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Grassroots dictatorship
The concept of a grassroots dictatorship was created by historian Lillian Guerra to describe her understanding of the unique political structure of Cuba. According to Guerra, Cuba is a "grassroots dictatorship", because of its mass deputization of citizens as spies, to gather intelligence on neighbors' "subversive" activities, and generally collaborate with government initiatives. This mass deputization is carried out by the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) who organize citizens to carry out "acts of repudiation" against other citizens who are considered subversive. These "acts of repudiation" often involve the gathering of deputized citizens to taunt or assault targeted "subversive" citizens. Through the mass deputization of citizens via CDRs, Guerra argues that the Cuban government is able to suppress public speech, and maintain a sense of "grassroots" support, despite the undemocratic nature of the Cuban government.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The historian Anne Luke has criticized the model as too limited in its description of Cuban political culture in the 1960s.
- ^ Grenier, Yvon (2017). Culture and the Cuban State Participation, Recognition, and Dissonance Under Communism. Lexington Books. p. 1. ISBN 9781498522243.
- ^ Gronbeck-Tedesco, John (2015). Cuba, the United States, and Cultures of the Transnational Left, 1930-1975. Cambridge University Press. p. 10. ISBN 9781107083080.
- ^ Smith, Jalane (2015). Cachita's Streets The Virgin of Charity, Race, and Revolution in Cuba. Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822375319.
- ^ Guerra, Lilian (2012). Visions of Power in Cuba Revolution, Redemption, and Resistance, 1959-1971. University of North Carolina Press. p. 13, 20, 208, 226. ISBN 9780807835630.
- ^ Bustamante, Michael (2019). The Revolution from Within Cuba, 1959–1980. Duke University Press. ISBN 9781478004325.
- ^ Dictators and Autocrats Securing Power Across Global Politics. Taylor & Francis. 2021. p. (Section 4). ISBN 9781000467604.
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