American Mafia Influence
In the early 1900s the American mafia was working to expand their empire. Cuba was seen as the perfect destination, full of tourism and ready mass industrialization. The mafia spread its business of gambling and drug trade to Cuba, specifically Havana. With large amounts of money comes large amounts of influence. The question is how much influence did the American mafia have in Cuba during Batista’s presidency? Would the country today be different if the American mafia had not interfered in the politics and business in Cuba? An answer can be reached by analyzing several sources and finding the common ground between them along with specific examples of dealings between the American mafia and the Cuban government and the effects of those interactions.
…show more content…
They were safe from Cuban law enforcement; “In this country, [Lansky] said, no policeman is the enemy” (49 Cirules). They were also protected from international authorities by the Cuban government. Luciano specifically was protected by government officials on multiple occasions. When he was discovered living in Cuba, “Grau San Martín said words to the effect that: If the Cuban Government is free, we should be entitled to issue visas to whomever we see fit” (49 Cirules) and when the U.S. government still tried to pursue him Batista told Luciano to leave and “wait for better times” (51 …show more content…
This can be seen in the government’s assistance with drug smuggling and industrial production. This can also be seen in the financial assistance given in the crucial time when the mafia was originally building its base in Cuba. This assistance was paid back by the mafia in various political favors for Batista and his political party, ensuring election outcomes and increasing the revenue of Cuba as a whole. The influence of Cuba on the economy and government of Cuba shaped it into the country it is today. It would not have experienced the financial success that it did in the mid 1900s, nor would it have gained as much importance on the international scale. The corruption caused by the mafia also led to the political destabilization of the country, which caused the many political uprisings, including Batista’s take over, and Fidel Castro’s
They were safe from Cuban law enforcement; “In this country, [Lansky] said, no policeman is the enemy” (49 Cirules). They were also protected from international authorities by the Cuban government. Luciano specifically was protected by government officials on multiple occasions. When he was discovered living in Cuba, “Grau San Martín said words to the effect that: If the Cuban Government is free, we should be entitled to issue visas to whomever we see fit” (49 Cirules) and when the U.S. government still tried to pursue him Batista told Luciano to leave and “wait for better times” (51 …show more content…
This can be seen in the government’s assistance with drug smuggling and industrial production. This can also be seen in the financial assistance given in the crucial time when the mafia was originally building its base in Cuba. This assistance was paid back by the mafia in various political favors for Batista and his political party, ensuring election outcomes and increasing the revenue of Cuba as a whole. The influence of Cuba on the economy and government of Cuba shaped it into the country it is today. It would not have experienced the financial success that it did in the mid 1900s, nor would it have gained as much importance on the international scale. The corruption caused by the mafia also led to the political destabilization of the country, which caused the many political uprisings, including Batista’s take over, and Fidel Castro’s