Cuba s Current Gross National Income Per Person Of $ 5890...

Jason Lee Captain Czak History 300 21 October 2016 Cuba Cuba’s current gross national income per person of $5,890 (Talley), enormous debt, and other poor economic conditions can be explained by events tracing back post-World War II in 1945. The island of Cuba was inhabited by different Mesoamerican cultures but introduced to European cultures in 1492 with the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Spain began to colonize Cuba among other Caribbean islands in the 16th century and utilized the island as a stopping point before the New World. This all changed when the collapse of Haiti initiated a sugar boom causing Cuba to emerge as a major world sugar producer. Freedom from Spain was finally gained with the help of the United States after the Spanish American War when the Treat of Paris was signed. About three years later, the Platt Amendment was passed which provided the United States control and great influence in Cuba’s domestic and international affairs. The United States control was further strengthened after World War II whe n Fulgencio Batista became President of Cuba in 1952. But this created many issues which fueled the Cuban Revolution ending in 1959 when Fidel Castro overthrew Batista, propelling Cuba into a new era of communism. The period of decolonization for Cuba after World War II sparked a surge of nationalism which helped Fidel Castro dissolve American political, economic, and diplomatic ties as well as establish a communist regime after the Cuban Revolution.