"THIS DAY IN CUBAN HISTORY..."

5/3/18   A publication of the Cuban Studies Institute

The Heroes of the Second of May memorial, Madrid THIS DAY  IN CUBAN HISTORY  On May 2, 1808, there was a popular uprising in Madrid, Spain, against Napoleon Bonaparte’s imposition of his brother Jose as King of Spain. The Spanish War of Independence was underway, with the Spaniards refusing to accept the French king.  The Spanish American colonies became confused.  Who was the lawful monarch?  Who to obey?  All they knew was that the Spanish monarchy had collapsed.  Soon, most of the Spanish colonies in America declared their independence. Three major factors kept Cuba in the Spanish fold: first, fear of a Haiti-style slave revolt that would threaten sugar production in Cuba; second, the close ties between the “sugar aristocracy” and the Spanish nobility; third, the island’s healthy economy. The memory of thousands of refugees arriving from nearby Haiti had a great impact on Cuban society for most of the Nineteenth Century, as living testimony of the swift and bloody demise of the French plantation system in the once richest colony in America. The presence of Spanish troops in the island mitigated their fears. Closely linked to the Spanish nobility, Cuba’s wealthy sugar creole, the sacarocracia, had created financial and political ties with the highest level of power in Spain.  The wealthy creole included Gonzalo O’Farril, Charles IV’s Minister of War; the Count of Santa Cruz de Mompox, a business partner of the powerful Manuel Godoy; Vicente de Quesada y Arango, Marquis of Moncayo and Captain General of Andalucía and Castilla la Vieja; and the Marquis’ nephew, Andres Arango, second-in-command of the Spanish army at Bailen (site of the great victory over the French Imperial Forces).  It was during this difficult struggle when Spain was fighting Napoleon’s army that the social elite in Cuba sent more than $200,000 to help in the war effort.  Never again would the sugar aristocracy enjoy as much influence over Cuban affairs as between 1790 and 1834.  After that, the army and the greedy generals became the dominant political force in Spain for the next 140 years, and in Cuba until 1898. An unfortunate and painful period of Spanish history.      Pedro Roig, Esq. is Executive Director at the Cuban Studies Institute.  He holds a Masters of Arts degree from University of Miami and a Juris Doctor Degree from St. Thomas University.  He has written several books including “The Death of a Dream: A History of Cuba” and “Marti: The Cuban Struggle for Freedom.”  He is a veteran of the Brigade 2506.

This is a publication of the Cuban Studies Institute.  Our mailing address is: 1500 South Dixie Highway, Bank of America Bldg., 2nd Floor Coral Gables, FL  33146 Tel: 786-803-8007