The Cuban Revolution and Relations With the USSR: Economic Cooperation or Political Subordination?

Abstract

The present investigation aims to analyze how Cuba’s relations
with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) influenced the initial developments of the Cuban Revolution and the socioeconomic transformations after the 1959 Revolution. To this end, the impacts of these relations will be emphasized, in the context of the Cold War and the central geopolitical position occupied by Cuba in the dispute between the two superpowers, on the economic and political strategies adopted by the country’s leadership. The aim is to take stock of the contradictory dynamics of relations between Cuba and the USSR, highlighting the aspects of economic-military support
concomitant with the subordination of the island’s international actions to the strategic objectives of the socialist bloc.