Essay on Authoritarian and Single Party States & the Emergence of their Leaders The 20th century encountered

the rise of numerous single party states, appearing one after another in a continuous stream. End of World Wars, long years of colonization and abrupt independence from imperialist powers all in combination facilitated the disorders and shifts in authority to come. Amid the chaos, the instability of those governments and the publics unsatisfied desires called upon strong leadership and the promise of better future and enabled those that qualified - Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro - to win over their people and eventually reach the place of the leader. Approaching the 20th century, the Chinese empire and consequently, the Chinese people were on the verge of tremendous changes yet to come. The Qing emperors, who were thrown on and off the throne on the whim of Dowager Empress Cixi, were hesitant to implement reforms to strengthen up their empire in face of the global trend of modernization and industrialization. The elite gentry class - the longest-lived ruling class in world history1- still commanded the Chinese society, occupying all official positions and thriving off the poverty of the Chinese mass by engaging in heavy taxation, nepotism and other corrupted manner of conduct. Such incompetence on part of the government and disunity among different classes provided ample opportunity for the imperialist powers to take advantage of the situation. In 1842 China was defeated by Britain in the Opium War and was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking, which demanded from China an indemnity of 21 million silver dollars, the cession of Hong Kong, access to five Chinese ports for trade and extraterritoriality upon the new British concession in Shanghai.2 While mourning the loss of national independence, the Chinese people the peasants, as the landlords passed on the burden to them had to pay for the expanses of the war and the indemnity. Upon defeat in succession of wars (Opium War, Sino-Japanese War in 1894-95), subsequent domination of foreign countries and worsening poverty, the Chinese mass rose up in various rebellions, furious with patriotism and rage against those in authority. Finally in 1911, a revolutionary uprising led by Sun Yat Sen succeeded in overthrowing the Qing regime and the Nationalist Party (GMD) took over. GMD strived to shake off colonial powers within China; but in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 to which China asked for readjustment of unequal treaties Japan was approved of its claims to Shandong through Treaty of Versailles, leaving the Chinese people bitter and sparking up even more anti-western sentiments 3 . The GMD succeeded in eliminating the system of warlords and making some economic improvements; but its accomplishments were not enough to quench the peoples thirst for more dramatic changes. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was formed in 1921 along with Mao Zedong, who was one of its founders. Mao Zedong preached communist ideals of equality and justice in rural areas, winning the hearts of destitute peasants and a large support base. The CCP was very often at conflict with the GMD and in 1934, it started on an arduous journey called The Long March in order to escape the GMD forces that were surrounding it all around. The march was led by Mao Zedong along with 100,000+ people over 8000 miles. This event was later praised by Mao Zedong himself, as a manifesto [that] proclaims to the world that the Red Army is an army of heroes, while the imperialists and their running dogs, Chiang Kaishek and his like, are impotent. By 1945, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese forces ceased to be active within China due to the bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States and released China out of their grasp. Through active advertisement of the communist party and its dedication to nationalist activities, the CCP grew more popular and overcame GMD in the Civil War in the 1949. It was through these events that Mao Zedong portrayed himself as the representative of national might and

reiterated to the public his ability to motivate and lead people. He empowered his disheartened people by presenting to them a possibility to regaining their former glory. Through words and actions, Mao Zedong promised to illuminate every corner of the land with a brilliant flame, swiftly clean up the mire left by the reactionary government, heal the wounds of war, and build a new, powerful peoples republic worthy of the name4: and it was sufficient to the peoples calls. For four hundred years Cuba was colonized by Spain, starting from 1511. As the Spanish rule became more repressive in the 1830s, rebellions by the colonialists against the regime increased, coupled with the slaves liberation movements. In 1898, Cuba was freed from Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris which was the result of Spanish-American War but was subjected to military occupation by the United States of America (USA) for five years afterwards. In 1902, Cuba formally declared its independence. However, according to the Platt Amendment which was to be part of the Cuban Constitution, the USA had the right to intervene in Cubas internal matters, be it economy or foreign relations. Under the Platt Amendment, the USA protected the American businesses and investments in Cuba by implementing policies that benefitted them. Even after the abolishment of Platt Amendment, Cuba was largely tied to the USA because of USA purchased a significant percentage of Cuban sugar production, which was the major industry of Cuba at the time. Also in exchange for the prices paid above the price set by the international market, Cuba had to give American products preferential access to the market. Being reliant on the USA for both its imports and exports, Cuba was under a new phase of unofficial imperialism. The economy suffered because of its undeveloped infrastructure and unemployment, which was worsened by the fact that sugar plantations hired workers seasonally. After its official independence from Spain and the USA, Cuban government proved to be unstable and inefficient. Including the governors appointed by the USA and provisional presidents, Cuba had 25 presidents in total, during the 1902-59 period leading up to Fidel Castros Cuban Revolution. Many were corrupt and incapable of solving deeply-rooted problems of social inequality and poverty in Cuba. The last president before the revolution, Fulgencio Batista was just as incompetent. During his time, the sugar prices were in decline, damaging the Cuban economy and the people. Despite its poor sales, Cuba still had to import expansive foreign goods because it did not (and could not, under obligations to the USA) produce its own substitutes for the imports, leading to shortages in supply of basic goods, inflation and unemployment. The lower class and high class alike suffered the consequences of poor economy and opposed the regime of Batista. They demanded freedom democracy and true independence of Cuba. However Batista responded to such demands with bloody oppression. Fidel Castro appeared before the Cuban public through the Moncada assault in 1953, in which he and members of Partido Ortodoxo attacked the Moncada Barracks. Through the attack, Castro intended to win support from the chaotic region of Oriente Moncada Barracks was in and seize the ammunition in it. However they were soon found out and were suppressed by Batistas army. Many were killed and imprisoned; Fidel Castro and his brother were sent away in exile. But through the attack, Castro and other rebels, named 26th of July Movement after the date of Moncada assault, became popular among the public and was praised as the Generation of the Centenary in connection to the birth of Cuban hero, Jose Marti. This incident also inspired many rebellions in the rural areas with the emergence of guerrilla groups. Through their subsequent movements, such as Granma expedition and military campaigns against Batista, Fidel Castro and his group gained more support and popularity because simply put, they were nice. While the paranoid Batista government rampaged cities and towns with his exhausted and underprovided army in search for rebels

that supported Castro, he promised people changes and explained how he will achieve them. He promised them agrarian reforms, an end to the disparity between the rich and the poor and fair distribution of land. He provided his army with supplies and food they needed, and emphasized to the soldiers the importance of respect and gratitude towards the civilians. Nearly all classes of the population had identified themselves, in varying degrees, with the July 26th Movement.5 There was much comparison to be made. The emergence of these two prominent figures was a natural response to the peoples desire and demands. Had the people not dearly wanted a revolution, discovered the leaders they deemed suitable and supported them throughout, they would have never risen to power and the countries would have not moved on from their previous conditions. Now, who were the true leaders? The engine of changes? It is from the most oppressed and the most neglected yet the most powerful forces of a society that changes come: the people. People are the true leaders of a revolution. Word Count: 1574

Works Cited
1

In The Deng Xiaoping Era, by Maurice Mesiner, 25. New York: Hill and Wang, 1996.

The Legacy of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. , Through Chinese Eyes: Tradition, Revolution and Transformation, by Vernoff Edward, Seybolt J. Peter, 67. New York: CITE Books, 2007.
3

SuyinHan. A Mortal Flower. 1966.

ZedongMao. , Selected Works of Mao Zedong Vol. IV, 8. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1961.
5

HubermanLeo, SweezyPaul. Cuba: Anatomy of a Revolution. 1960.