In 1917, the Bolsheviks seized control of the government in Russia and led to its transformation into the Soviet Union, the world's first communist state. Between 1919 and 1943, international communism developed an extensive radical network that connected numerous left-wing organizations around the world. Through the Third International or Comintern, this global movement exported the distinctive political and cultural elements of the "Soviet experiment," as well as revolutionary ideals, to other countries.

This panel will discuss various aspects of the Soviet influence in Cuba and the Caribbean. First, the panel will trace the activities of communists in the region during the 1920s and 1930s. Then, it will focus on the growing influence of communists in Cuba after 1959 and the "Sovietization" of the island during the 1960s and 1970s. Finally, it will analyze the interplay between Cuba under Fidel and Raul Castro and several countries of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War.

Panelists

Sandra Pujals

Professor of History, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras

Lillian Guerra

Professor of History, University of Florida

Radoslav Yordanov

Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University

Moderator

Rebecca Friedman

Director, FIU Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab, and Professor of History, FIU

This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Cuban Research Institute. Co-sponsored by the FIU Department of History and the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center. To confirm your attendance, write cri@fiu.edu or call (305) 348-1991.

Image credit: Alejandro Gonzalez, from the series "Re-Construction: The Gray Five-Year Period, 1975," 2015.