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.
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