1. Establishment and consolidation of Castro´s rule
*How did Castro establish his power between ?
*What measures were taken after 1975 to further consolidate Castro´s power?
* What other methods did Castro use to consolidate his power?

2. Dual Authority Jan-Nov. 1959
M. Urrutia (president), Jose Miro Cardona ( PM)
F. Castro ( military commander-in-chief)
The ORPC ( office of the revolutionary plans and co-ordination)
The cabinet
→ Cardona dismissed already in 1959; Castro became PM
Suspension of elections, Agrarian reform→ INRA (national institute of agrarian reform) was set up→ later INRA became the effective government
moderate cabinet members resigned, Urrutia was forced to leave the presidency→ Oswaldo Dortigos the new president up to 1975

3. Revolutionary consolidation
From 1960 onwards
Press and radio stations ”was brought into line”
Centralisation: the cabinet took the legislative and executive powers
political parties banned
Communist-led trade unions got more power
All judges appointed by Castro´s approval
” real democracy is not possible for hungry people”– free elections postponed
Castro´s challenges, pp.85-86

4. Collective resposibility
* From 1968 closer relations with the USSR→ structures and institutions developed along Soviet system
Collective resposibility
Communist party enlarged (in 1965 / members, by members, 9 % of all Cuban citizens over 25 years)

5. Elimination of opposition& formation of the new communist party
Matos (one of the leading figures of the revolution)
Urrutia ( president)
Escalante, a communist leader ( ORI, integrated revolutionary organisations = The 26 movement, PSP, DR- revolutionary leaders)
Between counter-revolutionary guerilla war against Castro ( supported by USA)→ opposition defeated by 1966
According to US senate reports, the CIA´s second largest station in the wolrd was based in Florida
- 600 plans to assassinate Castro
” no country has suffered from terrorism as long and consistently as Cuba” (Balfour S, 2009)

6. Dealing with the opposition
The Escambray Rebels (solders loyal to Batista operating from the Escambray Mountains , Morgan)
Some members of the July movement (M-26-7) and other anti-Batista groups who were opposing communist ideology, Matos)
The wealthy middle class, needed protection

7. Channels for opposition
Federation of University Students
The trade Unions ; in 1970 opposition against poor productivity→ Castro admitted mistakes and argued for more democratic reforms

8. The communist party of Cuba( PCC)
Established in 1965 from ORI, not a mass party
in 1972 reformed; a 100 strong central committee, politburo and secretariat
Between 1965 and 1968 some traditional communists tried to challenge Castro´s approach, result was their elimination and by 1968 Castro´s control was complete

9. How Castro was able to maintain his power?
New constitution 1976 ( economic problems, opposition..)
Identity the new constitution of 1976
Rectification campaign ( against errors and negative trends)
-Juceplan ( going back to centralization)
- against corruption, bureaucrats, technocrats..
The Ochoa Affair, 1989
Aldana, 1992 purge ( against liberal policies), 1992 new constitution

10. US´role
Varela Project, early 2000
Mass organisations
Committees for defence of the revolution
Emigration and exile
Castroism

11. interpretations
Saney; the role of the workers´assemblies on the decision making
Spalding; influence of the PCC was suffocating
Roman: The party does not meddle in the operation of people´s power
Bengelsdorf; Cuban citizens exercise political sovereignity