The Communist Irony: The Means and Ends of New Laws in Cuba

Aug 2, 2011
Stephen Keeney

Cuban President Raul Castro has plans to lead Cuba into the modern world with economic and political reforms. - Trinidad-News.com

President Raul Castro has proposed new economic policies which go against traditional Communism, but how they are being implemented exemplifies Communism.

Cuba's National Assembly has shown support for economic reforms proposed by Cuban President Raul Castro. The reforms themselves fly in the face of traditional Communism, but the way Castro has gone about making sure they get passed is emblematic of how Communism has turned out in practice throughout world history.

The Changes

The proposed changes would reduce the bureaucracy and allow for the emergence of small businesses in Cuba. The plan would cut more than one million state jobs. In the process, the state would reduce its roles in the country's agricultural, retail, and construction industries. Subsidies would also be slowly phased out. Small businesses would be expected and encouraged to step forward and fill the gap left by the government's absence. The plan also includes changes to ease the nation's strict policies and procedures on allowing citizens to leave the country.

These changes go against several of the most basic tenets of Communism. Communism has always required a vast bureaucracy to service its strict control over a country's nationalized industries, which almost always include at least agriculture and construction, and these industries are heavily subsidized. Because of the state's strict control, small businesses are never part of the national plan for a communist state. And as for individual freedom, there are reasons communist nations enact such strict emigration controls (the Berlin wall, for example). Despite Cuba's position as one of the few remaining "true" communist nations, these reforms clearly represent that the leaders of the nation realize that in order for Cuba to sufficiently care for its citizens they are going to have to abandon certain Communist ideals in favor of policies more in keeping with the modern global economy.

The Path

While the reforms may seem like they are bringing Cuba into the modern global economy, the way in which the government is enacting the changes are all too reminiscent of authoritarian states past. As could be expected, the lower-level bureaucrats who are at risk of losing their jobs are speaking out in both fear and frustration. In retaliation, President Castro has confirmed that anyone attempting to undermine the passage of the reforms could be prosecuted. He went so far as to say that "bureaucratic resistance is useless," and passed off the complaints of the soon-to-be-unemployed bureaucrats as "all sorts of nonsense."

In a system dominated by dictators and authoritarianism in practice, resistance has usually proven to be useless indeed. While the changes are meant to bring new opportunities to Cuba, Cubans who would like to discuss the reforms are reminded that they are still living in a world where the decisions made at the top are the final word, and anyone who disagrees with them better not express those opinions publicly.

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