Through the rise and fall of empires, ideologies, and economies,
tobacco grown on the tiny island of Cuba has remained an enduring
symbol of pleasure and extravagance. Cultivated as one of the first
reliable commodities for those inhabitants who remained after
conquistadors moved on in search of a mythical wellspring of gold,
tobacco quickly became crucial to the support of the swelling
Spanish Empire in the 17th seventeenth and 18th eighteenth
centuries. Eventually, however, tobacco became one of the final
stabilizing forces in the empire, and it ultimately proved more
resilient than the best laid plans of kings and queens. Tobacco,
and those whose livelihoods depended on it, shrugged off the
Empire's collapse and pressed on into the twentieth20th century as
an economic force any state or political power must reckon with.
Cosner explores the history of this golden leaf through the
personal narratives of farmers, bureaucrats, and laborers, all
struggling to build an independent and lucrative economic engine.
Through conquest, rebellion, colonial and imperial schemes, and the
eventual Communist revolution, Cuban tobacco and cigars became a
luxury item that commanded commanded loyalty that defied mere
borders or embargoes. Ultimately, "The Golden Leaf " is a story of
two carefully cultivated products: Cuban tobacco, and its lofty
reputation.
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