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Summary: Cuba: A New History
Comment: 'Cuba: A New History' is an excellent account of Cuban history up until this books publication in 2004. Gott manages to write in a completely engaging way and draws you in to the rich and diverse history of this amazing Caribbean island. This is in no way a dry and uninspiring read, but one that helps you immerse yourself in the history and developments over the years. From Spanish colonial rule, US intervention and soviet support, Cuba has managed to retain some remnant of it's own identity and this book shows this side perfectly. The first 100 pages (looking at Spanish Colonial rule and the slave trades to Cuba) were the hardest to engage with for me, but as soon as the revolution occurred and the book focused on the Castro government and all that it entails, I became hooked to this masterly text. The author doesn't seem overly biased one way or the other, although you can tell he has respect for this tiny island nation. He doesn't seem to be too sensationalist either, for example when Che Guevara dies it is noted in quite an understated way and not overly hyped to have a greater impact. Two minor flaws with this book are the tiny font which by the end had given me serious eye strain, why academic texts insist on using this size font I'll never know. And the other flaw is a distinct lack of decent photography to add to the package. There are a few pages of grey photos in the middle, but not on good quality paper, or especially relevant to the overall text, i've come to expect better from history books these days. These are minor flaws in what is a brilliant account of Cuban history which leaves you with some indication of what the future may hold as well. If Cuba interests you in the slightest, I'd seriously recommend you take a look at this book.
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Summary: A good survey, but occasionally problematic
Comment: Cuba's history is vast and complex, and Gott does an admirable job in trying to make sense of it all. However, particularly in the first two and a half chapters, he struggles to maintain interest, and at times it can descend into what feels like a list of battles and names, with little overall coherence. Additionally, he constantly looks forward to the future, forseeing revolution 200 years before it happened. Such a teleological approach can be frustrating, and at times does lead to some inaccurate comparisons between historical figures and Raul, Fidel and Che.
However, in the more modern chapters, Gott does a fantastic job of providing a fair-minded review of Cuba's history. His analysis of the 20th century, and particularly the survey of Cuban-American relations, is detailed and wonderfully written. He makes sense of a complex subject, and provides an account which gives a strong sense of impartiality and intellectual analysis, free from moral critique of either side. For the later chapters, Gott really gets into his stride, and the book is very much worth reading for this analysis alone. Struggle through the first couple of dry chapters and you will discover a rich, well-written history.
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Summary: AN EXCELLENT SURVEY
Comment: This book should be read by everyone interested in Cuba, in Fidel Castro, and in a nation whose history goes back far earlier than its modern manifestation. Richard Gott has brought a lifetime of expertise to the task, and writes, as in all his books, with wit and wisdom. He has an enviable eye for fascinating, and telling detail, and he unravels history's "granny knots" with unerring skill.
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Summary: Useful account of Cuba's long struggle for sovereignty
Comment: Richard Gott is a British journalist and historian with many years' experience of covering Latin America. He has written a very useful book on Cuba's long struggle for national independence and sovereignty. The first third of the book examines the Cuban people's struggle against Spanish occupation from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The rest of the book looks at Cuba's 20th century struggle against the US empire. The USA intervened militarily in Cuba in 1906-09, 1912, 1917-23 and 1961, always on the pretexts of establishing democracy and order. In 1902 the US state imposed the Platt Amendment on Cuba. Its seventh paragraph gave the USA the 'right' to establish permanent military bases on Cuba. It was repealed in 1934, but the dictator Batista signed a new treaty allowing the USA to keep its huge military base at Guantanamo Bay. Gott shows how in 1959 the people defeated the US-backed dictator by relying on their own forces. He observes that the British and Yugoslavian governments armed Batista to the last moment. Gott possibly devotes too little attention to the Cuban people's successes in developing their country. He notes, without exploring, Cuba's remarkable achievements in health and education and he fails to mention its pioneering pharmaceutical industry. But he gives due prominence to Cuba's internationalism, particularly to its selfless military support to the Angolan people in 1988. Nelson Mandela later visited Havana to thank Fidel personally for Cuba's assistance in the struggle against apartheid. He said, "The decisive defeat of the racist army in Cuito Cuanavale was a victory for all Africa ... It made it possible for Angola to enjoy peace and establish its own sovereignty ... and for the people of Namibia to achieve their independence. The decisive defeat of the aggressive apartheid forces destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the white oppressor. The defeat of the apartheid army served as an inspiration to the struggling people of South Africa." Cuba has a proud record of upholding workers' nationalism and of practical internationalism. Whatever foreign observers hope or fear, the Cuban people will never surrender their national independence and sovereignty.
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