Was Batista more Communist than Castro?

[heiss93]

In William Z. Foster's history, the Communist Party of Cuba supported Batista as a liberal and held positions with portfolio in the government. Marxist-Leninists in Cuba did not support Castro in his inital revolution, but considered him a populist caudillo. It was only when Cuba's national interests aligned with the USSR, that Castro declared himself a Marxist.

[Pogue]

Come now, lets not be silly.

[bricolage]

I hear Tsar Nicholas was the most communist of all.

[Pogue]

Queen Victoria was a Trot.

[Luisrah]

And Obama is a socialist (but everyone already knows that)

[Leo]

In William Z. Foster's history, the Communist Party of Cuba supported Batista as a liberal and held positions with portfolio in the government. Marxist-Leninists in Cuba did not support Castro in his inital revolution, but considered him a populist caudillo. It was only when Cuba's national interests aligned with the USSR, that Castro declared himself a Marxist.

All these are undeniable facts. One has to ask whether the Communist Party of Cuba or the USSR was communist though, rather than asking whether Batista was communist.

[bricolage]

And Obama is a socialist (but everyone already knows that)

It's been bait from day. :laugh:

http://www.cristyli.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/obama-socialism-2.jpg

[Axle]

Yeah, Comrade Batista.

Great history lesson, Foster.

[Random Precision]

In William Z. Foster's history, the Communist Party of Cuba supported Batista as a liberal and held positions with portfolio in the government. Marxist-Leninists in Cuba did not support Castro in his inital revolution, but considered him a populist caudillo. It was only when Cuba's national interests aligned with the USSR, that Castro declared himself a Marxist.

The Cuban Communists had actually renamed themselves as the Partido Socialista Popular during WW2 when they were under the influence of Earl Browder. The PSP was thoroughly corrupt and was well-known for taking part in the political horse-trading that dominated the country throughout the early 20th century, known as politiquería. Also it is true that they took positions in Batista's government. It was an alliance that allowed them to basically run the large trade union movement in Cuba. It was only when the government was falling to pieces in late 1958 that they withdrew and supported the insurgency.

However indeed for the early months of the revolutionary period they were still to the left of Castro and his government. Castro began to overtake their ambition in things like land reform toward the middle of 1959. At this point they were able to use their connections with Moscow to influence the Soviet Union to take another look at Castro (his revolution had been mostly ignored as it occurred by the USSR) and thus carve themselves out a place in the revolutionary government.

[kellster102292]

Since Castro needed outside influence of his own revolution to claim himself as marxist, I have to go with Batista being the more communist of the two.

[STJ]

Reagen was a commie to.

[Dimentio]

In William Z. Foster's history, the Communist Party of Cuba supported Batista as a liberal and held positions with portfolio in the government. Marxist-Leninists in Cuba did not support Castro in his inital revolution, but considered him a populist caudillo. It was only when Cuba's national interests aligned with the USSR, that Castro declared himself a Marxist.

Only shows that marxist-leninists aren't infallible in predicting the future. Moreover, Castro did not become a communist until 1961.

[Tatarin]

Deep inside, everyone is a communist. They just don't want to talk about it.

[Crux]

In William Z. Foster's history, the Communist Party of Cuba supported Batista as a liberal and held positions with portfolio in the government. Marxist-Leninists in Cuba did not support Castro in his inital revolution, but considered him a populist caudillo. It was only when Cuba's national interests aligned with the USSR, that Castro declared himself a Marxist.
Which, incidentally, tells you mroe about how communist the stalinist line of supporting "progressive bourguise" (to carry through the first stage of the revolution no dubt *cough*) are rather than how communist batista was.

[Mälli]

I have read that Batista had a bust of stalin in his office. They say he admired him as a leader.