Cuban Currency

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, during an economic crisis termed its “special period in times of peace,” Cuba began to court the capitalist world for the first time since its 1959 revolution. With the U.S. dollar instated as domestic currency, the island seemed suddenly accessible to foreign consumers, and their interest in its culture boomed. Cuban Currency is the first book to address the effects on Cuban literature of the country’s spectacular opening to foreign markets that marked the end of the twentieth century. Based on interviews and archival research in Havana, Esther Whitfield argues that writers have both challenged and profited from new transnational markets for their work, with far-reaching literary and ideological implications. Whitfield examines money and cross-cultural economic relations as they are inscribed in Cuban fiction. Exploring the work of Zo Valds, Pedro Juan Gutirrez, Antonio Jos Ponte and others, she draws out writers’ engagements with the troublesome commodification of Cuban identity. Confronting the tourist and publishing industries’ roles in the transformation of the Cuban revolution into commercial capital, Whitfield identifies a body of fiction peculiarly attuned to the material and political challenges of the “special period.” Esther Whitfield is assistant professor of comparative literature at Brown University.

Cuba faced an economic meltdown of catastrophic proportions in the early 1990s when covert subsidies from the former Soviet Union disappeared. Policies instituted by the island republic's government to handle the worst problems have had inconsistent results. Opening the economy to foreign enterprise has resulted in positive growth in tourism and nickel and cigar exports. However, remnants of the older economy, including the sugar and biotechnological industries, have only experienced a decrease in capital and importance. Basic educational and health services have been maintained surprisingly well, but the standard of living is still far below the highs of the 1980s. With contributions from many leading Cuba scholars, The Cuban Economy offers not only an analysis of the economy since 1990, but also a look towards future prospects.

Cuban Economists on the Cuban Economy was written, in part, to reveal the rigorous research conducted within the country and to clarify the different factors that Cubans emphasize in examining their place on the world economic stage. It also provides unique insights into the island’s fight against poverty, its aging population, and its trade unions. This book will be an invaluable resource for years to come.

Cuba is more than just an exploration of culture, tourism and people. It's actually an excellent place to visit when it comes to historical significance from past to present, for generations to come. For instance, Cuban society is rich in influences, although Cuban customs greatly vary which is dependent on certain cultural influences. This country is in fact located in the stunning Caribbean that comprises the mainland of Cuba called Isla de la Juventud, along with other archipelagos.Havana is actually the capital of Cuba, and is known to be the largest city. On the nearby islands, you will see the Caicos Islands, Turks, and Bahamas on the northeastern part while the US is seen from the northern part of Cuba. Haiti is on the southeastern part, Jamaica and Cayman Islands on the south, and Mexico to the west. The country was also dwelled in by Amerindian clans prior to Christopher Columbus' landing in 1492. Yet, Cuba continued to serve as a settlement for Spaniards until the onset of 1898's Spanish American war. Consequently, it achieved "nominal independence" as a US colony in the year 1902. The flimsy state suffered radical politics as well as social conflict despite the efforts of the people to strengthen their democratic system. Hence, Cuba was run by Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship in 1952. Up to date, with the increasing popularity of this tourist destination in the beautiful island of the Caribbean, Cuba strives to offer a great relaxation and a vacation paradise to those who want to fulfill an ultimate escapade with the entire family. For people who love to explore the beauty of the Caribbean peninsula, this is the best place to visit for an unforgettable holiday experience.

This book is a study of Cuba's economic development under communism over the last fifty-five years. The authors find that Cuba's socioeconomic development has gone backward since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The authors conclude that Fidel Castro's revolution has been an economic disaster for Cuba. The book first outlines Cuba's economic position prior to the revolution. It reviews Cuba's rankings with respect to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the 1950s and examines the strength of pre-Castro Cuba's foreign reserves and the health of its monetary system. It also presents pre-Castro Cuba's investments in health care and education and documents the island's development potential in the 1950s. The last few chapters describe the precipitous decline in all of these areas of Cuba's economy under Castro. Despite the socioeconomic catastrophe of the Castro years, the authors envision a post-Castro Cuba, where this book can provide a benchmark to measure the developmental success that the Cuban work-ethic and entrepreneurial spirit can generate in a free-market system.