“The revenues of Cuban state-run companies are used exclusively for the benefit of the people, to whom they belong.”
- August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016
- Cuban
- Revolutionary, Prime Minister and President of Cuba, Communist Leader
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Quote
“The revenues of Cuban state-run companies are used exclusively for the benefit of the people, to whom they belong.”
Explanation
This quote articulates a core tenet of socialist economics: that public enterprises should serve the collective good rather than private profit. Fidel Castro asserts that the income generated by Cuba’s state-owned industries is not accumulated by elites or shareholders, but is reinvested into services and programs that benefit the population, such as healthcare, education, food distribution, and infrastructure. The phrase “to whom they belong” reinforces the idea that the people are the rightful owners of national wealth, not a select few.
Historically, after the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the government nationalized major sectors of the economy—including sugar production, transportation, and energy—arguing that doing so would break the cycle of foreign dependency and internal inequality. Castro promoted this model as a moral and economic alternative to capitalism, in which corporate profits often leave a country or enrich only a small segment of the population. In contrast, Cuba’s approach aimed to prioritize public welfare over market efficiency.
In today’s context, the quote remains part of broader debates about the role of the state in managing resources, especially in regions where privatization and inequality have deepened public distrust. It challenges societies to ask whether economic output truly benefits the many or just the few, and whether national wealth should be treated as a shared inheritance rather than a source of private gain. Castro’s words invite reflection on who owns the economy—and for whom it should ultimately function.
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