Castro (Profiles in Power) - Softcover

Balfour, Sebastian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0582029724 ISBN 13: 9780582029729

Publisher: Longman, 1990

Synopsis

In keeping with the series "Profiles in Power" of which it is a part, this book is more an assessment of Castro's political ideas and sources of power than a biography, though personal details are included to the extent that they sustain the narrative and illuminate the subject. Within a chronological framework, the book sets out to examine the historical context in which Castro emerged as a national and international statesman and the ideological base on which the new Cuban state was founded. It attempts to analyze the changing structure of power in post-revolutionary Cuba and stresses the Cuban and Third World dimension of Castroism. It argues that Castro's popular appeal rests on identification with a century-old struggle for national regeneration and discusses the problem of Castro's succession agains the background of economic crisis, internal corruption and the effects of perestroika. The primary sources used in its preparation were mainly the words of Castro himself, of which there is no shortage, as well as letters and documents published in Cuba and elsewhere.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

'This is not just another book on Cuba or Fidel Castro.  Balfour displays both passion and critical acumen as he delves into the mind and actions of the man under whose leadership the people of Cuba have inscribed pages of human solidarity over one of the most convulsed periods of contemporary history.' Pedro Pérez Sarduy, author of Las Criadas de La Habana (The Maids of Havana) and Associate Fellow, Caribbean Studies Centre, London Metropolitan University.

'Fidel Castro may have formally relinquished office but he still casts a long shadow over the Cuban revolution, and Sebastian Balfour succeeds in analysing both the man and his legacy with admirable judiciousness. A timely and highly knowledgeable update of a classic work on one of the most fascinating leaders of our time.' Francisco Panizza, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Politics, The London School of Economics and Political Science.

The story of Fidel Castro has few parallels in contemporary history. None of the important Third World leaders of the twentieth-century played such a prominent and restless part on the international stage and none survived as head of state for as long. Over almost 50 years, he was one of the most controversial political figures in the world, and his legacy has yet to be fully evaluated. Some of his most cherished plans were realized and are a model for many Third World countries. Yet despite enormous sacrifices by Cubans, his grand vision remains unfulfilled and its continued pursuit is full of risks.

 

The completely revised third edition of this lively and much acclaimed political biography provides the first full retrospect of Castro’s remarkable career right up to his illness and withdrawal from power in February 2008, incorporating analysis of:

·                    the renewed crackdown on dissidents in Cuba from the mid-1990s onwards

·                    the major geopolitical reconfiguration of Latin America in the late 1990s, and the new Cuban-Venezuelan relationship under Hugo Chavez

·                    the Helms Burton Act and the continuing US embargo

·                    the Cuban economy in the first decade of the new millennium

 

It also revisits earlier events in Castro’s career, for instance the various assassination plots against him, the Cuban missile crisis and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in the light of documents released by Cuba and the US over the past decade and a half.

 

Sebastian Balfour is Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science.  He has published widely on twentieth-century Spanish history and on the links between Spain and Cuba.

 

 

About the Author:

Sebastian Balfour is Emeritus Professor of Government, Department of Government and Professor of Contemporary Spanish Studies, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science.  He has a long record of publications on contemporary Spain and makes frequent appearances in the media.

About this edition

• Publisher: Longman
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0582029724
• ISBN 13: 9780582029729
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208