When Cuba threw off the yoke of Spanish rule at the end of the
nineteenth century, it did so with the help of another foreign
power, the United States. Thereafter, the United States became
involved in Cuban affairs, intervening twice militarily (1898-1902
and 1906-1909). What was the effect of U.S. intervention?
Conventional wisdom indicates that U.S. intervention hindered
the rise of militarism in Cuba in the early years of statehood.
This pathfinding study, however, takes just the opposite view. Jose
M. Hernandez argues that while U.S. influence may have checked the
worst excesses of the Independence-war veterans who assumed control
of Cuba's government, it did not completely deter them from
resorting to violence. Thus, a tradition of using violence as a
method for transferring power developed in Cuba that often made a
mockery of democratic processes.
In substantiating this innovative interpretation, Hernandez
covers a crucial phase in Cuban history that has been neglected by
most recent U.S. historians. Correcting stereotypes and myths, he
takes a fresh and dispassionate look at Cuba's often romanticized
struggle for political emancipation, describing and analyzing in
persuasive detail civilmilitary relations throughout the period.
This puts national hero Jose Marti's role in the 1895-1898 war of
independence in an unusual perspective and sets in bold relief the
historical forces that went underground in 1898-1902, only to
resurface a few years later.
This study will be of interest to all students of hemispheric
relations. It presents not only a more accurate picture of the Cuba
spawned by American intervention, but also the Cuban side of a
story that too frequently has been told solely from the U.S. point
of view.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!