History UsefulNotes / Cuba

Cubans in rural areas say things like 'comenos' (rather than 'comemos') and 'haiga' (a leftover form 17th century colonial Spanish, as opposed to modern 'haya'), although the latter can be found all throughout Latin America.

Cubans use different vocabulary, too. For example, 'coger' is a PerfectlyCromulentWord in Cuban Spanish and only means 'to get' as opposed to the more obscene meaning of 'fuck' that it has in most of Spanish America. 'Papaya', however, is slang for vulva and so the Papaya fruit is called 'frutabomba' instead. 'Guagua' meaning bus is pretty well-known; it is also used in the Canary Islands and comes from the beeping sound that buses make. Cuban Spanish has quite a few loanwords from American English, like 'pulover' for shirt, 'chor' for shorts, and (for some people!) 'frigidaire' for refrigerator. Cubans can say 'elevadór' (whereas the word is 'acensor' in many other places), 'keik' and 'pai' (cake and pie). The diminutive for words with a t in the last syllable is formed with 'ico/ica' rather than 'ito/ita' so that 'chiquita' becomes 'chiquitica' rather than 'chiquitita' (and yes, that ABBA song ''does'' sound odd).

The resulting [[BayOfPigsInvasion "Bay of Pigs"]] amphibious assault by a troop of Cuban exiles was a LastStand on par of Thermopylae tactically, but strategically and politically was an embarrassing failure. Already heavily leaning towards the authoritarian left, Castro swung fully towards an alliance with the Soviet Union; inviting military forces in to act as a counterbalance to another attempt. Things got hairy during the [[WorldWarIII Cuban Missile Crisis]], wherein the US learned that the Soviet Union had transferred some missiles to Cuba. After several days of nuclear brinkmanship and frantic diplomacy, the two superpowers avoided all-out war, leading to a relative thaw in US-USSR relationships. Castro was not present at the talks concerning the crisis, particularly because [[EvenEvilHasStandards the Soviets were not sure if they could rely on him or allies like Che to keep their cool.]]

* [[MoeAnthropomorphism Cuba]] in AxisPowersHetalia is a big guy who loathes America but hangs around with Canada.

* ''Film/TheGodfather Part II'' has a number of scenes set in pre-Castro Havana.
* ''RedZoneCuba''

* The ''{{Airwolf}}'' episode "Mad Over Miami".

The status quo in Cuba tottered along until the Soviet Union's collapse in the late 1980's. This had an immediate and devastating effect on the Cuban economy since USSR was the main commercial partner of Cuba for decades, while the U.S insisted on maintaining an embargo on the economy hoping the regime would collapse. In what is known as "the Special Period" (early 90s), Cuba's economy suffered immensely, with simple necessities like toilet paper and food becoming even harder to find. Cuba started to focus more on tourism, and enough trade was attracted from Europe to slow the descent into the CrapsackWorld-ness of some of its Caribbean neighbors. Cuba continues to suffer shortages of every day commodities, a situation not helped by the ongoing US embargo- fiercely maintained through every US Presidential Administration for the past fifty years- or the Castro government's [[YouFailEconomicsForver creative][ failures to utilize the rest of the world market and unstinting hostility towards the US.

Cuba. A land where the music is good, the drink flows freely and the tourists come for both. Oh, and it's famous for its cigars and [[DirtyCommunists Communism.]]

This status quo remained more or less until the reign of "President"/dictator Fulgencio Batista, who maintained strong ties with the US government and even moreso with "legitimate" US businesses. While the role of the Mafia in pre-Revolutionary Cuba is heavily exagerrated, it was definitely present on both sides of the Florida straits. All of this made it seem like Batista would be able to continue lording over like so many other strongmen had before him. But this state of affairs began to change when clamor for reform on the island coupled with growing US antipathy towards supporting his regime (particularly since he also wanted Guantanamo Bay back) ate away at his support until the 1959 Cuban Revolution, in which FidelCastro took over the country. The Castro regime's policies rapidly led to a complete breakdown of relations between Cuba and the West..

The resulting [[BayOfPigsInvasion "Bay of Pigs"]] amphibious assault by a troop of Cuban exiles was an embarrassing failure. Seeing it as a way of fending off the US, Castro began cultivating a relationship with the Soviet Union. Things got hairy during the [[WorldWarIII Cuban Missile Crisis]], wherein the US learned that the Soviet Union had transferred some missiles to Cuba. After several days of nuclear brinkmanship and frantic diplomacy, the two superpowers avoided all-out war, leading to a relative thaw in US-USSR relationships. Castro was not present at the talks concerning the crisis.

From 1966 to 1989 Cuba would aid Angola in its military conflict against South Africa under apartheid (same apartheid as in ''Lethal Weapon'') in the 1960s and financed a number of revolutionary insurgencies around the world, including the Sandinistas, the South African rebel organizations such as the ANC, all considered terrorists by the US Department of State, unlike the Afghan mujahideen (see {{Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters}}). As a result of this Castro is considered by some one of the founding fathers of Namibia, Angola, and free South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro are reported to be close friends. Che Guevara would die in this type of effort in Bolivia, executed to avoid a trial, in 1967.

The status quo in Cuba tottered along until the Soviet Union's collapse in the late 1980's. This had an immediate and devastating effect on the Cuban economy since USSR was the main commercial partner of Cuba for decades, while the U.S insisted on blockading the economy hoping the regime would collapse. In what is known as "the Special Period" (early 90s), Cuba's economy suffered immensely, with simple necessities like toilet paper and food becoming even harder to find. Cuba started to focus more on tourism, and enough trade was attracted from Europe to prevent a descent into the CrapsackWorld-ness of some of its Caribbean neighbors. Cuba continues to suffer shortages of every day commodities, a situation not helped by the ongoing US embargo, fiercely maintained through every US Presidential Administration for the past fifty years.

If you like crumbling Spanish architecture, 1950s cars and lovely beaches uncluttered with [[HawaiianShirtedTourist stupid tourists]], ballet and the best music Latin America has to offer, modern Cuba is the place to go--unless you're American, in which case only go if you're willing to take your trip in multiple steps and hide the fact you've ever been there from the government, because it is a violation of the embargo and therefore a crime for a US citizen to visit Cuba. Also notable is the country's human development (average healthcare, education, nutrition, life expectancy, et al.) which throughout the last decades has been higher than those of the countries that surround it and Latin America in general. All this despite the crumbling infrastructure, the secret police, the embargo, and the continued repression of free speech and human right abuses against those elements deemed "counter-revolutionary" (sure sounds like China doesn't it? except for the embargo part that is).

Eventually, the Spanish colonists became upset with Spain and started to fight a war of liberation, which was unpleasant enough ''before'' the United States, flexing its muscles on the world stage, became involved. It entered the war on the pretense of caring about Cuba's freedom and claiming that Spain had attacked the US, following the still-mysterious 1898 sinking of the ''USS Maine'' off the Cuban coast. The war became called the Spanish-American War; the US was victorious and Cuba became an American protectorate. During this time a chess player named Capablanca became famous around the world. He went on to become a Chess Master and is now regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

The United States had plans for exploiting Cuba just as fiercely as the Spanish, but that sort of went awry when Cubans started asking for a greater voice in government. Under the terms of something known as the Platt Amendment, the US gave Cuba its nominal independence, though the American shadow continued to hover over Cuba thanks to Washington's cozy relations with president/dictator Fulgencio Batista; the establishment of the now-infamous Guantanamo Bay military base was just one of the many strings attached to the country's "freedom". Along with the US government and "legitimate" US businesses, the American mafia became heavily involved in the island, turning it into something like LasVegas East. This state of affairs continued until the 1959 Cuban Revolution, in which FidelCastro took over the country. The Castro regime's policies rapidly led to a complete breakdown of American/Cuban relationships, the eviction of the Mafia, and a total economic embargo.

From 1966 to 1989 Cuba would aid Angola in its military conflict against South Africa under apartheid (same apartheid as in ''Lethal Weapon'') in the 1960 and financed a number of revolutionary insurgencies around the world, such as the Sandinista, or the South African Freedom movement, all consider terrorist organisations at the time by the department of state, unlike the Afghan mujahideen (see {{Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters}}). As a result of this Castro is considered by some one of the founding fathers of Namibia, Angola, and Free South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro are reported to be close friends. Che Guevara would die in such type of effort in Bolivia, executed by CIA officers to avoid a trail, in 1967.

If you like crumbling Spanish architecture, 1950s cars and lovely beaches uncluttered with [[HawaiianShirtedTourist stupid tourists]], ballet and the best music Latin America has to offer, modern Cuba is the place to go. Also notable is the country's human development (average healthcare, education, nutrition, life expectancy, et al.) which throughout the last decades has been higher than those of the countries that surround it and Latin America in general. All this despite the crumbling infrastructure, the secret police, the embargo, and the continued repression of free speech and human right abuses against those elements deemed "counter-revolutionary" (sure sounds like China doesn't it? except for the embargo part that is).

Cuba. A land where the music is good, the drink flows freely and the tourists come for both. Oh, and it's famous for its cigars.

* ''TheGodfather Part II'' has a number of scenes set in pre-Castro Havana.

<<|AnimalTropes|>>

* [[WhoseLineIsItAnyway TAPIOCA!!]]

The resulting [[BayOfPigsInvasion "Bay of Pigs"]] amphibious assault by a troop of Cuban exiles was an embarrassing failure. Seeing it as a way of fending off the US, Castro began cultivating a relationship with the Soviet Union. Things [[{{Understatement}} got interesting]] with the [[WorldWarIII Cuban Missile Crisis]], wherein the US learned that the Soviet Union had transferred some missiles to Cuba. After several days of nuclear brinkmanship and frantic diplomacy, the two superpowers avoided all-out war, leading to a relative thaw in US-USSR relationships. Castro was not present at the talks concerning the crisis.

The United States had plans for exploiting Cuba just as fiercely as the Spanish, but that sort of went awry when Cubans started asking for a greater voice in government. Under the terms of something known as the Platt Amendment, the US gave Cuba its nominal independence, though the American shadow continued to hover over Cuba thanks to cozy relations with president/dictator Fulgencio Batista; the establishment of the now-infamous Guantanamo Bay military base was just one of the many strings attached to the country's "freedom". Along with the US government and "legitimate" US businesses, the American mafia became heavily involved in the island, turning it into something like LasVegas East. This state of affairs continued until the 1959 Cuban Revolution, in which FidelCastro took over the country. The Castro regime's policies rapidly led to a complete breakdown of American/Cuban relationships, the eviction of the Mafia, and a total economic embargo.

The United States had plans for exploiting Cuba just as fiercely as the Spanish, but that sort of went awry when Cubans started asking for a greater voice in government. Under the terms of something known as the Platt Amendment, the US gave Cuba its nominal independence, though the American shadow continued to hover over Cuba during the reign of president/dictator Fulgencio Batista; the establishment of the now-infamous Guantanamo Bay military base was just one of the many strings attached to the country's "freedom". Along with the US goverment, the American mafia became heavily involved in the island, turning it into something like LasVegas East. This state of affairs continued until the 1959 Cuban Revolution, in which FidelCastro took over the country. The Castro regime's policies rapidly led to a complete breakdown of American/Cuban relationships, the eviction of the Mafia, and a total economic embargo.

The United States had plans for exploiting Cuba just as fiercely as the Spanish, but that sort of went awry when Cubans started asking for a greater voice in government. Under the terms of something known as the Platt Amendment, the US gave Cuba its nominal independence, though the American shadow continued to hover over Cuba; the establishment of the now-infamous Guantanamo Bay military base was just one of the many strings attached to the country's "freedom". Along with the US goverment, the American mafia became heavily involved in the island, turning it into something like LasVegas East. This state of affairs continued until the 1959 Cuban Revolution, in which FidelCastro took over the country. The Castro regime's policies rapidly led to a complete breakdown of American/Cuban relationships, the eviction of the Mafia, and a total economic embargo.

The United States had plans for exploiting Cuba just as fiercely as the Spanish, but that sort of went awry when Cubans started asking for a greater voice in government. Under the terms of something known as the Platt Amendment, the US gave Cuba its nominal independence, though the American shadow continued to hover over Cuba; the establishment of the now-infamous Guantanamo Bay military base was just one of the many strings attached to the country's "freedom". Along with the US goverment, the American mafia became heavily involved in the island, turning it into something like LasVegas East. This state of affairs continued until the 1959 Cuban Revolution, in which Fidel Castro took over the country. The Castro regime's policies rapidly led to a complete breakdown of American/Cuban relationships, the eviction of the Mafia, and a total economic embargo.

The resulting "Bay of Pigs" amphibious assault by a troop of Cuban exiles was an embarrassing failure. Seeing it as a way of fending off the US, Castro began cultivating a relationship with the Soviet Union. Things [[{{Understatement}} got interesting]] with the [[WorldWarIII Cuban Missile Crisis]], wherein the US learned that the Soviet Union had transferred some missiles to Cuba. After several days of nuclear brinkmanship and frantic diplomacy, the two superpowers avoided all-out war, leading to a relative thaw in US-USSR relationships. Castro was not present at the talks concerning the crisis.

From 1966 to 1989 Cuba would aid Angola in its military conflict against South Africa under apartheid (same apartheid as in Lethal Weapon) in the 1960 and financed a number of revolutionary insurgencies around the world, such as the Sandinista, or the South African Freedom movement, all consider terrorist organisations at the time by the department of state, unlike the Afghan mujahideen (see {{Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters}}). As a result of this Castro is considered by some one of the founding fathers of Namibia, Angola, and Free South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro are reported to be close friends. Che Guevara would die in such type of effort in Bolivia, executed by CIA officers to avoid a trail, in 1967.

Eventually, the Spanish colonists became upset with Spain and started to fight a war of liberation, which was unpleasant enough ''before'' the United States, flexing its muscles on the world stage, became involved. It entered the war on the pretense of caring about Cuba's freedom and claiming that Spain had attacked the US, following the still-mysterious 1898 sinking of the ''USS Maine'' off the Cuban coast. The war became called the Spanish-American War; the US was victorious and Cuba became an American protectorate. During this time a chess player named Capablanca became famous around the world. He went on to become a Chess Mater and is now regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

If you like crumbling Spanish architecture, 1950s cars and lovely beaches uncluttered with [[HawaiianShirtedTourist stupid tourists]], ballet and the best music Latin America has to offer, modern Cuba is the place to go. Also notable is the country's human development (average healthcare, education, nutrition, life expectancy, et al.) which throughout the last decades has been higher than those of the countries that surround it and Latin America in general. All this despite the crumbling infrastructure, the secret police, the embargo, and the continued repression of free speech and human right abuses against those elements deemed "counter-revolutionary" (sure sounds like China doesn't it?).

From 1966 to 1989 Cuba would aid Angola in its military conflict against South Africa under apartheid (same apartheid as in Lethal Weapon) in the 1960 and financed a number of revolutionary insurgencies around the world, such as the Sandinista, or the South African Freedom movement. As a result of this Castro is considered by some one of the founding fathers of Namibia, Angola, and Free South Africa. Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro are reported to be close friends. Che Guevara would die in such type of effort in Bolivia, executed by CIA officers to avoid a trail, in 1967.

Eventually, the Spanish colonists became upset with Spain and started to fight a war of liberation, which was unpleasant enough ''before'' the United States, flexing its muscles on the world stage, became involved. It entered the war on the pretense of caring about Cuba's freedom and claiming that Spain had attacked the US, following the still-mysterious 1898 sinking of the ''USS Maine'' off the Cuban coast. The war became called the Spanish-American War; the US was victorious and Cuba became an American protectorate.

If you like crumbling Spanish architecture, 1950s cars and lovely beaches uncluttered with [[HawaiianShirtedTourist stupid tourists]], modern Cuba is the place to go. Also notable is the country's human development (average healthcare, education, nutrition, life expectancy, et al.) which throughout the last decades has been higher than those of the countries that surround it and Latin America in general. All this despite the crumbling infrastructure, the secret police, the embargo, and the continued repression of free speech and human right abuses against those elements deemed "counter-revolutionary" (sure sounds like China doesn't it?).

If you like crumbling Spanish architecture, 1950s cars and lovely beaches uncluttered with [[HawaiianShirtedTourist stupid tourists]], modern Cuba is the place to go. Also notable is the country's human development (average healthcare, education, nutrition, life expectancy, et al.) which throughout the last decades has been higher than those of the countries that surround it and Latin America in general; medical technology is another area where Cuba hopes to make money. All this despite the crumbling infrastructure, the secret police, the embargo, and the continued repression of free speech and human right abuses against those elements deemed "counter-revolutionary".

Cubans use different vocabulary, too. For example, 'coger' is a perfectly cromulent word in Cuban Spanish and only means 'to get' as opposed to the more obscene meaning of 'fuck' that it has in most of Spanish America. 'Papaya', however, is slang for vulva and so the Papaya fruit is called 'frutabomba' instead. 'Guagua' meaning bus is pretty well-known; it is also used in the Canary Islands and comes from the beeping sound that buses make. Cuban Spanish has quite a few loanwords from American English, like 'pulover' for shirt, 'chor' for shorts, and (for some people!) 'frigidaire' for refrigerator. Cubans can say 'elevadór' (whereas the word is 'acensor' in many other places), 'keik' and 'pai' (cake and pie). The diminutive for words with a t in the last syllable is formed with 'ico/ica' rather than 'ito/ita' so that 'chiquita' becomes 'chiquitica' rather than 'chiquitita' (and yes, that ABBA song ''does'' sound odd).

Cubans use different vocabulary, too. For example, 'coger' is a perfectly cromulent word in Cuban Spanish and only means 'to get' as opposed to the more obscene meaning of 'fuck' that it has in places like Mexico. 'Papaya', however, is slang for vulva and so the Papaya fruit is called 'frutabomba' instead. 'Guagua' meaning bus is pretty well-known; it is also used in the Canary Islands and comes from the beeping sound that buses make. Cuban Spanish has quite a few loanwords from American English, like 'pulover' for shirt, 'chor' for shorts, and (for some people!) 'frigidaire' for refrigerator. Cubans can say 'elevadór' (whereas the word is apparently 'acensor' everywhere else), 'keik' and 'pai' (cake and pie). The diminutive for words with a t in the last syllable is formed with 'ico/ica' rather than 'ito/ita' so that 'chiquita' becomes 'chiquitica' rather than 'chiquitita' (and yes, that ABBA song ''does'' sound odd).