Audio's Daniel Bensaïd

In this third session, Bensaïd focuses on 1959 from the point of view of three processes. Firstly, he depicts the process of breaking with the Cuban bourgeoisie, and the power structures in the beginning of '59. Secondly, he analyses the process of differentiation and rupture with the bourgeois elements in the government; and thirdly, he recounts the process of confrontation with imperialism, which goes to some extent parallel with the process of radicalisation of the Cuban revolution.

In this fourth session of the lecture, Bensaïd focuses on the transition in Cuba. Bensaïd tackles the question of political power as the first instrument to initiate social transformations, which brings the problem of bureaucratisation as a danger in the process of transition. In his analysis and discussion, Bensaïd makes comparisons with Nicaraguan Revolution and Russian Revolution. The session ends with a discussion of the nationalisation of imperialist and big companies in 1960 and 1961.

In this fifth session of the lecture, Bensaïd discusses the transitional economy in Cuba, comparing it to Nicaraguan Revolution. He identifies several problems that followed from the very sharp shift in the Cuban economy such as new dependencies, bureaucratic incoherence and chaos, and limiting of sugar exportations without substitution, which lead to a sudden growth of the budget deficit, eventually bringing bankruptcy in 1963. He discusses the Four Year Plan, which prioritised the increase of sugar production as a solution to the deficit. There were tensions between the CPs of Cuba, Russia and Venezuela, regarding the internal and international politics. The end of the 60s is usually characterised as ultra left, but all of that is linked to rapid and quick revolutionary extension in Latin America. It will change with economic failure and political defeats in Bolivia, Dominican Republic, and Brazil. In this context, economic difficulties in inside and military defeats in outside will provoke a new change in 1970s Cuba. He concludes with several remarks from Fidel's self-criticism speech.

In this sixth session of the lecture, Bensaïd starts with a discussion of the system of management and planning which was launched in 1975 and was based on 'objective' economic information. After an analysis of this plan and its outcomes, Bensaïd connects the Cuban Revolution with the present, and draws some lessons from the experience.