Cuban Revolution - Agency vs Structure debate.

[Poppytry]

Which approach best explains the Cuban Revolution. The agency view, which concentrates on key individuals. Or the structural view which would suggest revolution in Cuba was inevitable due to its conditions.

Have I even understood the concepts of agency and structure properly?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_and_agency

[Winter]

Which approach best explains the Cuban Revolution. The agency view, which concentrates on key individuals. Or the structural view which would suggest revolution in Cuba was inevitable due to its conditions.

Have I even understood the concepts of agency and structure properly?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_and_agency

This is the first time I ever heard of the title "structure and agency" but from what I have been reading, it seems it was a little of both, maybe more so on the agency side in certain ways.

The vanguard, in this case, the Castros, Che, and eventually the rest of the Guerrilla cadres noticed the conditions for a revolution and came to the conclusion that the people indeed wanted change, so they took the initiative. I think the "spirit" and will of revolution was inevitable due to it's coniditions. Let's keep in mind, a socialist revolution was something that did not have to come automatic, it could have very well been a nationalistic democratic revolution. The Vanguard introduced Socialism to the people, and they agreed to support the Guerrillas. Alot of people call Castros and Ches method Focoism:

"Focoisms central principle is that vanguardism (http://www.revleft.com/wiki/Vanguardism) by cadres (http://www.revleft.com/wiki/Cadres) of small, fast-moving paramilitary (http://www.revleft.com/wiki/Paramilitary) groups can provide a focus (in Spanish, foco) for popular discontent against a sitting regime, and thereby lead a general insurrection (http://www.revleft.com/wiki/Insurrection)"

From that definition, it seems the Guerrillas gave the peasants and workers morale; the reality that the Batista governments collapse was indeed possible.

[blake 3:17]

It certainly wasn't inevitable, and the clearly the guerilla actions were crucial in the revolution.

There's been recent scholarship on the often overlooked role that urban workers played -- a friend has been writing on this, I'll get you some references.

[Magdalen]

It certainly wasn't inevitable, and the clearly the guerilla actions were crucial in the revolution.

There's been recent scholarship on the often overlooked role that urban workers played -- a friend has been writing on this, I'll get you some references.

Julia Sweig wrote a good book on the urban underground in the Cuban Revolution, which Helen Yaffe reviewed here (http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/index.php/reviews/283-cuban-revolution-the-urban-underground-frfi-169-oct-nov-2002-.html).

[bricolage]

The agency view, which concentrates on key individuals. Or the structural view which would suggest revolution in Cuba was inevitable due to its conditions.

You have the basic idea but structure and agency does go beyond that, most notably that when we talk about the latter it doesn't just have to refer to individuals, there is collective agency too. Additionally you are right that a purely structural view is determinism and inevitability however I'm not sure anyone really takes that approach (probably very few take a purely agential one either) and so the structure vs agency debate becomes more about which factors were more important, those directly caused by individuals or groups (agential) or those beyond the immediate control of such individuals or groups (structural).

[Poppytry]

Julia Sweig wrote a good book on the urban underground in the Cuban Revolution, which Helen Yaffe reviewed here (http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/index.php/reviews/283-cuban-revolution-the-urban-underground-frfi-169-oct-nov-2002-.html).

Yes I have that book in front of me now, its pretty interesting and useful particularly for the work I'm doing.

[Winter]

It certainly wasn't inevitable, and the clearly the guerilla actions were crucial in the revolution.

There's been recent scholarship on the often overlooked role that urban workers played -- a friend has been writing on this, I'll get you some references.

I read that the only reason why Castro and his guerrilas overthrew Batista was because the U.S. was in the process of staging a coup against Batista. But in any event, I too would be interested in the role of the urban workers.