The Devil has the best tunes: Castro’s Cuba and social equality

‘It is the example of Cuba that should serve as a warning to those who in the name of social equality would undermine liberty.’

Editor’s note: A version of this article featured in our first print issue, available here. 

January 2021 marks the sixty-second anniversary of the culmination of the Cuban Revolution, with the ousting of President Batista on the 1st January 1959 and Fidel Castro reaching Havana on the 9th. Following this was the establishment of the socialist Cuba which became prevalent in the Cold War era in which it was birthed, made notorious by such events as the Cuban Missile Crisis and infamous for its regime’s cold, ruthless and tyrannical methods. In the aftermath of the revolution, mock-trials in which hundreds of political opponents were executed soon became the norm, and for years under Fidel Castro a low quality of life plagued the people of Cuba. Accompanying this was an atmosphere of fear for any who opposed his regime, perpetuated by the state’s willingness to employ brutal methods.

As is a defining characteristic of socialist totalitarian states of this kind, these horrific abuses and infringements on liberty are justified by what is advertised rather perversely as social equality. Of course, this was not a concept that extended to dissidents, for supporters of democracy, or to the press.

Its application was skin-deep, the narrative of the lowly worker rising with righteous fury against those who would oppress them, such as the capitalists or supposed US imperialism. What would occur was in fact the death of individual liberty in Cuba through an oppressive state, citing its manifesto of an equal society of equal wealth among its members as its licence to carry out terrific atrocities against the individual who would seek to subvert it. It is the example of Cuba that should serve as a warning to those who in the name of social equality would undermine liberty. It is often ideals as admirable as the desire for people to be treated fairly that are seized upon and taken to their extremes, and in attempt to bring these desires to fruition traditions and practices that truly define a fair society are sacrificed, such as free speech.

A recent example of such slippery slopes includes Bill C-16 in Canada which would make the usage of a person’s preferred pronoun a requirement enforceable by the courts and police, rightly opposed and drawn attention to by Dr. Jordan Peterson. While its supporters justified it by citing the right of transgender individuals not to be offended due to mischaracterisation, they neglected to encompass within their efforts an understanding of what this law would entail, namely the further limitation of freedom of speech. In allowing this, its proponents would establish a disturbing precedent which they may defend now, but will eventually come to regret as the pattern manifests itself in support of causes as a society we now consider truly abhorrent, but which may one day be popular.

As a culture we must foster in our currently divided politics an appreciation for those principles which have made our civilisation great, such as a free press and freedom of speech, and defend those values whether we are right or left wing, conservative or liberal. It is when we allow these values to be compromised that we open the door to further limits being placed on our choices and pave the pathway to extremes on both sides of the political spectrum. The Cuban Revolution’s promises of equality and the bringing about of socialism were successful in the sense that it collectively made everyone poorer, and far less free.

It is on this important anniversary we should reflect that the tyranny of the state over the individual is often justified through arguments that many people, often well-intentioned, can find themselves drawn to. As is so often the case, the Devil has the best tunes.