The History and Potential of Trade between Cuba and the US
Geography dominates Cuban economic history with location favoring US trade, tourism, and investment. In the early 1800s Cuban was a colony of Spain as the US expanded south into Florida with attention turning to the Caribbean. Cuba remained a Spanish colony through the 1800s in spite of numerous rebellions. There were expressed concerns that Cuba might fall under another European power and that the British might interfere with the slave trade. The US maintained good trade relations with Cuba throughout this period.
Flour was the cornerstone of trade with US exports to Cuba peaking in 1807, 1810, and the 1860s. These peaks surround a tumultuous period of economic and political unrest. Reactionary US tariffs in 1835 lowered Cuban imports relative to US exports by 30%. During the 1840s Cuba suffered a drought followed by a severe hurricane. Rising Spanish tariffs curtailed US trade and investment. The Financial Panic of 1857 and the Civil War during the 1860s greatly diminished trade and investment. High unemployment among Cuban plantation workers was the result.
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By the late 1920s isolationism and protectionism re-surfaced. US tariffs and sanitary regulations hurt Cuba. The Great Depression led to an almost complete exodus of US immigrants. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 stopped the sugar trade. The Smoot-Hawley sugar tariff created losses exceeding those due to tariffs on iron, steel, textiles, and wool. The political process raised the duty from $0.18 per pound in 1922 to $0.25 in the House bill, reduced back to $0.18 by the Senate, and finally enacted at $0.21. There was an effort to work out an adjustable tariff on a sliding scale to maintain the price in the US, an idea favored by the White House but ultimately dropped. Smoot-Hawley tariff rates were 14% for sugar and averaged 69% for all agricultural
American economy had completely shattered during the depression. Beforehand, the US implemented high tariffs on foreign goods, aiming to improve the US's own economy. This was a form of Protectionism. These tariffs slowed down world trade. The economy was falling off the economic edge.
Banks Failed (Over 9,000 in the US and over 100,000 around the world) 3. There was a reduction in purchases and investments board which led to reduction in production and loss of jobs 4. American Economic Policy (Smoot-Haley Tariff set up for imports which resulted in less trade as countries retaliated) 5. Drought Conditions
The critical problems in the late 1920’s, threatening american economy was the older industries such as textiles, steel, and railroads, which were basic to the fundamental well-being of the economy, were barely profitable. Crop prices dropped, americans thought the nation would continue to prosper under Republican leadership. The bottom fell out of the market and the nation's confidence, and half of the banks failed. The causes of the stock market crashed and the Great Depression made the collapse of the economy occur more quickly and the depression worse than it could have been. Many were out of a job, and others experienced pay cuts and reduced hours.
From the Cuban perspective most of the hostility towards America came as a result of knowledge that they exploit people and lands in order to enhance their own wealth. Cuba did not see themselves as needing help from people like the United
The Spanish-American war commenced with the Wilson- Gorman Tariff, 1894. The American tariff on sugar imports hurt the Cuba's economy that was manufactured sugar. Angry nationalists (insurrection) revolted against the Spanish Colonial regime. Therefore, Spain sent General Weyler to Cuba to deal with the situation.
Prior to the Spanish-American War of 1898, the majority of Latin America already won their independence from Spain, however, Cuba was an exception due to its surplus of sugar, coffee and tobacco plantations. This control imposed by Spain on Cuba left Cuban citizens resenting their rule due to a multitude of issues, particularly their high taxation and Spain’s rule on Cuba repelling Cubans any political representation in their own country. This distaste for the repressive rules that Spain inflicted on Cuba caused many failed attempts for independence, including the Ten Years’ War and the Little War. The United States sympathized with the Cubans and set out to help. The aid of the United States contributed to the Spanish-American War in 1898, which ended the colonial rule of Spain is
The reduction of production and purchase of domestic item. Finally, Hoover’s administration. The Great Depression caused many people to lose their jobs. First the stock market crashed.
On April 25, 1898 the Spanish-American war began. The United States and Cuba eventually ended up benefiting from the Spanish-American war even though both had to overcome many losses. The United States had a great interest in Cuba. Having gained their independence 100 years ago from Great Britain, the U.S. knew exactly what Cuba was going through.
Although, many other countries were in debt and their economy was torn apart. In attempt to help their own countries, many leaders started raising tariffs or creating some. This stopped international trade across the world because it became harder to trade in
Some issues were the war in Europe that caused the American economy to weaken, the shifting economy that was built on heavy industry was changing into consumerism, and President Herbert Hoover’s philosophy of government should not interfere with the economy and fixing it were possible reasons why the economy was failing. The effects of the Great Depression impacted the American economy hard with the poor working class citizens being hit with most of the problems. Franklin Roosevelt took office between 1929 and 1933, and saw the economic freefall that impacted the nation economy, “farm prices, wages, exports, imports, gross national product … [There were] bank failures and farm disclosures skyrocketed” (Rural Poverty PDF, 208).
The United States has had an ongoing embargo with Cuba. An embargo is when there is a ban against a trade from a particular country. The United States has imposed it upon Cuba. This happened on October 19th, 1960, signed by John F. Kennedy. The US placed an embargo on Cuba except for food and medicine.
In 1898 the Spanish-American war broke out. This was a war between Spain and Cuba, Cuba wanted independence from Spain and that was the cause of the war. The US wanted to help Cuba gain independence and the US would send troops to Cuba and after the war, the US was able to get some land from Cuba after the war ended. From 1904 to 1914, Teddy Roosevelt proposed a project that would make transport in America easier. He proposed that a Canal between Panama should be built.
2 years later, a treaty was signed, but Mexicans still had to obey the Americans. Flash forward to 1898, and America once again had its eyes on another territory. This time, it was Cuba. Like with Texas/Mexico, Cuba used to be a Spanish colony. Cuba had a good location and resources, so it would be a great gain for the
As the stock market plummeted and banks failed, millions of Americans found themselves out of work and struggling. Mexican Americans especially felt this era of economic struggle. The Great Depression negatively impacted Mexican Americans in several ways, as they faced increased discrimination which limited economic opportunities, furthermore worsening economic hardships, compounded by the vulnerability of migrant workers to deportation and exclusion from New Deal benefits. Mexican Americans faced increased discrimination which limited economic opportunities and worsened financial struggles during the Great Depression, when many businesses failed and less work was available. Since everyone in the U.S. was looking for work, it was seen as
Nothing changed things got worse and worse and worse. Cuba remained the same as it did earlier with Batista; a poor country in debt whose livelihood depends on sugar production. At first the United