1. Compare the social and economic results of the Mexican and Cuban revolutions, and develop on the similarities and differences in both cases. (Word limit: 700-850).
Before tracing out the similarities between the Mexican and the Cuban revolution it’s important to realize what constitutes a revolution. A “Revolutions arise from hope- the stubborn belief that people may be able to change the desperate conditions of their lives for something better, but at the risk of losing everything including their lives”.
Now that we have established what a revolution is, let me turn to the question as to what brought about the Mexican revolution? The brewing rivalry culminated in 1910, modernization schemes which had promoted capital from US, left peasants impoverished and without land as capitalists seized land for more and more plantations. The Cuban Revolution on the other hand emerged as somewhat of an “Anti America” phenomena, “observers have often noted that the extreme anti Americanism was the direct result of decades of US cultural , political , and economic domination of this small island nation”.
Both Mexico and Cuba were big sugar exporters but Mexico also exported silver, coffee ,oil and fibres and we will see how Cuba’s sole reliance on sugar hindered their economic progress post revolution. In all these revolutions the most important institution was land tenure. A lot of resources were allocated to redistribution of land. This was in direct relation to gathering support for reformist parties in both Mexico and Cuba. These land reforms led to equal distribution of land, improving living conditions for the rural masses and promotion of economic development. Mexico’s revolution was one which believed in political superamacy to bring about a change while the Cuban revolution “turned to an armed struggle to bring about a change” .The Mexican revolutionaries had more of a focus on social reforms in the years of the revolution and it was...