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That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution: Lars Schoultz: 9780807871898: Amazon.com: Books



That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution: Lars Schoultz: 9780807871898: Amazon.com: Books






That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban RevolutionPaperback – February 1, 2011
by Lars Schoultz (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 6 customer reviews

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Editorial Reviews

Review


Offers a more nuanced and potentially enlightening window upon the main obstacle to better US relations in the region. . . . Valuable.--The Latin American Review of Books



[This] book is delicious to read, and will inform, entertain and challenge a non-specialist public as well as a more scholarly one.--Canadian Journal of History



This magisterial volume will become the new standard account of U.S.-Cuban relations. . . . Lucid and witty, filled with penetrating observations. . . . A delight to read. . . . Indispensable.--Hispanic American Historical Review



Sets a new standard as the reference for US policy toward a country that US officials have tended to find especially irritating. It is very well written, both clear and meticulous. . . . Highly recommended.--Choice



An excellent book. . . . Will become a major reference work on US policy toward Cuba.--The Sacramento Book Review



Schoultz has an unparalleled grasp of U.S. sources--from government documents to Congressional records, unpublished memoirs and interviews with protagonists American and Cuban. His analysis is lucid and thought-provoking, and he writes exceedingly well. Reading the book is a pleasure. It is, by far, the best book on U.S. relations with Castro's Cuba. . . . A superb book.--American Historical Review



This narrative history of a century of US policy towards Cuba is impressively researched and splendidly written. It becomes the instant standard on its subject. Its emphasis is on US policy since the late 1950s, its sources are principally US archives, and its sweep is comprehensive. Schoultz has a knack for identifying in the historical record the telling phrase, the apt metaphor, the outrageous statement and the powerful insight.--Journal of Latin American Studies



An approachable, deeply satisfying narrative with a clear-eyed and persuasive critique of U.S. policy toward Cuba and, more broadly, of U.S. policy toward any weaker nation that has ever stubbornly asserted its sovereignty. . . . A page turner. . . . A gripping, expertly told story of one of the most complicated foreign policy relationships in the western hemisphere.--Publishers Weekly starred review



Prodigious research across many archives has produced a tour de force that will stand as the field's preeminent diplomatic history until the papers of the most recent U.S. presidents (and perhaps also of Cuba's leaders) become available sometime in the future.--Latin American Research Review



A monumental study of U.S.-Cuba relations . . . based on an extensive use of primary sources. It will undoubtedly become an indispensable tool for anyone interested in this topic.--The Journal of American History


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Review


The United States has normal relations with China and Vietnam. Why not with Cuba? As Lars Schoultz so well sums it up in his excellent and highly readable book, it is because the United States cannot get over its obsessive uplifting mentality, i.e., the belief that it is the sacred duty of the United States to uplift the Cuban people. Even most Cubans who want change believe they must seek it on their own. Schoultz expresses no optimism that the United States will get over its obsession any time soon.--Wayne S. Smith, former Chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana (1979-82)



That Infernal Little Cuban Republic is a superb chronicle of and commentary on the history of U.S.-Cuba relations. Lars Schoultz explains U.S. Cuba policy as, on balance, a failure. Tellingly, the profound depth of that failure since the end of the Cold War shames the great majority of U.S. citizens, including this one, for tolerating such special interest folly disguised in the cloak of freedom and democracy.--Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Visiting Harriman Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell



The detail, the vivid writing, the close focus on decision makers, and the wealth of new information combine to make a terrific book for scholars, students, tourists, and policy makers. This book should become the standard reference work on U.S. policy toward Cuba.--Philip Brenner, American University

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Product details

Paperback: 756 pages
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press; New edition edition (February 1, 2011)
Language: English
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6 customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5 stars
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Showing 1-5 of 6 reviews
Top Reviews

Bruce Jefferson

5.0 out of 5 starsNot your usuall canned history. It is apparant the ...January 29, 2016
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Not your usuall canned history. It is apparant the author did an enormous ammount of original research to put this book together. The reader is rewarded with a fresh view of the history of the century of relations between the US and Cuba.


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Bernice L. Youtz

4.0 out of 5 starsUS/Cuban relationsApril 12, 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Particularly liked history of U.S. involvement 1898 to present. Remarkably well balanced: does not whitewash Cuban history of last century but certainly reminds us of the less than admirable motives of US administrations and Congress.

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S. J. Snyder

5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent, in-depth, snarky take on US-Cuban relationsMarch 28, 2009
Format: Hardcover

Before I read this book, I knew that Southern leaders had already cast eyes on Cuba in the 1850s, as the Ostend Manifesto showed. But, I did NOT know that way back in the early 1820s, under the administration of President Monroe and Sec'y of State John Quincy Adams, we landed troops on Cuba for the first time. Is it any wonder that Cuba has leery concerns about our proclaimed best intentions?

As for the "snarky" part, Schoultz is a history prof at North Carolina, and the book gets blurbs from folks like former Colin Powell assistant Larry Wilkerson. So, we're not talking alt-weekly newspaper snarky. But, for an academic-level history, we are.

Here's a sample, from page 209:

"Although he could barely find Brazil on a map, (Dick) Goodwin..."

On the serious side, after a few chapters of buildup, Schoultz gets us to Batista, then Castro. He doesn't turn a blind eye to Castro's nationalization, or other early issues but does present a symmpathetic view of his rise to power. He also shows the obsessiveness, first of the Kennedy brothers (and Dick Goodwin's Camelot torch-carrying for them), then of LBJ in full macho bully pose.

Since this is about US-Cuban relations and written from a US point of view, the history is framed from that way. After the introductory and background chapters, we get 1959 and Castro's success, 1960 and Eisenhower's attempt to grasp the situation, 1961 and the Bay of Pigs, 1962 and the missile crisis, and "state sponsored terrorism" (which is a totally true description) to wrap up the Kennedy years.

After that, we get one chapter devoted to each US Presidential Administration, an easy way to focus this narrative.

An excellent epilogue sums up how American political leadership still "doesn't get it" about Cuba in many ways. In essence, long before George W. Bush's ideology-driven invasion of Iraq, when we haven't marginalized Castro's Cuba, assistance we have offered has tended to have strings of Wilsonian idealism attached to it that we've never applied to even Russia/USSR or China.
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8 people found this helpful

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David A. Teich

5.0 out of 5 starsA great overview of modern US-Cuban relationsJuly 26, 2009
Format: Hardcover

The author barely touches the pre-Eisenhower days, so it's not really a review of the full history of US-Cuban relations. Still, for anyone interested in why the US has MFN status with China and Russia, trades with many dictatorships much worse than Cubas, and yet has embargoed Cuba for so long, the book clearly shows how that has happened.

Chapters are organized by Presidential Administration and show the continuity through administrations and across party lines, of current policy. The policy seems to be a confluence of the government picking on whom it can, regardless of balance or threat, the perceived political power of a minority in southern Florida and,well..., hmmm, that about covers it.

That trade would have had a much larger impact upon Cuba, a small country just off our border, than it has had with much larger countries much further away, seems to not be a clear enough message for politicos to comprehend.

The one area the author could have drawn out better is the link between the first large group of refugees, the ones most vocal about overthrowing Castro, and the Batista regime. Most weren't the least interested in Democracy when their Fascist leader was in power and they were getting all the perks that came from that. They lost their power by refusing to embrace democracy, helping push the regular Cubans to Castro, and then used the word "democracy" to try to punish the Cuban people even more for getting tired of them.

It's one reason why their descendants, as shown in polls pointed out by the author, are much less anti-Castro and pro-embargo. They don't have the link to Batista and can look more honestly at the situation.

However, that's a minor point. The book covers more than fifty years of relationship in detail, following the words and actions of many people. It's a must read for anyone trying to comprehend the issue.
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6 people found this helpful

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Philip Brenner

5.0 out of 5 starsNew Standard Reference WorkJanuary 30, 2010
Format: Hardcover

Do not be intimidated by the number of pages in That Infernal Little Cuban Republic. Lars Schoultz's study of US-Cuban relations is a remarkably enjoyable book to read, whether you open it as a reference for details about a particular episode or digest it from end to end. Based on primary documents, a large number of interviews, and excellent secondary sources from a variety of perspectives, the book should be considered the standard reference work on US-Cuban relations since 1959. Undoubtedly due to space considerations, Schoultz covers the relationship prior to 1959 relatively briefly. Still those chapters provide a clear introduction to the book's theme, which is well developed, that the primary source of tension between the United States and Cuba is the asymmetry between the two. To US policy makers, Cuba is a small country whose responsibility is to do the bidding of the United States, and when it doesn't, they view Cuba as an infernal little republic. In contrast, Cuban officials view the United States as a hovering giant who has the capability of crushing Cuban independence, and has repeatedly tried to do so since 1959. That Infernal Little Republic is a superb book for classroom use, and will reward anyone with even a passing interest in US-Cuban and US-Latin American relations.

2 people found this helpful

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That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution

 4.10  ·   Rating details ·  30 ratings  ·  5 reviews
Lars Schoultz offers a comprehensive chronicle of U.S. policy toward the Cuban Revolution. Using a rich array of documents and firsthand interviews with U.S. and Cuban officials, he tells the story of the attempts and failures of ten U.S. administrations to end the Cuban Revolution. He concludes that despite the overwhelming advantage in size and power that the United States enjoys over its neighbor, the Cubans' historical insistence on their right to self-determination has been a constant thorn in the side of American administrations, influenced both U.S. domestic politics and foreign policy on a much larger stage, and resulted in a freeze in diplomatic relations of unprecedented longevity. (less)

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Hardcover745 pages
Published April 1st 2009 by University of North Carolina Press
Original Title
That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution
ISBN
080783260X (ISBN13: 9780807832608)
Edition Language
English
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Showing 1-30
Sean
Mar 03, 2013rated it really liked it
A remarkably thorough summary of America's reprehensibly-misguided policies toward Cuba. Using the actual words of American and Cuban officials, Schoultz guides the reader chronologically from the origins of the Cuban Revolution up to 2008. The book is at its strongest and most fluid in its first half, but gets mired in legislative drudgery as it gets into the 90s. The author is clearly an opponent of the status quo--a position I entirely agree with--but he would have done better to detail more clearly Cuba's domestic front. The conclusion in particular oddly replicates the very same behavior it castigates embargo proponents for, focusing on Castro when the Cuban public should be taken into account.

As indicated in my rating, however, these criticisms diminish what could have been a great book to one that is merely especially good and indispensably informative for those looking for a crash-course in the two countries' tumultuous relations.
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Lamont Cranston
Jun 24, 2014rated it it was amazing
Excellent history of U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba from late 19th century through the administration of President George H. W. Bush (2007).
Katie
Aug 25, 2011rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2011historypolitics
A phenomenaly good book, it shows you exactly what the relationship between America and Cuba has been since before the Cuban revolution. America is a lying bully with a superiority complex when it comes to Cuba and indeed many of it's foreign relations.

Also there was a lot more racism then I thought there would be for some reason. That just made me disgusted even more with the Americans. Something I didn't think fully possible at this point.

A great read, it's well written and it really explains things in an interesting and readable way. The only downside is the subject matter itself which made me want to take the book, go back in time or simply down to America and beat the idiots over the head with it.

Ahaha, like that would even work. 
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AskHistorians
Perhaps the best synthesis of US-Cuba relations currently available. Schoultz offers a very nuanced approach to a very polarizing topic. His book is well researched, balancing archival and specialist sources, and is a great first step to those interested in reading more in depth analyses of specific moments in the last half century of Cuban-American relations.
Gregory
Apr 19, 2009rated it it was amazing
Excellent political history of U.S. policy, with very close attention to detail and sprinkled throughout with humor.

Protestantism in Cuba - Wikipedia

Protestantism in Cuba - Wikipedia



Protestantism in Cuba

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While Protestants arrived in the island of Cuba early in its colonial days, most of their churches did not flourish until the 20th century with the assistance of American missionaries.[1] In the early 20th century, Cuban Protestant churches were greatly aided by various American missionaries who assisted in the work in the churches and also provided support from their home churches.[2] When Fidel Castro’s regime overtook the country in 1959, Protestant churches were legally allowed to continue. Nevertheless, certain incidents as detailed below, and religious persecution kept them from prospering. During the Special Period that began in 1991, Protestant churches began to flourish once again and today have become a primary religious group of Cuba.[3] The Protestant population of Cuba is estimated at 11%.[4]

Early Protestants in Cuba[edit]

Cuba was one of Spain’s last colonies to be established in the New World.[5] In the beginning, Catholic Spain zealously tried to keep the Protestants out of their colony as they promoted “monarchical absolutism” and “Catholic unity.”[6] The earliest Protestantactivity in Cuba dates back to 1741 when Cuba was under British occupation.[7] Moreover, as trade opened up between Cuba and the United States as well as other Protestantnations in Europe, the walls keeping Protestants out of Cuba were broken down. Many Protestants began to make their home in Cuba.[8] Several more Protestants influenced the culture and society by coming to trade or vacation on the island.[9] Even with the opening of trade, tensions remained strong between Catholics and Protestants in Cuba throughout the early days of the colony.[10]

Protestant churches in Cuba[edit]

Many of the Protestant churches in Cuba have ties to the United States through various missionary activity. The Baptist Convention of Cuba is an influential Protestant group that was begun by a Cuban exile who was associated with the American Southern Baptist Convention. He returned in 1883 to spread Bibles in the west and south of Cuba.[11] They help to make up the third largest denomination along with the North American Baptist Missionaries who work in the east.[12] One of the main Protestant churches in Cuba today is the Iglesia Evangélica Pentecostal which originated in 1920 with help from American missionaries of the Assemblies of God.[13] Presbyterian churches from America planted the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Cuba.

Protestant churches during the Revolution[edit]

In 1959, Fidel Castro stated that he did not have problems with the Protestants who were more tolerant than the Catholics of his social policies.[14] Yet, this religious tolerance did not last long. Many Protestants suffered harassment at the hands of the Revolutionaries.[15] Some were sent to labor camps where they were abused physically and verbally.[16] Also many churches experienced harassment in the form of “The Street Plan” which was an organized activity outside of the church with the purpose of distracting from the services.[17] Furthermore, in 1965, thirty Baptist preachers were accused of being American spies and were imprisoned.[18] In June 1984, Jesse Jackson visited Cuba and influenced the release of 22 religious prisoners.[19] Through these years, ProtestantChurches had to be creative with their evangelism, disguising their outreaches as musical or cultural programs.[20]

Protestant schools[edit]

In the early 20th century, the American Protestants who came to Cuba began to spread their religious and economic ideas through a vast education system that included elementary and secondary schools, Sunday Schools, Bible camps, and seminaries.[21]Besides their desire to evangelize the local Cubans, their goal was to shape Cuban society after the American values that they brought to the schools.[22] In these schools, upper and middle class Cubans were prepared for leadership positions, while lower class citizens were educated to become workers in occupations such as secretaries and housekeepers.[23] Before the Cuban Revolution, these Protestant schools succeeded in training thousands of students with their American ideals. Several Cuban graduates of this school system eventually became leaders in government posts at the time of the revolution.[24]
Despite the political and economic uncertainty the Revolution brought to Cuba, the Cuban Protestant Schools remained stable for a time due to their outside support from U.S. mission agencies.[25] However, as time went on, relationships between Cuba and the U.S. became increasingly unstable and Protestant schools and churches depended heavily on the U.S. churches for money, workers, and theological training.[26] As a result of the growing U.S.-Cuban conflict, the Cuban Protestant’s association with the U.S. became a burden to these churches and schools and many of them were forced to close down.[27] At this time, a primary reform of the Revolutionary government was free education for people of any race and age.[28] So, at the same time these once thriving Protestant schools were closed down, education in Cuba was offered freely to the masses for the first time. In contrast to the education provided at the Protestant schools, the Revolutionary schools taught their students with an atheistic ideology.[29]

Today[edit]

In 1985, Fidel Castro met with Catholic and Protestant leaders to express his views on religion.[30] By September, he asked his political party to respect these religious groups and promised to help solve the material needs of these churches.[31] In 1986, the government official in charge of religious affairs gave an interview saying that atheism would no longer be the primary ideology of the government.[32]
Soon after, Protestant churches began to thrive in Cuba once again, and their numbers doubled in the 1990s during the Special Period. This era of church growth has been called the “Great Awakening.”[33] In 1998 it was reported that Protestants have successfully come to rival Roman Catholics for the number of followers in Cuba as 500,000 Catholics attend services weekly followed closely by 400,000 Protestants.[34] In 1999, Pope John Paul II visited Cuba which brought a significant amount of religious tolerance and awareness to the nation.[35] Later that year, the Cuban government declared that Christmas could be celebrated as an official holiday.[36] Today, some of Cuba’s Protestant churches are united by The Ecumenical Council of Cuba.[37] With fourteen member churches, this group seeks to influence the culture of Cuba.[38] Their mission is to promote church and society, Christian education, Ecumenical education, laity, Bible reading, and the youth of Cuba.[39] The majority of Cuban Protestants, however do not belong to the Ecumenical Council of Cuba. This includes the Eastern and Western Baptist Conventions and the Assemblies of God denomination which are the largest Protestant denominations on the island.[40]
The Gustav-Adolf-Werk (GAW) as the Evangelical Church in Germany Diaspora agency recently started to actively support persecuted Protestant Christians in Cuba. A current project in Cuba includes a congregation center in Havannna, the cooperation is a sort of new approach for the GAW which had not been active in the region before.[41]

Recent Evangelical Protestant revival[edit]

In recent decades Cuba has seen a rapid growth of Evangelical Protestants: "Cuba’s Christians have thrived despite the island’s politics and poverty. Their improbable, decades-long revival is often described as being rivaled only by China’s. “It’s incredible. People just come on their own, looking for God,” says a Western Baptist leader." [42]