This book examines the consequences of the succession by focusing both on the
changes that have occurred since mid-2006 in Cuba’s economics, politics, social
relations, culture, and relations with other countries and on the continuities, especially
how the country has attempted to maintain its social safety net, guarantee of good
health care and education to everyone, and prestige among Third World nations as
well as a tradition of collective responsibility and shared burden in the face of
increasing individualism.
In assembling chapters for this edition of A Contemporary Cuba Reader, we
faced the challenge that Cuba is a rapidly moving subject. To prevent this collection
from becoming obsolete within months of publication, we commissioned a larger
percentage of original chapters for this edition than we did for the first, asking authors
to identify the dynamics of their subjects in order to provide readers with a sense of
what drivers lie behind the process of change. Moreover, we have created for
readers a continually updated website that includes data on Cuba’s demography and
economy, information about current political events and political leaders in Cuba and
Cuba’s international relations, and links to films, music, photos, and topical articles.
The first edition of A Contemporary Cuba Reader examined what President Fidel
Castro declared in 1990 to be a “Special Period in a Time of Peace”—a period of
extreme hardship that led to a dramatic reversal in the quality of life for most people
on the island. The collapse of the socialist trading bloc in 1989 and the subsequent
breakup of the Soviet Union caused the Cuban economy to decline by nearly 30
percent in four years. The first edition described and analyzed both the myriad ways
that Cubans had reinvented their Revolution during the “Special Period” and the way
that some changes, such as the dual currency, contributed to undermining
fundamental goals of the Revolution by increasing inequality and diminishing the value
of education. The government still has not officially announced an end of the Special
Period, but we would argue that by 2006 it was over, as the Cuban economy was
again expanding and the worst years seemed past. In 2006, Cuba hosted the summit
of the 116-nation Non-Aligned Movement, elevating Cuba once again to a position of
Third World leadership. Cuban music and the arts were flourishing, and there was a
new openness on the island in discussions about Cuba’s future