About this episode
The episode discusses the counterrevolution in Cuba following the 1959 revolution, featuring insights from Renzo Llorente.
Renzo Llorente joins us for a conversation exploring the counterrevolution to Cuba's 1959 revolution and the various forms it took. Renzo Llorente is associate professor of philosophy at Saint Louis University-Madrid and the author of the books The Political Theory of Che Guevara and The Political Thought of Fidel Castro . The conversation begins with a look at the current assault on Cuba from the Trump administration and situates it within the context of a long counterrevolution, which has been by and large a bipartisan project since the revolution's inception. We then discuss why counterrevolution occurs in socialist societies and the toll that it takes on the revolutionary ambitions of societies attempting to lay the foundations for socialism. We look at examples of sabotage—from assassination attempts to economic disruption, examples of outright military excursions like the Bay of Pigs invasion, and more. We then look at how Cuba has been forced to respond to these perpetual attempts at counterrevolution often fueled and resourced by the imperialist powers, and why the degree of repression seen in Cuba can be understood as a direct and dialectical response to the United…
People in this episode
Guest: Renzo Llorente
Topics covered
- Cuba
- counterrevolution
- socialism
- political prisoners
- U.S. foreign policy
- historical context
Keywords
- Cuba
- counterrevolution
- socialism
- political prisoners
- U.S. intervention
- Bay of Pigs
- Renzo Llorente
- Trump administration
- repression
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Saint Louis University-Madrid
Books & works: The Political Theory of Che Guevara, The Political Thought of Fidel Castro
Places: Cuba, United States
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