ABSTRACT
Guerrilla movements are, first and foremost, military movements in the making. They require organization, leadership, discipline, obedience and a command structure that is understood by the rank and file. The area of Cuban affairs invites ideological polarization. As a consequence, any analysis is suspect and is scrutinized from the standpoint of the analyst instead of how well it explains the realities of the Cuban system. The end of the age of innocence, of the doctrine of moral incentives, meant that the Cuban people would be provided with material goods as incentives, or, failing that, terrorist threat mechanisms as a necessary means of economic persuasion. The regime moved from moralism to militarism at the same time as it consolidated internal political power but failed to attain its ambitious goals of economic independence. As the Cuban regime evolved, scholars made increasingly serious and critical evaluations of its development.
