Sino-Cuban Fallouts and Make-Ups - 1568 Words

Chinese ties to the Cuban communist party, the People’s Socialist Party (PSP), date back to 1949, which is before Fidel Castro came to power. Sino-Cuban relations between 1959 and 1989 can be described as inconsistent at best, with a number of changes in attitude on the part of Castro towards Chinese leaders. It is considered one of the great ironies of history that although Castro publicly condemned Mao â€Å"with a viciousness rarely encountered in modern international relations,† the Cuban leader was more like his Chinese counterpart than any other communist leader. (Ratliff, 206) They had a number of similarities, including the use of personality cults, shared positions on domestic development and international affairs, and similar†¦show more content†¦Essentially, the Soviet Union and the Chinese communists were in support of two completely different ideologies, and Castro chose to align himself with the Soviets, knowing he would alienate the Chinese in th e process. From that point on, the Sino-Cuban dispute resulted in â€Å"hostility between the two governments,† which was a direct result of the conflict between the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, and a dispute â€Å"over the strategy of guerilla warfare.† (Ratliff, 210) Diplomatic relations completely disintegrated in 1966 at the Afro-Asian-Latin American People’s Solidarity Conference in Havana. During this conference Castro accused Mao of â€Å"confusing Marxism-Leninism with fascism.† (Ratliff, 210) Castro also accused the Chinese government of â€Å"criminal economic aggression† for cutting back its rice shipments to Cuba. (Ratliff, 210) Castro even brought these attacks to a personal level, suggesting that â€Å"Mao was a senile old man,† who, in spite of having done some good things early in his career, had committed a number of atrocities toward the end of his life. (Ratliff, 210) The conflict, since titled the â€Å"rice war,† between China and Cuba consists of four phases. Firstly, Cuba is the only Latin American country with rice as a staple in its diet. Up until Castro came to power in 1959,Show MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesstrands of global history in the twentieth century has often led to its neglect. The fact that the most recent phase of the human experience is usually covered only at the end of a multiterm sequence of world history units has meant that it often ends up becoming a rushed add-on of rather random, abbreviated capsule summaries and general overviews. In view of the fact that no phase of history can begin to match the twentieth century in terms of the extent to which it has shaped the contemporary world