cultivating for them, not him. This picture is not of the Post-Revolutionary time in Cuba, but even further back to the African slave trade, which lasted over three centuries (Sierra).

Agricultural way of life...

Web source:

http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF1904/Bazan/Bazan.html

These are not pictures of the Post Revolutionary time period, but is part The first picture is of a man "showing off his his leaves" and the second one is of a high school student picking tobacco during a voluntary school program in Bautista, Cuba. I found them very interesting, not only because it is talented photography, but also because of the contrast of them both. In the first picture, the man looks like he is farming his own land, which would also mean that he HAS to pick tobacco because the Cuban government requires him to. The sky is cloudy unlike the one of the younger girl the picture below his. In my own way, I view these as a metaphor of the differences in the mind of the older, more experienced versus the youthful, less concerned Cuban citizen.

March of 1962: The Cuban government begins rationing food.

Ration book that is given to all Cuban citizens
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/6377117

The ration book that determines most Cuban's diets list types and amounts of foodstuffs to be checked, signed, and stamped at the local government food distribution center. Cuba's universal ration program was launched in 1962 to guarantee citizens a basic amount of food at low prices.



Price list at Government ration shop
http://picasaweb.google.com/MDSouter/BestOfCuba2007#5070356398464578690

The ration program, or Control of Sales for Food Products, was introduced in 1962, three years after Castro seized power, and although it was called provisional, it remains in force. It is laid out in the wallet-sized cardboard "libreta," or notebook, assigned to everyone shortly after birth.