HOW THE WORKERS PARLIAMENTS SAVED THE CUBAN REVOLUTION : reviving socialism after the... collapse of the soviet union

A first hand account of a society mobilized from below at a critical time in its history How the Workers’ Parliaments Saved the Cuban Revolution brings us to the heart of one of the most precarious and transformational moments in Cuba’s evolution. As the Soviet Union fell to pieces in the 1990s, Cuba managed to evade the fate of its primary trading ally. How was this possible, especially as Cuba endured relentless attacks from the capitalist behemoth directly to its north? As the GDP plunged by over a third, and the Cuban people endured brutal food shortages— a time of crisis known as the “Special Period”— the country embarked upon a remarkable collective effort to cope with its dire circumstances and escaped the starvation, disease, death, and violence that often plague poor countries facing similar conditions. Not only did Cuba manage to evade collapse, it maintained its high life expectancy, low infant mortality, and universal access to health and education, preserving many of the gains of the revolution. At the center of this collective effort were lifelong revolutionaries like Pedro Ross, construction worker, literacy educator, and labor activist. As head of Cuba’s labor federation throughout the “Special Period,” Ross developed a nationwide series of “Labor Parliaments” which turned the country into an immense school of economics and politics. Over a 45-day span in 1993, women’s rights activists, farmers' organizations, youth movements, and academic associations came together for tens of thousands of meetings, successfully restored the production cycle, and ultimately revolutionized nearly every aspect of life in Cuba. Singularly positioned to write this seminal account of those days, Ross has given us a rare, moving, on-the-ground account of a society mobilized from below, buttressing the Revolution when it was under maximum stress. Title Page Copyright Contents Foreword by Chris Remington Part One A Brief Introduction Why Workers’ Parliaments? Fidel Saw It Coming A Congress in Military Uniforms What Is a Special Period in Peacetime? The Fourth Party Congress and the Start of the Special Period Measures to Address the Crisis Enemy Encouragement of Social Indiscipline and Vandalism Fidel Meets the People The People Respond “It Is Easier to Find a Dinosaur Crossing the Street Than a Pumpkin in the Market” It Was Not the First Time “Yes, We Can” Why Do Unions Exist? Analysis, Measures, Actions The Second Ordinary Session of the National Assembly of People’s Power What the Workers Say in the Parliaments Fidel Reflects, Argues, Gives His Opinion, Promotes Discussion People Work Because They Must “We Haven’t Always Done Things Right by Consulting” The Sources of the Black Market Our Proposal Workers’ Assemblies into Workers’ Parliaments The Call The Preparation The Workers Are the Owners A Light at the End of the Tunnel Unequivocal Support Sociopolitical and Opinion Studies: The First Survey A Vast School of Economics The Issue of Prices Reducing Employment Rolls ... But How? Our Meeting with the Cigar Workers’ Parliament Keeping Fidel Informed With the Milkmen in Pinar del Río Workers’ Parliaments in Camagüey The Workers’ Parliament at the Lenin Central Workshop With Fidel: Salary Guarantee and Other Topics The Building Contractor Contingents Exchanging Ideas with Fidel Another Survey: Workers Endorse the Parliaments Assessment Time: What Happened in the Parliaments? A Faint Ray of Light The Final Summary of the Workers’ Parliaments The Ministry of Finances and Prices Reports The Debate The International Solidarity of Trade Unionists Conclusions Part Two The Nightmare of a Devastating Hurricane The Origins of Cuban Nationality A Fecund Truce Martí’s Legacy The Imperialist Intervention of the United States The Platt Amendment The Second Occupation of Cuba by the United States First Governments of the Neocolonial Republic The Machado Dictatorship The September 4 Coup d’état and the 100 Days Government Historical Significance of the Revolution of 1933 The 1940 Constitution Fulgencio Batista: Demagogy and Repression The Authentic Governments Eduardo Chibás: Decency versus Money The Coup of March 10, 1952 Popular Repudiation Grows The Assaults of July 26, 1953 “Condemn Me, It Doesn’t Matter, History Will Absolve Me” The Release of the “Moncadists” The Granma The November 30 Uprising in Santiago de Cuba The National Liberation War The Triumph of the Revolution Cuba Transforms Itself Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs) New Paths The War Against the Bandits The United States Tries to Isolate Cuba The Mongoose Plan The October Crisis Cuba Built; the United States Attacked Transformations of Cuban Economy and Society Rectifying Errors The Revolution’s Social Initiatives The Cuban Revolution’s Foreign Policy Epilogue Appendix A Bibliography Notes "How the Workers’ Parliaments Saved the Cuban Revolution brings us to the heart of one of the most precarious and transformational moments in Cuba’s evolution. As the Soviet Union fell to pieces in the 1990s, Cuba managed to evade the fate of its primary trading ally. How was this possible, especially as Cuba endured relentless attacks from the capitalist behemoth directly to its north? As the GDP plunged by over a third, and the Cuban people endured brutal food shortages— a time of crisis known as the “Special Period”— the country embarked upon a remarkable collective effort to cope with its dire circumstances and escaped the starvation, disease, death, and violence that often plague poor countries facing similar conditions. Not only did Cuba manage to evade collapse, it maintained its high life expectancy, low infant mortality, and universal access to health and education, preserving many of the gains of the revolution. At the center of this collective effort were lifelong revolutionaries like Pedro Ross, construction worker, literacy educator, and labor activist. As head of Cuba’s labor federation throughout the “Special Period,” Ross developed a nationwide series of “Labor Parliaments” which turned the country into an immense school of economics and politics. Over a 45-day span in 1993, women’s rights activists, farmers’ organizations, youth movements, and academic associations came together for tens of thousands of meetings, successfully restored the production cycle, and ultimately revolutionized nearly every aspect of life in Cuba. Singularly positioned to write this seminal account of those days, Ross has given us a rare, moving, on-the-ground account of a society mobilized from below, buttressing the Revolution when it was under maximum stress." -- Provided by publisher