Antonio Guiteras y Holmes (22 November 1906 – 8 May 1935) was a leading politician in Cuba during the 1930s.
Biography
He was born 22 November 1906 in
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a proponent of revolutionary
socialism and participated in the radical government installed after the overthrow of the
autocratic right wing Cuban President
Gerardo Machado y Morales in 1933. In 1931, Guiteras established the
Unión Revolucionaria Unión may refer to:
Places
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* Unión Department, Córdoba Province, Argentina
* Uni ...
.
Guiteras' political beliefs were nurtured in the volatile political climate of the 1920s. He first became widely known as a student leader and associate of
Julio Antonio Mella
Julio Antonio Mella McPartland (25 March 1903 – 10 January 1929) was a Cuban political activist and one of the founders of the original Popular Socialist Party (Cuba), Communist Party of Cuba. Mella studied law at the University of Havana but ...
, a young
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
revolutionary. He believed that the liberation of the people would be achieved through violent confrontation with the established authorities; he did not hold firm to the ideal of democracy. Antonio Guiteras was named Minister of the Interior under President Dr.
Ramón Grau San Martín Ramón or Ramon may refer to:
People Given name
*Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer
*Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer
* Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest
...
. Many reforms were introduced, including a minimum wage, minimum labour regulations, academic freedom, and nationalisation of important sectors of the economy. After the "
government of 100 days", Guiteras became even more radical and founded
Joven Cuba
Joven may refer to:
Tequila
* Joven (tequila), a type of tequila
Given names
* Joven Clarke (born 1983), Australian former rugby league footballer
*Joven Alba, participated in Billiards and snooker at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
*Joven Busta ...
, a
proletarian political organisation inspired by
anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economic system, such as s ...
and the nationalism of
José Martí.
In his account ''Cuba: A New History'', the leftist historian
Richard Gott summarizes Guiteras' beliefs and methods:
He died in
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
,
Cuba: Guiteras and several of his conspirators died in a gun battle with Batista’s army on May 8, 1935, at the abandoned Spanish Fort Morrill in the Valley of Matanzas. Guiteras was waiting there for a boat that was to take him and his companions across to México, where he hoped to continue his work for the people of Cuba.
See also
*
*
References
* Gott, Richard. ''Cuba: A New History''.
Yale University Press, 2004. .
* Rosales García, Juana.
Revolution and Anti-imperialism in Antonio Guiterasin ''
Cuba Socialista
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbean ...
''. Translated from the Spanish by Ana Portela.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guiteras, Antonio
1906 births
1935 deaths
Politicians from Philadelphia
Cuban socialists
Cuban rebels
Assassinated Cuban politicians
People murdered in Cuba
Government ministers of Cuba
People from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Cuban expatriates in the United States