“Cuba came to be the last country to get rid of Spanish colonialism and the first to shake off the heinous imperialist tutelage.”
- August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016
- Cuban
- Revolutionary, Prime Minister and President of Cuba, Communist Leader
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Quote
“Cuba came to be the last country to get rid of Spanish colonialism and the first to shake off the heinous imperialist tutelage.”
Explanation
This quote encapsulates Fidel Castro’s narrative of Cuba’s unique historical role in the struggle against both colonialism and imperialism. By stating that Cuba was the last country to break free from Spanish colonial rule, he refers to the island’s late independence in 1898, which was complicated by the U.S. intervention in the Spanish-American War. While formal colonial status ended, Cuba soon found itself under American influence and control, particularly through the Platt Amendment and economic domination—what Castro terms “heinous imperialist tutelage.”
The second part of the quote—“the first to shake off” this tutelage—refers to the Cuban Revolution of 1959, which overthrew the U.S.-backed Batista regime and asserted Cuba’s full political, economic, and ideological independence. In Castro’s view, this revolution marked a historic turning point, not only for Cuba but for the Global South, demonstrating that a small nation could defy a superpower and forge its own path rooted in sovereignty and social justice.
In today’s context, the quote continues to resonate as a symbol of anti-colonial pride and resistance to foreign domination. It positions Cuba as both a victim of historical oppression and a pioneer of liberation, encouraging other nations to reclaim autonomy from modern forms of imperialism—whether through economic dependency, cultural assimilation, or military pressure. Castro’s words offer a vision of national dignity born not just from independence, but from the refusal to be controlled by external forces.
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