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Follow-up Activities
Suggested Internet Resources
• In 2004, for the 13th year in a row, the United Nations General Assembly
approved a resolution condemning the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which
has been in effect since 1962.The 2004 vote was 179 to 4, with the
United States, Israel, Palau and the Marshall Islands in opposition to
lifting the embargo, which many claim is a major cause of Cuba’s economic difficulties.The United States counters that oppression and
mismanagement under the Castro regime is to blame for the country’s
poor economic performance.Ask opposing groups of students to each
research a side of the embargo argument and portray anti-embargo U.N.
representatives challenging pro-embargo U.S. government officials in a
panel discussion on the subject.
• Fidel Castro looked to expand the Cuban Revolution to other countries
and in the 1960s and 1970s lent support to various independence and
rebel movements in African countries such as Algeria,Angola and
Guinea-Bissau.These efforts were cited by the United States as proof of
C a s t ro and the Soviet Union’s effo rts to expand commu n i s m , while
C a s t rocountered by arguing that revolutions are not exported; t h ey are
made by the people.Ask students to re s e a rch and rev i ew the National
S e c u rity A rch i ve of secret Cuban gove rnment documents to determ i n e
the causes and motivations of Cuba’s invo l vement in past intern a t i o n a l
conflicts.
www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB67/
• Ask students to use the Spanish-American War as a media case study. In
the 1890s, newspaper publishers such as William Randolph Hearst
printed exaggerated, sometimes false stories to create public outrage
and lobby for war against the Spanish in Cuba.Ask students to evaluate
this style of journalism and discuss the influence the media has on
Americans and American foreign policy today.
• Often in history, actions turn out to have unintended consequences.Ask
committees of students to find out the original intent of the
encomienda system, explain the reasons why it did not turn out as
intended and draft a revision of the system that would have avoided the
ways it was abused.
• Fidel Castro often gets high marks for his social policies, but he is
harshly criticized for his totalitarian ways and repression of dissent.Ask
one group of students to investigate the state of Cuba’s education and
health care system and another group to research the human rights situation in the country. Both groups should compare notes and debate
whether life for average Cubans has improved or not since the 1959
revolution. Information on human rights violations in Cuba may be
found at this web site: hrw.org/doc/?t=americas&c=cuba
• Encourage students to delve deeper into the events that led to the
Cuban Missile Crisis by examining primary documents, including the
letters written by President Kennedy and Soviet leader Khrushchev.
Primary research material related to the crisis can be found at this web
site: www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/page2.asp
Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our web site at
www.LibraryVideo.com
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TEACHER’S G UIDE
• www.spanamwar.com/action.htm
This page offers a wealth of primary source material on the SpanishAmerican War, including many action reports and firsthand accounts.
• www1.lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/cuba/castro.html#browse
Links to the full text of many Castro speeches are presented in this
University of Texas at Austin site.
• www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/feros-pg.htm#documents
An excellent Mt. Holyoke College site that contains a wealth of documents
related to U.S. foreign policy in Cuba.
Suggested Print Resources
• Barrios, Fernandez Flor. Blessed by Thunder: Memoirs of a Cuban
Girlhood. Seal Press, Seattle WA; 1999.
• Martí, José et al. José Martí: Selected Writings. Penguin Books, New York,
NY; 2002.
• Medina, Loretta. Cuban Missile Crisis. Greenhaven Press, San Diego, CA;
2002.
• Wukovits, John. Spanish-American War. Lucent Books, San Diego, CA;
2002.
his guide is a supplement designed for teachers
to use when presenting pro grams in the series
World Revolutions for Students.
Before Vi e w i n g: G i ve students an introduction to
the topic by re l aying aspects of the pro gram
ove rview to them. Select pre-viewing discussion
questions and vocabulary to provide a focus for students when they view the program.
After Viewing: R ev i ew the pro gram and vo c abulary, and use the fo l l ow-up activities to inspire cont i nued discussion. E n c o u rage students to re s e a rch
the topic further with the Internet and print
resources provided.
Rudolph Lea
Historian
Jeffrey W. Litzke, M.Ed.
Curriculum Specialist, Schlessinger Media
TITLES IN THIS SERIES
CASTRO AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
THE CHINESE REVOLUTION (1911–1989)
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
GANDHI AND INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE
REVOLUTIONARY MEXICO (1910–1940)
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
THE SOUTH AFRICAN ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT
800-843-3620
Teacher’s Guide and Program Copyright 2005 by Schlessinger Media,
a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
Executive Producer:Andrew Schlessinger
Programs produced and directed by Issembert Productions, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Grades 9–12
T
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
THE
CASTRO AND
CUBAN REVOLUTION
D6901
V6071
Program Summary
After Columbus claimed Cuba for Spain, Spanish colonizers and plantation
ow n e rs instituted a harsh system of fo rced labor and economic exploitation.
As South American nations fought and won their independence in the early
19th century, revolution stirred in Cuba as we l l , led by the patriot José Mart í .
While Spain dominated Cuba, A m e rica looked to embark on its own imperi a list adve n t u res and, following the Spanish-American War in 1898, gained
control of the island.
F u l gencio Batista established himself as the military dictator and president of
Cuba in 1933, with strong American business back i n g . By the 1950s, Batista’s
b rutal re gime had lost both domestic and international support . Fidel Castro
emerged as a leader bent on ove rthrowing the Batista re gime, driving out
fo reign influence and addressing economic inequality. With a small guerri l l a
fo rce backed by strong popular support, C a s t ro ousted Batista and assumed
control of Cuba in 1959.
After taking power, Castro—influenced by the Marxist theory of the capitalist
exploitation of wo rke rs — redistributed land, began a major literacy campaign
and initiated a national health pro gram.Thousands of we a l t hy Cubans who
lost their property fled to the U.S., establishing a strong anti-Castro opposition
in Florida and fueling A m e rican hostility to his communist regime.As Castro
increasingly turned to the Soviet Union for economic and military aid, tensions with the U. S . increased.A m e rican fears of Soviet expansion sparked the
failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, while the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis came
close to setting off a nuclear war between the world’s superpowers.
Because of the collapse of the Soviet Union and a tight U.S. embargo,Cuba has
struggled economically. Despite economic problems and the harsh repression
of opposition parties, Castro has remained in power and enjoys a high level of
support from many Cubans who still re g a rd him as the hero of the Cuban
Revolution.
Time Line
1492 — Columbus lands in Cuba and claims it for Spain.
1823 — President Monroe proclaims the Monroe Doctrine.
1895 — José Martí is killed during Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain.
1898 — The U.S.S. Maine explodes in Havana harbor.
1901 — U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment.
1902 — Cuba is forced to incorporate the Platt Amendment in its
Constitution.
1933 — Batista comes to power in Cuba.
1952 — Batista cancels an election to retain his power.
1953 — Castro leads a small guerrilla force in an attack on the Moncada
Barracks.
1958 — Castro launches an offensive against Batista.
1959 — Batista flees on New Year’s Day and Castro enters Havana and
assumes control of Cuba.
1961 — Castro announces plans for Cuba to embark on a socialist path.
(Continued)
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1961 — The United States attacks Cuba in the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
1962 — The Cuban Missile Crisis takes the world to the brink of nuclear
war.
1991 — The Soviet Union dissolves.
Vocabulary
dictator — A ruler with absolute power, especially one who rules
tyrannically.
encomienda system — Spanish legal system of 1493 that the Spanish
colonizers used to oppress and exploit Native Americans for forced labor on
large plantations.
indigenous people — The original native inhabitants of a country or
region.
Simón Bolívar — The South American patriot, known as The Liberator, who
led the Latin American revolt against Spanish rule in 1819.
Monroe Doctrine — The U.S. policy first issued in 1823 as a warning to
European powers to keep out of the two American continents; later
extended to establish U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
imperial power — A country’s military and/or economic control over
other countries or colonies.
annexation — To incorporate into a country the territory of another.
Platt Amendment — A 1901 law declaring America’s right to intervene
militarily in Cuba to preserve its independence and establish a naval base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Moncada Barracks — The site of an unsuccessful Castro-led guerrilla
attack on Batista forces in July, 1953.
Granma — A wooden yacht used by Castro forces to launch a guerrilla
attack on the Batista government in 1956.
guerrillas — Irregular independent fighters who are not part of a regular
military force but engage in warfare.
Cuban émigrés — Anti-Castro Cubans who fled Cuba and settled in the
United States.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) — An organization in the United States
responsible for gathering information and facilitating overseas
communications.
Bay of Pigs Invasion — An unsuccessful attempt by Cuban exiles, sponsored by the U.S. military, to overthrow communist Cuban leader Fidel
Castro in April 1961.
blockade — A military strategy that attempts to isolate a country by
preventing the movement of its people and goods.
The Cuban Missile Crisis — A 1962 Cold War confrontation between the
United States and the Soviet Union that brought the world closer to nuclear
war than ever before.
infrastructure — The basic facilities that underlie a functioning community, such as roads, bridges, schools, power plants, transportation and
communication systems.
(Continued)
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counterrevolutionaries — People who fight against a revolutionary
movement or government.
embargo — An act or a policy that makes it illegal for one nation to
trade and do business with another.
austerity program — A policy of tight government control on spending
to restrict consumption, because of shortages of both consumer goods
and money.
Pre-viewing Discussion
• Stressing Cuba as an example, ask students if they think the U.S. should
have normal relations with other countries regardless of whether or not
we approve of their governments.
• Who is Fidel Castro? Why is he so controversial?
• Who were the first people in the Americas? How were indigenous
peoples affected by the arrival of European colonists?
Focus Questions
1. How and when did Cuba come to be a Spanish possession?
2.Why were enslaved Africans brought to Cuba?
3.Why are Simón Bolívar and José Martí heroic names in the history of
Latin America?
4.What was the importance of the Monroe Doctrine?
5.What incident caused the U.S. to go to war with Spain?
6.What role did the Platt Amendment play in the nation of Cuba after the
Spanish-American War?
7.What were the tactics Castro used to overcome the power of the
Batista dictatorship?
8.What were the first popular reforms Castro made after he came to
power?
9.What U.S. policy caused Castro to turn to the Soviet Union, and why?
10.What led to the Cuban Missile Crisis?
11.What effect did the demise of the Soviet Union have on Cuba?
Follow-up Discussion
• The observance of Columbus Day has become controversial because of
the tragic implications for indigenous people such as the Taino in Cuba.
Based on their knowledge of Cuban history, ask students to consider the
short-term and long-term impact of Spanish colonization on the island
and to discuss how these consequences affect their perceptions of
Columbus Day.
• In 1823, President James Monroe issued the Monroe Doctrine, which
tried to prevent European interests from dominating the Western
Hemisphere. Explain why Latin Americans, especially toward the end of
the 19th century, came to regard the Monroe Doctrine with great
apprehension.
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