HOME | CHECKOUT | ABOUT | FAQ | CONTACT US |
 
Welcome Guest [create an account] or log-in:
email
password

Chapter 4 The Story of Defeat Havana

DOI: 10.23912/9781911396949-4319

ISBN: 9781911396949

Published: Dec 2019

Component type: chapter

Published in: The Story of Hilton Hotels

Parent DOI: 10.23912/978-1-911396-7-96-3889

10.23912/9781911396949-4319

Abstract

Pleasure Island - Cuba is an intriguing island which, since the day it was discovered by Christopher Columbus, has been fighting for independence and freedom and has never quite succeeded in achieving this aim to this day. Almost all of the native Cubans whom Columbus would have encountered in 1492 were either killed by Spanish colonialists or passed away infected with European diseases such as measles and smallpox, to which their bodies were not immune. People who today call themselves Cuban are, in most cases, decedents of Hispanic colonialists or of African slaves brought across the Atlantic on Spanish galleons to cultivate sugar cane farms. A series of rebellions throughout the 19th century failed to end the Spanish rule. However, in 1898 the Spanish – American War resulted in Spain withdrawing from the island and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba gained formal independence in 1902. The US helped to revive the ravaged island’s infrastructure and economy, though not without considerable self-interest (Perur, 2015). For many decades the Cuban economy depended heavily on sugar cane which was exported first to Spain and later to the US. Together with the socio-cultural changes of the twentieth century, another industry started playing a key role; this was tourism. Thanks to a relaxed approach to alcohol, gambling and other leisure pursuits, Cuba turned into a convenient backyard playground for US tourists, especially during the prohibition of the 1920s, carrying this reputation well into the 1950s.

Sample content

Click here to download PDF

Contributors

For the source title:

Cite as

Czyżewska, 2019

Czyżewska, B. (2019) "Chapter 4 The Story of Defeat Havana" In: Czyżewska, B. (ed) . Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers http://dx.doi.org/10.23912/9781911396949-4319

References

Allen, I. (2015) Cuba's revolution comes full circle with a Hilton in Havana, The Telegraph, 1st March, Available: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/cuba/11443590/Cubas-revolution-comes-full-circle-with-a-Hilton-in-Havana.html (Accessed 30.09.2018).

Battelle, P. (1959) Smile behind the beards, New York Journal, 12th January.

Carlisle, R.P. & Monetta, D.J. (1999) Brandy, Our Man in Acapulco: The Life and Times of Colonel Frank M. Brandstetter, University of North Texas Press.

Colhoun, J. (2013) Gangsterismo: The United States, Cuba and the Mafia 1933 to 1966, London: OR Books.

https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt18z4gvc

Committee of the Judiciary United States Senate (1960) Communist Threat to the United States through the Caribbean, 27-30 August 1960, Available: https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/cia-rdp91-00965r000200040006-9, (Accessed 28.09.2018).

Davis, J.H. (1994) Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family, New York: HarperCollins.

English, T.J. (2008) Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution, New York: William Morrow & Company.

Evans, Ch. (1958a) New Habana Hilton opens with fiesta. Night and Day column, Houston Chronicle, 23rd March.

Evans, Ch. (1958b) Cuba powder keg may explode in a few days, Houston Chronicle, 24th March.

Evans, Ch. (1958c) Heavy guard protects visitors in Havana, Night and Day column, Houston Chronicle, 24th March.

FBI (1958) American Gambling Activities in Cuba, 25.06.1958, Available: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/jfk/releases/docid-32328150.pdf (Accessed 28.09.2018).

Flaherty, V. (1958) Hilton deals Communists blow in Cuba speech, Los Angeles Examiner, 1st April.

Flaherty, V. (1960) Congo hero who ousted Reds hailed, The Los Angeles Examiner, 23rd September 1960.

Johnson, L. (1965). U.S. business interests in Cuba and the rise of Castro, World Politics, 17(3), 440-459.

https://doi.org/10.2307/2009288

Kennedy, W. (1960) The bearded economist, The San Juan Star, 13th June.

Kihss, P. (1957) Cuba Guerrillas said to fight on, New York Times, 8th February.

Matthews, H. (1957) Cuban rebel is visited in hideout, New York Times, 24th February.

Matthews, H. (1959) Mobs riot and loot in Havana, New York Times, 2nd January.

Moruzzi, P. (2008) Havana Before Castro: When Cuba Was a Tropical Playground, Leyton: Gibbs Smith.

Novins, S. (1959) Is Cuba going red? Human Events 16(19), 13th May.

Paraskevas, A. & Quek, M. (2019) When Castro seized the Hilton: Risk and crisis management lessons from the past, Tourism Management, 70, 419-429.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.09.007

Paterson, T.G. (1993) Contesting Castro: The United States and the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution, New York: Oxford University Press.

Perlmutter, E. (1958) Gambling in Cuba tied to US gangs, New York Times, 9th January.

Perur, S. (2015) The Habana Libre hotel, pawn in Castro's battle against the US-a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 34, The Guardian, 12th May.

Phillips, R.H. (1958) Cuba's resort business hopes for comeback, New York Times, 2nd November 1958.

Phillips, R.H. (1959) Cuba may have a tourist season, New York Times, 11th January.

Phillips, R. H. (1960) Two luxury hotels seized in Havana, New York Times, 12th June.

Rau, H. (1960) Dateline Miami, Merry Go Round, Miami Florida Daily News, 22nd June.

Ruark, R. (1960) Tears for a sad and lovely island, World Telegraph, 6th July.

Santamarina, J.C. (2000) The Cuba Company and the expansion of American business in Cuba 1898-1915, Business History Review, 74(1), 41-83.

https://doi.org/10.2307/3116352

Schwartz, R. (1999) Pleasure Island: Tourism and Temptation in Cuba, University of Nebraska Press.

Shapiro, S. (1963) Invisible Latin America, Boston: Beacon Press.

Sutton, H. (1959) How to lose tourists, Sports Illustrated, 9th November, pp. 56-63, Available: https://www.si.com/vault/1959/11/09/599984/how-to-lose-tourists (Accessed 28.09.2018).

The Cuba Libre Story (2015) Directed by Emmanuel Amara, Kai Christiansen, Florian Dedio, Netflix Original.

Travel Pulse (2016) What Fidel Castro Told ASTA In 1959, 26th November, Available: https://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/what-fidel-castro-told-asta-in-1959.html (Accessed 29.09.2018).

When Castro Seized the Hilton (2009) Directed by Bjarte Thoresen, Norway: Frameline Film.

Winchell J. (1958) Gay life of Havana goes on despite civil tension, Los Angeles Times, 27th March, pp. 2-3.

Available

Chapter 4 The Story of Defeat Havana [Details]Price: USD $7.99*Licences / Downloadable file

Published in The Story of Hilton Hotels

Chapter 4 The Story of Defeat Havana [Details]Price: USD $7.99*Licences / Downloadable file
Terms and conditions of purchase | Privacy policy