1. Castro's Cuba: Why did authoritarian rule emerge?
Cuba had been a Spanish colony until 1898 and then, following three-and-a-half years of US military rule it gained formal independence in 1902. However, US influence remained strong; the Platt Agreement allowed the US the right to intervene in Cuba's politics and the US had a dominant role in the Cuban economy. The Cuban population experienced economic and social inequalities and governments were notorious for high...