Liberalism in Cuba

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article gives an overview of liberalism in Cuba. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ means a reference to another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary so that parties labeled themselves as a liberal party.

Introduction

From the founding of the Republic in 1902 to the Cuban Revolution of 1933, the Cuban Liberal Party held the presidency on numerous occasions.

Since the triumph of the

Cuban Liberal Movement (Movimiento Liberal Cubano). In exile the Cuban Liberal Union (Unión Liberal Cubana, member LI
) is active.

The timeline

Cuban Revolutionary Party (PRC)

  • 1892: Left-wing classical liberals formed the
    Cuban Revolutionary Party
    (Partido Revolucionario Cubano), to fight for Cuban independence and liberal democracy.
  • 1902: The PRC is dissolved.

Liberal Party

The Second Cuban Revolutionary Party (PRC), the Party of the Cuban People (PPC) and the Liberal Party

Batista's coup and second government

  • 1952: The Liberal Party of Cuba supports Batista's coup of 1952 and joins the provisional government, and later Batista's second government. By now the Liberal Party is a shell of its former self, controlled by Batista.
  • 1952–1958: The PRC and PPC split between those who argue for revolution and support Castro, and those who seek compromise with Batista and support free and fair general elections.
  • 1958: The General Elections of 1958 fail, as Batista rigs the elections to ensure the victory of the government candidate Andrés Rivero Agüero and a member of the Liberal Party, against Carlos Márquez Sterling running for the Partido del Pueblo Libre.
  • 1959: Castro takes power and outlaws all political parties except the Communist Party. The traditional Liberal Party, PRC, and PPC legally cease to exist. The Liberal Party continues underground and extralegally.

Liberal leaders

  • José Martí, founder of the PRC and leading Cuban intellectual
  • Martín Morúa Delgado, Afro-Cuban and President of the Cuban Senate
  • Juan Gualberto Gómez, Afro-Cuban revolutionary leader, close collaborator of Martí's, served as part of the committee of consultations that drafted and amended the Constitution of 1901, and as a Representative and Senator
  • José Miguel Gómez, the first member of the Liberal Party elected to the presidency of Cuba
  • Gerardo Machado, a president of Cuba elected under the Liberal Party
  • Orestes Ferrara, a professor at the University of Havana, Cuban Secretary of State and delegate to the Constitutional Convention
  • Carlos Márquez Sterling, a leading member of the Liberal Party during the 1930s and 1940s and President of the Constitutional Convention in 1940. He later served in the first government of Fulgencio Batista.

See also

References