Defending the Revolution through Labor Organization and Spontaneity in the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution in Cuba, 1961-1965

Bibliographic Data

ID2099199
AuthorsJuan Carlos Medel (0000-0003-1581-1765, Diego Portales University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume60
Issue4
Pages1-16
Publication date2024-12-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Research Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0023-8791 • E-ISSN: 1542-4278
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/lar.2024.62
OpenAlexW4405374081
LanguageEN
References cited15

The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) were one of the most important mass organizations in revolutionary Cuba. During the 1960s, the CDR developed a slew of actions among the Cuban masses, organizing cultural, political, and economic activities that shaped the revolutionary process from below. Through their work, the CDR gave meaning to their own idea of Cuban socialism. In the context of revolutionary upheaval, they were born as mass organizations to organize political surveillance against counterrevolutionary enemies. But the CDR also deployed productive power that sought to improve the lives of fellow Cubans. Organizing workers to solve local problems helped to reimagine the purpose of labor as a resource for public utility. For moments, the CDR even became the state. This article highlights the crucial role of the CDR members in the revolutionary process and their impact on the everyday lives of Cuban people

Political science · Sociology · Cuban History and Society · Political and Social Dynamics in Chile and Latin America · Politics and Society in Latin America

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access