Balsero+Crisis+of+1993-94

The Balseros Crisis of 1993-1994 refers to the "exodus" of over 7,000 cubans from Cuba to the United States, when there was a severe economic depression. This crisis contributed to the rule of Castro due to the fact that as the US dollar was legalized in 1993 and Castro was able to use 400 million dollars a year that flowed in from the Cuba exiles to help better his economy. By allowing the disgruntled Cubans to leave the country, Castro was eliminating many people that were either not benefitting from, afraid of, or ignorant of Castros rule of Cuba as a single party state. This crisis could be the reason why Castro maintained such a seemingly strong grip of Cuba even when his citizens are only becoming more and more discontent with their leader. Which is evident when the fact that 75% of those fleeing Castro were the youth is recognized. This could imply that the older people who were there for the revolution would still rather be under Castro's rule than relive their experiences with someone like Batista.

The Balsero Crisis of 1993-94 contributed to Castro's rule of Cuba. Thousands of Cubans fled to the United States in large part due to Cuba's economic deprivation. The United States, to the Cubans, offered wealth and comfort. In order to take advantage of the influx of US dollars to Cuba, Castro legalized the dollar, enforcing a dual dollar-peso economy. This allowed him and the Cuban government to use the 400 million dollars that they otherwise would not have been able to. While the Cubans were losing population, the big picture shows that it actually benefiited Castro's rule because the US dollar helped to stabilize Cuban economy, something that many Cubans were upset about. The Balsero crisis also showed the deterioration of Castro's rule by proving that fear and benefit legs of his single party state were no longer existent. The amount of Cubans fleeing to the U.S. shows that people were either no longer afraid of Castro. Also, the event reveals that, even with all of the social security, economic, and education benefits (social security, dollar-peso economy, etc) that were being provided, people still did not want to remain in Cuba.