Cigars and Revolutions: A Tale of Cuba

[Fiftypence]

Cigars and Revolutions: A Tale of Cuba​

Chapter One: The Struggle for Independence​

In the early 19th century, as Spain's colonial empire revolted en masse from the motherland, Cuba at first remained surprisingly peaceful, maybe because the tobacco and sugar produced were just too important to the Spanish to lose. With Bolivar's activities came South American independence, and the slaves and oppressed of Cuba too clamoured for the same freedom enjoyed on the continent.

Beginning in 1812, various rebellions and conspiracies were hatched, inspired by Bolivar's success, and all were brutally crushed. However, in 1826 a mass revolt led by the white Francisco de Ageuro and the mulatto Andres Manuel Sanchez caught the Spanish colonial authorities by surprise. The call to arms went out, and soon both slaves and freemen were revolting all across the island. The rebels, receiving arms and other aid from an unknown source, eventually wore down the Spanish, who left the island in 1828 humiliated in defeat.

Victorious, a new government was established in Havana by Ageuro and Sanchez, and the Republic of Cuba declared independence. The slaves were all freed, and as they outnumbered the settlers they would soon become the dominant force in Cuban politics. The new constitution guaranteed freedom of religion and the various African religions practiced amongst the former slaves flourished. The Spanish refused to recognise Cuba's independence and insisted it was still legally part of Spain, but were largely ignored once the British sent an emissary to Havana in mid 1829 and formally established relations with the island republic. With the tacit approval of the msot powerful nation on earth, Cuba could now truly call herself a nation.

But the honeymoon was not to last long. The joint Presidency of Aguero and Sanchez grew more strained as both men sought more power for themselves, and it was not long before a bitter struggle between the two men spiralled the country into a brief, but bloody civil war lasting from 1832-1834. Sanchez had the support of the black former slaves and the mulatto population, and was eventually able to crush Ageuro through sheer force of numbers. Upon his triumphant entry into Havana following the capture and execution of his former friend and comrade, he proclaimed himself President for life and suspended the constitution. Cuba was now the second black-dominated republic in the Caribbean, following on and gaining inspiration from their neighbour, Haiti.

By 1836, Cuba was a free nation, but Andres Manuel Sanchez remained the sole authority in the nation, and had built up a huge personal fortune from tobacco and sugar while the population saw little benefits and remained steeped in poverty. Many, especially whites who had supported the revolution, begun to revel in nostalgia for Spanish rule and wondered if it had all been in vain...

The Republic of Cuba, 1836​

 

[Fiftypence]

Hello all. The game is Victoria Revolutions, patch 2.01. As my CSA AAR is defunct due to save game corruption, I've decided to try a new AAR as a free Republica de Cuba, in a slightly modified GC I've made. Cuba starts as a Presidential Dictatorship, and another change made is that I added Creole as a culture so as to reflect the situation in this time line. The population of Cuba is ahistorically low (in reality there were more than a million slaves in Cuba by 1836, while int he scenario the entire population is under a million), but that I have explained with the civil war from 1832-34. This is also the first ever Cuba AAR for Vicky.

 

[CarcassDK]

Great a cuban AAR!

This should be interesting, ill definetly be following this!

 

[Fiftypence]

Cigars and Revolutions: A Tale of Cuba​

Chapter Two: On Tobacco​

During the 1830s, Cuba's economy was almost entirely dependent upon the production and sale of tobacco. Most of the country's inhabitants contributed to this in some way, and much of the proceeds lined the pockets of the dictator Andres Manuel Sanchez, who spent it mostly on loose women and high living, often setting taxes at 50% or even higher.

Tobacco was mostly produced on plantations. Once the work of slaves driven by their Spanish masters, the land was now owned mostly by the freedmen and former slaves, although some powerful land owners who had supported the revolution still retained considerable acreage. Men would often work a small area of land, and took great pride in competing with their fellows to have the most productive harvest.

Apart from tobacco, the only other real career option was in the military. Cuba's army was pretty non-existent until early 1837, when the first professional division of the standing army was deployed to barracks just outside Havana. It would be three years before they would see their first overseas action.

Chapter Three: Sanchez and the Cuban-Haitian War​

President Sanchez ruled Cuba with an iron fist, allowing no political dissent and operating a free, albeit heavily censored press. For the time being Cuba remained politically isolated, but in early 1837 an envoy was sent to Mexico to sign a treaty of friendship and establish full diplomatic relations. Most other countries just ignored Cuba, although Ecuador made the effort and improved relations with the island republic.

Interestingly though, Sanchez was quite well liked by the people despite his tyrannical rule, mostly due to his populist leanings, social welfare programme (including the implementation of a free healthcare system) and his willingness to side with the workers over the land owners. In the heat of the summer of 1837, a revolt against a major plantation owner named Ignacio Ruiz broke out, as the workers complaining of poor working conditions and unpaid wages went on strike. Although a private enterprise, when the matter came to Sanchez's attention he personally intervened, forcing Ruiz to accept a compromise, even going into debt paying the back-wages that the workers were owed.

Cuba's entry onto the international stage was to come in 1840. President Sanchez desired to expand his nation's borders and make it the master of the Caribbean Sea and beyond. With this in mind a second division and a transport flotilla were recruited, and a declaration of war against Haiti came in June of the year, without doubt a purely expansionist, aggressive move. Haiti was not at all prepared for an invasion, and when the 1st Corps Cuban Division led by General Perez landed at Port-au-Prince they were met by 10,000 new wild-eyed conscripts lacking any kind of basic training or morale.

Needless to say, the Haitians soon fled, reportedly holding out for less than an hour under heavy fire from the Cubans. The 2nd Corps Cuban Division landed at the other side of the island at Santo Domingo, and by late August the entire country was under Cuban occupation, without another battle taking place as the Haitian army melted away plagued by disease and desertions. On September 1st, the treaty of surrender was signed by the Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer. His government was dissolved and he was allowed to flee into exile to Venezuela, and Sanchez had sent out a very potent message to the rest of the Americas.

 

[GeneralHannibal]

Will this black republic seek to help slaves in the USA?

 

[unmerged(59737)]

What was the effect of that short victorious war on your BB and economy?

 

[Cinéad IV]

I'm interested! Never seen a Cuban AAR before, could make for an interesting game.

I'll be following this one

CMcU

 

[coz1]

How do you find the time, Fiftypence? Yet another interesting AAR to follow. Good luck and here's to getting all in line before the Sicilians show up.

 

[unmerged(11366)]

Will this black republic seek to help slaves in the USA?

An interesting idea...! But little Cuba taking on Dixie?



*puts on a Buena Vista Social Club CD, mixes a virgin margarita, and leans back in his hammock*

 

[Fiftypence]

GeneralHannibal: Ummm, er...maybe.

Fulcrumvale: I should have 5 BB (2 per province plus 1 for DOW). It's boosted my economy quite nicely, going from 1,000,000 to about 1,600,000 people.

Cinéad IV: That's because there's never been a Cuban AAR before.

coz1: I've got waaay too much free time at the moment.

Hajji Giray I: Hopefully Cuba won't be so little by 1861...but even then, taking on the CSA would be a challenge.


I'll update again tommorow or more likely monday. I would update sooner only my copy of Twilight Princess arrived today.

 

[unmerged(41327)]

¡Cuba libre!

 

[Fiftypence]

Cigars and Revolutions: A Tale of Cuba​

Chapter Four: The Latter Years and Death of President Sanchez

Andres Manuel Sanchez, President and dictator of Cuba, was to die suddenly in May 1844 of severe food poisoning. His rule was characterised by compassion for the nation's poor, and his refusal to budge a single inch on matters concerning open up the political system and establishing some kind of democracy. He ruled for ten years as sole President, and in those years Cuba. both economically and militarily, came on leaps and bounds.

The state of Cuba not long before Sanchez's death​

The last couple of years of his rule were quiet, although in late 1843 early 1844 the military underwent another expansion, with a new division being deployed to Havana and two new clipper transport ships, bring it up to three of each. From his diaries we get the impression that he was preparing and planning for some kind of military excursion, although who the possible target may have been we'll never know, as he died on May 9th 1844, aged 53, leaving behind a wife and two grown up daughters.

Chapter Five: The Beginnings of Democracy​

There was no natural successor to Sanchez, as he had left behind no son and he had not allowed any one individual enough power to be able to seize the Presidency uncontested. However, in mid-June a council of land owners was established led by Jose Miguel Velez, an exporter of tobacco and formerly the largest slave owner on the island to pledge loyalty to the Cuban Revolution. The council took it upon themselves to reimplement and redesign the constitution suspended under Sanchez's rule.

The most important change was the establishment of the House of Representatives, the nation's first true parliament. It was to have 17 delegates, representing the five provinces of Cuba based on population. The allocation of seats was:

7 to Havana, 4 to Camaguey, 2 to Santiago de Cuba, 3 to Haiti and 1 to Santo Domingo

As the council was composed entirely of Cubans, it is not surprising that Hispaniola found itself somewhat underrepresented, but this was characteristic of Cuban politics at the time. Also, the franchise was extended to all those who could meet a strict wealth requirement, which meant in reality that only the aristocrats and clergy could vote, excluding the vast majority of Cuba's population.

The first elections, both for Parliament and the Presidency, took place on April 2nd 1845. There were no formal parties at this time, but the candidates were broadly divided into factions known as Conservadores, Liberales and Radicales. The Conservadores were mainly the landed gentry who favoured a continuation of Sanchez's policies, although there were some who desired a personal union with Spain, with Cuba becoming a dominion of the Spanish and the crowning of Isabella as Queen of Cuba. This group was labelled Realistas.

The Liberales, on the other hand, mostly consisted of the clergy. Although the official state religion of Cuba was Catholicism, the actual religion practiced by most Cubans was Lukumi, a Creole religion in which the African Yoruba gods were associated with Christian saints. In Haiti, a similar Creole faith existed, Vodou. The Catholic Church of Cuba, maybe surprisingly, favoured a more liberal approach, and so when the election of 1845 came, it was a decision between the aristocracy and the church.

The Radicales enjoyed little support, and were not to play a major role in the coming vote.

Chapter Six: The Election of 1845​

April 2nd was a landmark day in Cuban history, as the first election took place, although only 100,000 out of over 1.7 million people were entitled to vote. The parliamentary elections saw great success for the Liberales, as they took 13 out of the 17 seats.

Havana - 6 Liberales, 1 Conservadores
Camaguey - 4 Liberales
Santiago de Cuba - 1 Liberales, 1 Conservadores
Haiti - 2 Conservadores, 1 Liberales
Santo Domingo - 1 Liberales

The Presidential election saw similar great results for the liberals, as their candidate Leopoldo Nuñez defeated his conservative opponent soundly, taking over 56% of the votes.

The defeat left the Conservadores in disarray, and the Realista wing broke away and established themselves as Cuba's first proper political party. Most of the Conservadores, including the four elected to the House of Representatives, defected to the Realistas, and the Conservadore faction was officially disbanded.

The party system following the dissolution of the Conservadores​

 

[unmerged(59737)]

Every single one of those parties is pro military.

 

[Maximilliano]

A Cuba AAR? Im in, looks like the Realistas have a strong backing... King of Cuba, anyone? Forget personal union with Spain, Madrid is always looking to its own interests, not Havana's