"In the 20th and 21st century revolutions have become more urban, often less violent, but also more frequent and more transformative of the international order. Whether it is the revolutions against Communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR; the "color revolutions" across Asia, Europe and North Africa; or the religious revolutions in Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria; today's revolutions are quite different from those of the past. Modern theories of revolution have therefore replaced the older class-based theories with more varied, dynamic, and contingent models of social and political change. This new edition updates the history of revolutions, from Classical Greece and Rome to the Revolution of Dignity in the Ukraine, with attention to the changing types and outcomes of revolutionary struggles. It also presents the latest advances in the theory of revolutions, including the issues of revolutionary waves, revolutionary leadership, international influences, and the likelihood of revolutions to come. This volume provides a brief but comprehensive introduction to the nature of revolutions and their role in global history"--

Fidel Castro's revolution and its foreign policy extensions have been the source of much U.S.-Latin American policy frustration during the last 30 years. Not only the ideological tensions, but the almost global sweep of Cuba's national pretensions have consumed U.S. resources and political capital, and thrust a small island nation to the forefront of global intrigue and crisis. But as this volume shows, there are signs that Cuba's internationalism is now at a crossroads. Fauriol and Loser have gathered together a distinguished group of specialists on Cuba to review principal aspects of Cuba's international relations. Among the new dimensions discussed are shifts in Cuba's African policy, the residual political impact of Grenada, developments in Central America, the aftermath of the Ochoa narcotics episode, and perhaps most significantly, the degree of tension between Cuba and both Moscow and Washington, and leadership succession beyond Castro. A primary issue for Cuba, the authors show, will be its isolation within the Soviet bloc, and its refusal to address Gorbachev's challenges to the status quo. At the very least, Cuba risks becoming an irrelevant anachronism amidst the groundswell of change in the communist world. These and other issues are addressed in a major review of Cuba's position in the world 30 years after its revolution. "Cuba: The International Dimension "will be of interest to researchers and policy makers concerned with Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as those interested in changes in the Third World and communist countries worldwide. Contributors include: Jiri Valenta, Jaime Suchlicki, William Ratliff, Ernest Evans, Juan Benemelis, Gillian Gunn, Scott MacDonald, Michael J. Mazaar, Constantine Menges, Jorge F. Perez-Lopez, Jorge Sanguinetty, Paula J. Pettavino, and Juan M. del Aguila.

This is the first book in more than three decades to offer a complete and chronological history of revolutionary Cuba, including the years of rebellion that led to the revolution. Beginning with Batista’s coup in 1952, which catalyzed the rebels, and bringing the reader to the present-day transformations initiated by Raúl Castro, Luis Martínez-Fernández provides a balanced interpretive synthesis of the major topics of contemporary Cuban history. Expertly weaving the myriad historic, social, and political forces that shaped the island nation during this period, Martínez-Fernández examines the circumstances that allowed the revolution to consolidate in the early 1960s, the Soviet influence throughout the latter part of the Cold War, and the struggle to survive the catastrophic Special Period of the 1990s after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. He tackles the island’s chronic dependence on sugar production, which started with the plantations centuries ago and continues to shape culture and society. He analyzes the revolutionary pendulum that continues to swing between idealism and pragmatism, focusing on its effects on the everyday lives of the Cuban people, and—bucking established trends in Cuban scholarship—Martínez-Fernández systematically integrates the Cuban diaspora into the larger discourse of the revolution. Concise, well written, and accessible, this book is an indispensable survey of the history and themes of the socialist revolution that forever changed Cuba and the world.

The Cuban Revolution offers a reflective account of what the Revolution has meant to various actors such as the dominant powers, the Third World, fellow revolutionaries, intellectuals and Cuban citizens at different periods in its history. Rather than offer a simple narrative of events, Geraldine Lievesley addresses significant themes with which the Revolution has engaged and the problems that it has encountered.

The Cuban Revolution was a catalyst in shaping American foreign policy over the past generation. Welch's study is the first detailed evaluation of U.S. policy toward Cuba in the early years of the Castro regime and the first effort to analyze public sentiment during that crucial period. Our response to Cuba was a mirror of our Cold War assumptions and frustrations--and of our apprehensions concerning revolutionary movements abroad.

This book addresses the relationship between Moscow and Havana in the period between the Russian and Cuban Revolutions, i.e. from November 1917 to January 1959. It analyzes the reasons why in this era before the Cuban Revolution, which is traditionally thought to have ignited Moscow’s interest in the Caribbean island, a relationship existed between the two countries at a variety of different levels. In order to do this, both the attention that the Third International, or Comintern, gave to Cuba, as well as Moscow’s formal state-to-state relations with Havana, are examined. In addition, United States policy towards both socialism and the Soviet Union are analyzed, due to the role that Washington played in Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution. Following this, an examination of the events, process and dynamics that characterized the nature of the relationship between Moscow and Havana from 1917 to 1959 will be conducted. A number of conclusions will be given, but the primary one is that prior to January 1959, the Kremlin took considerable interest in Cuba and did not suffer from “geographical fatalism,” as has traditionally been thought. This is significant in itself, but also in light of the relationship that rapidly developed between Moscow and Havana in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, as a number of factors that were important in the pre-1959 relationship would also be significant after 1959. Furthermore, this analysis is also important for the contemporary bilateral relationship between Russia and Cuba, as both governments have made increasing reference to the multifaceted relationship that existed prior to 1959.

Cuba Was Different explores Cuban Communist Party (PCC) views following the collapse of Eastern European and Soviet socialism through the lens of the official daily newspaper Granma (1989-1992) and interviews conducted later with Cuban PCC members who reflected back on that momentous period.

Part of a series of books to be published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Cuban revolution, this anthology is based upon primary source material and documents the key moments of the revolution and its impact outwith Cuba.

The extraordinary account of the Cuban people’s struggle for survival in a post-Soviet world In the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba faced the start of a crisis that decimated its economy. Helen Yaffe examines the astonishing developments that took place during and beyond this period. Drawing on archival research and interviews with Cuban leaders, thinkers, and activists, this book tells for the first time the remarkable story of how Cuba survived while the rest of the Soviet bloc crumbled. Yaffe shows how Cuba has been gradually introducing select market reforms. While the government claims that these are necessary to sustain its socialist system, many others believe they herald a return to capitalism. Examining key domestic initiatives including the creation of one of the world’s leading biotechnological industries, its energy revolution, and medical internationalism alongside recent economic reforms, Yaffe shows why the revolution will continue post-Castro. This is a fresh, compelling account of Cuba’s socialist revolution and the challenges it faces today.