DBWI: What if Castro had allied himself with the USSR

As you all know, during and after the Cuban Revolution, Castro sought the support of the United States or the USSR, in the end he allied himself with the USA but with some agreements.

What if the US had refused to help Castro? What would relations between the two countries be like if Cuba was a Communist? How different would Latin America be?
 
As you all know, during and after the Cuban Revolution, Castro sought the support of the United States or the USSR, in the end he allied himself with the USA but with some agreements.

What if the US had refused to help Castro? What would relations between the two countries be like if Cuba was a Communist? How different would Latin America be?

Cuba was never going to be Red: the US would have intervened HEAVILY on Batista's behalf if there was even a whisper of adopting overly Communists policies, especially if they called for aligning with the USSR. And for the same reasons the US diden't intervene in the crack-downs on Prague or Budapest the Soviets aren't going to be crazy enough to do more than moral grandstanding over what the Americans do in their own backyard. Thankfully, the Directorio Liberals and student protests provided a real moderating influence to the more radical elements of the 26th of July movement, and their role in the military overthrow of Batista's dictatorship in the Western part of the island (including holding Havana at the Revolution's end) insured they had the armed leverage and international profile over the Communists to allow Castro to ditch his previous reputation at the head of a "Left of Center" coalition government.

But let's say Batista, instead of spreading his loyalists thinly across the whole island, focuses instead on subduing the western poritions of the island first and leave Castro's forces to grow while weakening himself to the point the Reds alone can stage a victory. Off the top of my head, I'd say the island comes under a hemisphere wide "Containment" policy backed by the US, leaving Cuba in a "Taiwan" type situation at best. One might also see a surge in violence as a means of political change being adopted by leftist movements in Latin America, especially if the US decides to start backing military strongmen as the only viable alternative to its backyard going "Red" similar to the Soviet policy in Eastern Europe. This probably ends up retarding the democratization of the region, though maybe richer as they don't have to issue so many bonds in order to buy out the fruit conglomerates if they can simply nationalize the properties.
 
You sure posting a Castro thread such a good idea right after all that hullabaloo over the Castro Party Boat/Physical Removal memes in the NDCR thread?

Anyway, had Castro turned to the Reds I don't know what we'd do. Communism was scarily popular in Latin America; the fall of Paraguay, Guevera's revolution in Argentina, Velasco's takeover of Peru, the Allende-Schneider Duumvirate in Chile, the civil wars in Colombia, Nicaragua, and El Salvador all stand as testament to that. Castro proved a steadfast ally in keeping communism from spreading further in Latin America; had be been on their side, who knows? Maybe they go as far as Mexico (IIRC Guevera had plans to do exactly that, and the riots in 1968 may have been a result of those plans).

And seeing as Castro proved willing to let the US station nuclear weapons in Cuba, I don't think he'd deny the Russians the right to do the same. We came within seconds of Armageddon during the Argentinian Crisis in 1965; could you imagine what would have happened if the Soviets put bombers or IRBMs just 90 miles off the American coast?

Also, Rhodesia might not have survived if not for Castro; Cuban troop played a big role in keeping ZIPRA and ZANLA north of the Zambezi.
 
I don't see why anyone in their right minds would wanna ally themselves with Guervera in Latin American politics.
 
I don't see why anyone in their right minds would wanna ally themselves with Guervera in Latin American politics.

The fat purses he kept getting from Beijing probably had something to do with it. The Agrarian "Peasant" socialism that kept getting pushed by his radicals being Mao's pet project to turn China into a "Third Pole" in the Cold War was an open secret.
 
After the Anti-Communist White Terror ended when Batista accidentally shot himself in the back of the head twice there was no appetite for any more politics in Cuba. People wanted to earn a few $s buy a car, drink Rum, smoke some herbal cigars and party party party. Whilst the swinging 60s ground to a halt in the rest of the world Cuba became the PARTY Capital of the world. Spring Break became the Cuban Break as a good proportion of US/Canadian students took the dirt cheap package deals on offer to party in Cuba. What happens in Cuba stays in Cuba became a motto for good times. So many students enjoyed Cuba so much they returned and helped start the Silicon Island tech boom.


Cubans are a real friendly bunch just dont get them started on Sport or you will have your ears talked off as they discuss Cubas latest game in the Copa America/World Cup, Havanas new shortstop or my personal favourite the Cuban Ladies Beach Volleyball team. If you want to shut a Cuban up just start talking politics they will soon go and find something less boring to do like counting the leaves on a Palm Tree or organising their toenail clipping collection.
 
Cubans are a real friendly bunch just dont get them started on Sport or you will have your ears talked off as they discuss Cubas latest game in the Copa America/World Cup, Havanas new shortstop or my personal favourite the Cuban Ladies Beach Volleyball team. If you want to shut a Cuban up just start talking politics they will soon go and find something less boring to do like counting the leaves on a Palm Tree or organising their toenail clipping collection.

How can you forget about baseball? Maybe that’s just a US immigrant thing, but every Cuban I met LOVES baseball.
 

Anchises

Banned
As you all know, during and after the Cuban Revolution, Castro sought the support of the United States or the USSR, in the end he allied himself with the USA but with some agreements.

What if the US had refused to help Castro? What would relations between the two countries be like if Cuba was a Communist? How different would Latin America be?

Castro would have been dead really quick. People who claim that a small tiny island nation could exist as a bastion of Socialism so close to the USA are better off in the ASB section.

Nobody talks about the elephant in the room, nuclear weapons. The Soviets would have loved to place some rockets there. This alone would have guaranteed a quick regime change if Castro would have dared to make serious overtures to the Soviets.

Best case scenario: A neutralized Cuba that has somewhat close economic ties to both Superpowers.
 
While we're at it, don't forget how the International League made damn sure Havana had a team. And once established, that franchise became something of a Mecca. We all know how a lot of on-the-bubble major leaguers would gladly take something of a pay cut and go to the IL and play for Havana rather than ride the bench in the big leagues. To be sure, the dollar doesn't go as far in Cuba as it once did but it still has a lot of buying clout, which makes a minor league salary go a lot farther than it does in, say, Pawtucket, Columbus, Oklahoma City, or Sacramento. And there are the inevitable extracurricular activities, of course...
 
… or my personal favourite the Cuban Ladies Beach Volleyball team…

The rumors both ways have been flying thick and fast on social media as to whether or not the members of that team were chosen primarily on merit and athletic ability or on looks and cup size--and there's lots of evidence both ways.
 
Well, even in OTL Castro passed some laws (mainly pertaining to education and healthcare) that, while par for the course for, say, a socially minded center left party in Europe, made some people in Washington uncomfortable. And this, with the United States watching his every move. An USSR-aligned Castro would probably be able to get away with pulling a Czechoslovakia/Hungary and living to tell the tale, due to Cuba's location Moscow wouldn't be able to intervene without accidentally causing a nuclear holocaust.

Sure, he'd still be very authoritarian, but he'd maintain the reputation of Lee Kuan Yew of the West that he built in OTL.
 
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