Army politics in Cuba, 1898-1958 (Pitt Latin American series) [Hardcover]

Louis A Perez (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pitt Latin American series | Publication Date: 1976

Louis A. Pérez examines the founding of the national army in Cuba, the rise and fall of Cuban army preeminence during the Machado regime, the bizarre army seizure of power in 1933, which resulted in the collapse of the officer corps, and follows the dominance of the army until the revolution of 1958. He shows that the Cuban political order rested on the stability of the army, which itself grew increasingly estranged from national traditions and eventually became the tool of a clique of political leaders, only to fall to rebel forces during the revolution.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The book is well documented and offers valuable insights on many untouched aspects of the Cuban process. . . . a very valuable contribution to a better understanding of the Cuban historical process.”
—Hispanic American Historical Review

“Pérez is particularly strong on the role of the army under Batista, who used the organization of the military and of a tame Communist Party to maintain his hold in a way that oddly foreshadows the alliance between the Rebel Army and the P.S.P. under Castro.”

“Pérez traces in Army Politics in Cuba, the genesis, pre-eminence, and the fall of the Cuban army. This much needed book is as much a historical analysis of 'nation building' as it is a case study of army politics in Cuba. . . . The volume can be used for courses in comparative analyses of civil-military relations, international relations, military institutions and politics in Latin America, and diplomatic history and politics.”
—Contemporary Sociology

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Louis A. Pérez Jr. is J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of History at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press (1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822933039
• ISBN-13: 978-0822933038
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,337,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars About This Book, October 31, 2008

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This review is from: Army politics in Cuba, 1898-1958 (Pitt Latin American series) (Hardcover)

From the dustjacket: "Cuba entered nationahood without an army; within a little more than three decades, the military institution exercised unchallenged national authority; thirty years later, the military collapsed. This first English language account of the military in Cuba offers groundbreaking research on the origins and development of the Cuban armed forces."

Table of Contents

Genesis of the Cuban Army
National Politics and the Cuban Army, 1909-1924
The United States and the Cuban Army

Sources of Army Preeminence: The Machadato
The Politics of Army Interventions, 1933
Diplomacy, Army Politics, and the Collapse of the Cuban Officer Corps

The Diplomatic Imperative and the Rise of Fulgencio Batitista
Army Hegemony 1934-1940
The Civilian Interregnum 1940-1952
The Restoration of Army Preeminence

Patterns of Resistance: The Armed Forces and Opposition 19523-1958
The Final Confrontation: The Eclipse of the Marcista Order 1958-1959

In Retrospect

Notes, pp. 177-210
Bibliography, pp 211-234
Index

Hardback with dustcover, 240 pp, red cloth with gold details over hardback boards.