University of Central Florida STARS PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements 1-1-1962 The theory of the Cuban Revolution Joseph Hansen Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Book is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Hansen, Joseph, "The theory of the Cuban Revolution" (1962). PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements. 280. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/280 Theory of the by Joseph Hansen PIONEER PUBLISHERS 116 Unhrdty b Nw Yd3, N. Y. In reply to all this, Ssme continued. beeianing ef the year some Cuban he had heard a thowand The came ta see him. "Tbey talked RwoIution is a pmxh whlch- fwses its at lemgtb, with fire, of the Revoludrn, Ideasin&n."This~,theM but I Med h vain to get them to tell ExistentIalIst philcsopber and play- me wheber the new regIme was social- wright held, was logically unmble, Ist or not." but a little abstract. Citing a practical Sartre was prevailed on to vislt Cuba interest in cl-bg up the question of a08 -mine for himself. Upon leav- the theory of the Cuban revohrtiopl, he ing, he offered bis imgmsdmr in en declared: "1t is nmto -. of UPWinter&, ''Ideologk y certainly, the und- - sincere or Revo1uci&" (Ideom end Rwolutlon ) , feigned - of those who say that they which was published ithe March 21 don't know anything or who repmacb isme af tunes de Rerrdurd6R. he revolutionary movement wi& noi hia tirst mrprbm one in Cuba having defined its aims." mu - flmt query is revohtian above all if you have visited the coun- - the Cuban soc~or not? Sartre recomhd ir&y d 'If - the E4ast -"he wrote; the that the gudon was well put, due awt of ideology. it Is not abnce Yet to the fact that from a &tame not ideologies that are lacking fn thtP one tends to be a "little abstract, iallfng eeatury; here too, they have represen- w tawwho from all sides offer us their those big words that tday dtute symbls rather than pmgmus-" Never- &. Your leaders are not ignorant of them; they simply don't employ them. theless. '~~i9mPLibid -? Their adwrsarie formulate the most Many inteuects they are convinced contFadietov reproaches: for me,this in good faith that a Redutfon ought to know k going." absence of ideas k nowmore than where it a trick; it bides the mast rigorma Alam- Sartre hlieves they are wroae. The ism which does not yet dare name itsell; French Revolution of 1'189 was 'Wig some day the Cubanx will remove the blind." The same ones Uwbo voted for am& and communism will be installed the Repubtic were mmar&hb two in the Caribbean, a few mil# from years before. EveryWag !erminated in Miami. Other enemies - or, on occa- a miUbry d1ctatmip that saved tbe don, the same - accuse them of think- rich end reinstituted the mamrchy. And, ing of absolutely nothing: 'They are im- through the mirages of an ~e~ ri- provising,' I have bntold, 'and after gidity, how many vadlhtim, how maw having done something they elaborate a errors, how maw dips backward the theory.' Someone adds politely: 'Try to Russian Revolution expwfenoed durifg speak with the members of the govern- its first Y~BFBI*~A NEP by cu- ment; perhaps they know what they cu~ces,"failure to foresee" the are doing. Aa for us, I must confess that wrdi of the rwolutionarp mopemenu we know absolutely nothing.' And a few In Europe or even its own hpoietion. days ago at the Univdty, a student "The new ideas were expdwithin d@chd, 'Autonomy becomes all the the framework of an id- without more indwble&we the Revolution flexibility, bwmiag cmvdhto b- has not defined its objectives.' " nh: S&ahn in one country, the per- manent revolution; inventions which it Reprlnkd horn the Summer I %O was believed could be jddthrwrgh International Sodalkt Raview quotations." Sartre, prmting hiP credenthls in MafhM, ia dear4 not to k taken 8s The two concepts at first medin- a PeFfoua theweSldon of revolution. compatible to Sartre. "In the first case, Frosn bin brief -Ira about Europe's I thought, we adapts bimlf, me tan- two -test rewlu- ir would be mrhes, everything must remain fluid bud to -pe the duaIon that rev- and principle3 mwnot constitute a hIn- olutionary theory k of little use. Never- drw.In the wand, the revolutionmy fhelm..he &ids it scmdy sntMyh# ta movement treMmes more profom4 ia a m4 in rtsponse to the qwdon in sure and, as a whole, regular manner; Cub& "AH yW g~hgtO build So- there exkt then an order d march, chlhm?" tbat d&e it8 points of reference, a dietion. Perhaps own ideology." - - ft muld la? too ambitious to call fhe Sar&e found among the leaders of discovery of an orientation an 'ideology,' the Cuben ElwolutIon We concepthns but it must be admittea that the de- which he at Llrat thought were contra- man& of @ds have changed tbe Ideas dicky. One of the Ieadets told Mm of these revolutionary leaders." that the Revolutlm ia unable to fake Ohedng the r@clgrocal relatlon be a long-range objectfve '%@cause it is a twem Ehvana's ma- end Cash, dur- re-action. or If YOU Wigk something that ing the Cuban leader's apeech following rebounds." the blowing up of the freighter L,u Cou- as was "He memt by this that your people, bw it unlading mmitions for the defense of the country, Sartre came placed before a too powerful neighbor, to the rollelltgiom that the two concepb never had the abmlute initiative and ucounterblowwand "radlcallzPtIonv were saw themselva obwt~ employ every actually interrelated md that. they recourse of intelligeuce and enerm to marked the en* eourse oi the Cum Intrmt a counterblow. And he added: 'How can we make long-range plans Revolution. In the rest of his essay he when we can find rrursel~e8 invaded sketch# thh inmlath, b&dng tomo~~ow,or sufier the most inimm? with the appearance of bourgeols-demfh momic prerunrre? Guerrilla war, re- cratic patriots who had to find a chss shtame to ecnnamic bids*, would base in the "agricultural workms" In necessarily chonpe the stmcture d our order to buiId an effective movement, society. All we know ie this: we will then take up the agrarian came to carry not be defeated. But the conditions d through the overthrow d the BsMa our struggle would change us: It will dIctaMp, and rinaIly undertake ra- ace1 economic measures to cormlidate be mothe Cuba that the victory.' and I undethat he mead that your the victory defend the c&tq 'ImgrovLsatfona' &re not, In firc4, any- against irnpmbbm. Sartre sees as the thing but a deiensive Wque: the possible end goint of this development, Cuban RevoIuffon must &sf itself should the foreign preasure prow suf- ficient, "self-radicalization" oi the Cu- constantly to the enemy maaeuvfxs. Per- ban and, haps the measures of wnterbbw wLH Revolution as its economic counterpart, 'Vadical daUzation." give bfrth to a counter-ideology?" N~&,afewweeksaftertheap- However, other leaders talk4 about thmves. "I asked them questions W by Emat0 UC?@ Gueyara wm a-t their Iives, about the evolution wblmfd in Havana.+- As om or the d their thought. All oi them told me top iisllrcs oi thcf Cub men4 that ttre Rwolutiom had drmd than that Wrih is, of far beyond thek first p&t&~. Vi-t ~tok~Intfsk~curar- clpehes had occurred ad they had Do -,- ht& w,perrLlla war- r I '* . confront SEVem realities: of mir . ..*, old Men& had not fallowed #e moW+ mat; o#w% reluctamtb Im -I-- m,had become ?ad&&&," fare, he is an undoubted authority, hav- The firmest mihm prevailed; the ing ?wed this by his military kader- fighters living Ikmonks m Spartam. lipan the dvll war. At present, as haad An iron ptinclple of the leadem was b d the National Bank, he h in charge of lead by example ". the chi& must Cuba's foreign trade, a post of key im- constantly offer the exanrpb of a crystal pwtance In the defetw of the country cbar and sell-samltidug m."Ail, lead- and in the development of eowramIc ers and m&s, shared and ghared plaunhg. h Cuewa de Edlhwill - no enceptiom. Thia included mt -aPly undoubtedly be widely dhassed in rev- the occasicwal bandoub d fobaeeo but olutionary elrcIes thraugbut Letin the rugged fare, the hunger, tbe riahs America whwe Cuba k now pre+mI- md the worst bd&@u. AS the m- nent as a so- of hphatlon, rilh fighter's hh under Largely a handbook, the author duak indodrhstiom, he became a rwdutloa- in considerable detall with the peacueal ary, charged with the md side oi guerrilla warfare in a cwmtry fervor so charae* of f- de- ltke Cub under the conditions of a dic- dicaml to a great cause. tatorship like Batista's. As Guevara The small guerrULa bands grew until m,vlrh~ally werythinp he pments they were able to hold ddereble ter- is takeu from the Cubau experimce an8 ritory where, as a power dual to htof may not be appucsble in every fnstance Batista. they were able to &ive a de- to other countries wen thaw having monsttetion d what thdr gwerrrment much in common in the way of dhaie, would be like.