Fidel & Raoul's Cuba

Flag of Cuba

For nearly half a century, Cuba has been lead by a communist government that was established in 1959 by Fidel Castro and his followers. Under the constitution of Cuba drawn up after the 1959 revolution, the president is chieff of state and commander of the armed forces. The president is also First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, the only political party allowed to exist by the constitution. The Communist Party dominates every aspect of political, economic, and social apsects of the country. The only way to rise in the political system is by being a member of the party. A National Assembly of People's Power constitutionally yields supreme legislative power over the political system. The National Assembly, however, only meets twice a year, meaning that the executive Council of State, which consists of 31 members, holds true power. A Council of Ministers, working through a nine member executive committe, has control of economic policy in Cuba, save for a small section of private sector allowed by the government. Cuba's highest judicial body is the People's Supreme Court that, despite the title, rarely hears private citizen's cases, especially in areas of political offense. 

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro gained power in Cuba in 1959 after overthrowin the previous dictator and US ally Fulgenico Batista. Castro promised to popular reforms, including land reform which would benefit Cuba's peasant class. His "reforms" threatened US business's that were dominant in the Cuban economy,   causing isolation from the US, which only increased after the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962. During the crisis, the US imposed an economic embargo on Cuba. Castro managed to sustain the economy through subsidies by the Soviet Union, which had become a staunch Cuban ally. The fall of the Soviet Union witnessed the economic collapse of Cuba in the 1990s as Cuba had loss its greatest source of international aid. Despite promises of change and reform after the ouster of the Batista regime, Castro's government soon became a complete repressive government, jailing and executing political dissedents. Corruption became widespread in the ruling Communist Party, while the lower classes struggled economically. 

Raul Castro

In 2008, an 81-year old Fidel Castro announced that after having intestinal surgery two years earlier, that he was relinguishing presidential power to his younger brother, 76-year old Raul Castro. Raul had previously been one of Fidel's strongest supporters. Raul's current rule has brought a suprising amount of political reform. Under Raul, the previous ban techonological equipment, including mobil phones and home computers has been lifted. Economically, Raul has lifted the ban off some products, such as DVD players and microwaves. In 2009, Raul dismissed numerous government and party officials. Despite these reforms, the Cuban goverment still holds political dissidents in prison and continues to restrict freedom of speech in the country.

Sources:

http://www.traveldocs.com/cu/govern.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1203299.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/244974.stm