Energized by the thrill and power of abducting Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, Donald J. Trump said he thinks he will have the “honor” of “taking Cuba,” recalling news mogul William Randolph Hearst’s famous quote to illustrator Frederic Remington: “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” I figured that if he is planning gunboat diplomacy, he might enjoy this rare 1960 Album de la Revolucion Cubana that I found many years ago among other international titles in a left-wing bookstore. It is no coincidence (or is it?) that baseball-loving Cuba would use trading cards to celebrate the revolution. Whether intended or not, the medium is perfect for presenting bite-sized nuggets of history and mythology.
In 1960, Felices, a Cuban canned food brand, encouraged customers to acquire this series of cards chronicling the seven bloody years it took Fidel Castro and his army of guerrilla revolutionaries to win their jungle and urban war against the Batista government. The cards tell the detailed story of the fight — yet it’s somewhat ironic that a capitalist firm would sponsor this bit of ephemera.
Castro had come to power with the support of most middle classes on the basis of his promises to restore the 1940 constitution, create a democratic regime, reinstate full civil and political liberties, and undertake moderate reforms. But once established as Cuba’s leader, he began to pursue more radical policies: Cuba’s private commerce and industry were nationalized; sweeping land reforms were instituted; and American businesses and agricultural estates were expropriated. The United States was alienated by these policies and offended by Castro’s fiery new anti-American rhetoric. His trade agreement with the Soviet Union in February 1960 further deepened American distrust. In 1960 most economic ties between Cuba and the United States were severed, and the latter broke diplomatic relations with the island country in January 1961.
The post The Daily Heller: Cuba’s Revolution Was in the Cards appeared first on PRINT Magazine.