Cuba was founded as an independent republic in May 1902 following a long struggle for independence from Spain that included three successive wars in the second half of the 19th century and culminated in US military intervention provoked by the Spanish-Cuban-American War of 1898. It was against this background that the history of Cuba developed a pattern which became characterized as politically violent and revolutionary-prone. The author maintains that United States' intervention at the time independence was gained added new controversial elements that further complicated Cuba's political...