Cuba's love affair with violence : 1940s revolutionary groups

• Main Author: Tudela, Francisco Jose
• Published: University of Leeds 2012
• Subjects: 320.9729109044
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.597093

According to a number of scholars, the University of Havana during the 19405 was a dangerous place to study. Scholars also argue that the city of Havana was a dangerous place to live. Gunmen seemed to loiter on the corner of every building. These gunmen were action group members. The first part of this project investigates the portrayal of both these localities and the actions groups from contemporary and modem sources. The second part of the thesis investigates the revolutionary organisations and tries to gain an insight into their workings, ideologies, and overall character. Who were these action group members? Were they revolutionaries, as they refer to themselves, or were they terrorists? A crucial component to the investigation is examining violence. Were the Cuban citizenry 'terrorised'? What are the urban violence statistics? The project looks at assassination attempts to discover whether the city and the University of Havana were truly dangerous places. The third part of the thesis attempts to uncover the reasons why the histories describe Havana and the action groups in such a manner. In other words, the investigation reviews the causes of the portrayal or mischaracterisation. The research examines the potential of source misinterpretation, bias, etc.