Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)
historical period in Cuba between 20 May 1902 and 1 January 1959
The Republic of Cuba (Spanish: República de Cuba), covering the historical period in Cuban history between 1902 and 1959, was an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de Pinos (after 1925) and several minor archipelagos. The period began in 1902 following the end of its first U.S. military occupation years after Cuba declared independence in 1898 from the Spanish Empire. This era included various changing governments and U.S. military occupations, and ended with the outbreak of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. During this period, the United States exerted great influence on Cuban politics, notably through the Platt Amendment.
The governments of Cuba between independence from Spain and the Revolution have been regarded as client state of the United States. From 1902 to 1934, Cuban and U.S. law included the Platt Amendment, which guaranteed the United States right to intervene in Cuba and placed restrictions on Cuban foreign relations. In 1934, Cuba and the United States signed the Treaty of Relations in which Cuba was obligated to give preferential treatment of its economy to the United States, in exchange the United States gave Cuba a guaranteed 22 percent share of the U.S. sugar market that later was amended to a 49 percent share in 1949.
The country continued to use the 1940 Constitution until the new constitution was promulgated in 1976.
1902–1933: Early governments
After the Spanish–American War, Spain and the United States signed the 1898 Treaty of Paris, by which Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States for the sum of US$20 million (equivalent to US$770 million in 2025). With the end of U.S. military government jurisdiction, Cuba gained formal independence on 20 May 1902, as the Republic of Cuba.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)” is historical period in Cuba between 20 May 1902 and 1 January 1959. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Republic, Cuba and historical, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “historical period in Cuba between 20 May 1902 and 1 January 1959” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14905932. Authority coordinates are 22.000, -79.500. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1902, 1959, 1925 and 1898.
Official terminology may obscure informal participation, dissent or communities documented only indirectly. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Compare institutional narratives with records created by participants and affected communities. Dates and formal titles are useful anchors, but not substitutes for context.
- Event chronology
- Institutional context
- Locating named record creators
Contemporary correspondence, government or organizational records, oral histories and cited historical scholarship.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Republic of Cuba (1902–1959) primary sources, Republic of Cuba (1902–1959) archive and Republic research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)”?
- Which voices are present, absent or mediated by the institution?
- Who created the surviving record, and for what administrative purpose?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Republic of Cuba (1902–1959)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.