Cuba: A Brief History

In this thin and workmanlike account, University of Havana historians Vilaboy and Vega sketch Cuba’s development from the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Briskly recounting the archipelago’s transition from a Spanish sugar plantation colony to an independent socialist state, the authors forego complexity and color in favor of dry economic data and bland euphemisms about the Mariel boatlift, the Elián González affair, and other controversies. Though Vilaboy and Vega provide accurate and persuasive details related to U.S. and Soviet meddling in Cuban affairs, their overwhelmingly positive depiction of Fidel Castro and his political legacy begs skepticism, as does their assertion that “the vast majority of the Cuban people cherish the gains of their revolution and continue to seek a prosperous and sustainable form of socialism.” Economic struggles are consistently blamed on foreign interventions and disappointing sugarcane harvests, rather than government policies; “dogmatism and intolerance” are glossed over; and there is a noticeable lack of attention paid to racial issues within Cuban society. As a basic primer on Cuban history that takes a decidedly anti-imperialist and pro-socialist stance, however, this delivers. Readers seeking the perspective of those who remain committed to the Cuban revolution may want to have a look. (July)