Cuba

Cuba's Government

The government of Cuba is a totalitarian dictatorship; in other words, the leader has total control of all aspects of life and resistance is not tolerated. Miguel Diaz Canal has served as the president of Cuba since 2019 and as the first secretary of the Communist Party since 2021 . Although Miguel Diaz Canal is called a president, Cuban leaders have often acted as dictators. A dictatorship is a type of unlimited government because the government has unlimited power over its people.

The people of Cuba have little or no voice in the working of their government. They vote for their leaders but there is only one political party, the Cuban Communist Party, so there is only ever one candidate. Additionally, the Cuban people are not allowed to protest. Newspapers and other forms of media are run by the government. This is an example of censorship, when freedom of speech is limited. The people have few individual freedoms although Raul Castro is starting to change (reform) some of the rights for the people.

Cuba's Economy

Cuba’s type of economy is a system called communism. Under this system, the government plans, controls, and gives commands over a country’s economy. In effect, the government owns the country’s farms, factories, and businesses. Cuba relies on agricultural cash crops for much of their GDP (total value of all products and services in a country). And, the government owns the sugar plantations and other important businesses in the country. This means that people do not have a chance to own businesses or try creative new business ideas.

The reasoning behind communism is that everyone is created equal and gets an equal share of the economy. Cuba provides free schools, free medical care for everyone in the country, and land is evenly given out. For the poor of Cuba, this is a good deal. For the rich and middle classes of Cuba, this means lost money and property. In theory, it can be a good idea. Historically, under communism, most people end up worse off.

​In theory, communism sounds like an interesting idea, but Cuba’s government and economy have always been dominated by corruption (dishonesty and scandals). As a result, leaders of Cuba have become very rich. While the poor have gotten some things, they are still stuck at the bottom with no real way up.

The United States

The U.S. Government

The government of the United States is a democratic republic. Under this system, the people choose their leader by voting in elections for others to represent them in government, like President Donald Trump. Our democracy is also known as a limited government because the government’s power is limited by our rule-book, the U.S. Constitution.

​The people of the United States have many individual freedoms that protect themselves from abuse by the government. They have freedom of speech, religion, press (newspaper and Internet sites can investigate and report the truth about issues), the right to protest (express disapproval of the government), and are able to write to their government.

U.S. Economy

The United States economy is called many different things, like a free-market or free-enterprise economy. Another way to describe our type of economic system is capitalism. They all, basically, mean the same things. In a free enterprise, people and businesses have many freedoms. Private individuals and companies work with few rules and more freedom from the government. Businesses have more freedom to make their own choices. This is supposed to help make the economy stronger.

There are many benefits to the free enterprise system. One, is that individuals/business have the freedom to operate and compete with one another with little government interference. Also, people have private ownership of land, minerals, manufacturing plants, goods, and services and have the freedom to choose and manage their laborers (workers). Furthermore, the reasoning behind free enterprise is the belief that competition between businesses makes them work harder by competing to provide the best products at the best price. Ultimately, this encourages innovation (new technologies) and advancement of current products, so people always have access to the newest, best product. The United States encourages competition between businesses so only the most successful ones survive.

​However, this means that sometimes businesses try to cheat or take harmful shortcuts to cut costs and make the most money; therefore, some government rules are needed to protect workers and the environment. There needs to be a balance between letting companies compete to make the most money without abusing their employees and the environment.

Reflection: Write at least 2-3 complete sentences for each question. Use your notes and the readings to give details/examples.

1. Imagine you are a business owner. Which type of economic system would you prefer - communism or free enterprise? Why?

If I was a business owner, I would prefer ___________________ because...

2. What are the disadvantages (negatives) of communism?

Some of the disadvantages of communism are...

3. (BONUS) Read about the current relationship between Cuba and the U.S. (below), then describe the current relationship between the two countries.

Current Relationship between Cuba and the United States

Cuba and the United States have had a very complicated relationship. When the communists took over Cuba in 1959, the American government ended its relationship with the country because they disagreed with their government and economic policies (laws and practices). The United States even placed a trade embargo against Cuba, a law that prevents American companies from trading with Cuban companies. This means that American companies like McDonald's are forbidden from building any stores in Cuba and Americans are forbidden from traveling and spending money there as tourists. The goal of the embargo was to hurt the economy of Cuba so badly it would be forced to change their government and economic policies.

After Raul Castro took power, Cuba and the US began communicating again. In 2015, under President Obama, the United States opened an embassy in Cuba. An embassy is a place where American diplomats (citizens that represent their country) live in order to cooperate with the people in the Cuban government. Soon after, Cuba opened an embassy (an office to help the relationships between the two countries) in the U.S. as well. During the Obama administration, the two nations were working towards creating a positive relationship with more trade.

President Trump announced during a visit to Miami in June 2017 that he would call for some restrictions on travel and trade that had been eased by the Obama administration. Furthermore, he said U.S. sanctions (the ban on trade and travel) will not be lifted until Cuba frees all political prisoners and holds free and fair elections, among other rights-related conditions. In response, Castro said he would step down in November of 2017 and hold fair free elections.