References Chapter 9¶
Core Argument¶
This chapter digest consists solely of the reference list for Chapter 9, which documents the sources underpinning the preceding argument. The references reveal the chapter’s central polemic: a sustained critique of the German-Mexican sociologist Heinz Dieterich, whose writings on Cuba’s future are cited extensively and repeatedly. Dieterich’s works—including “Cuba: Three premises to save the Revolution after the death of Fidel” (2006), “La disyuntiva de Cuba. Capitalismo o nuevo socialismo” (2006), and later pieces on Raúl Castro’s modernisation (2008) and the Hans Modrow denial (2008)—are the primary targets. The chapter author, identified by the initials AW, evidently argues against Dieterich’s proposals for a “new socialism” or his framing of Cuba’s choices as a binary between capitalism and that alternative.
The theoretical counterweight is drawn from classical Marxism. Lenin’s Collected Works (Volumes 26, 27, and 33) are cited multiple times, with emphasis added by AW, suggesting the chapter deploys Lenin’s writings on the transition to socialism, the role of the state, and economic policy (likely from 1918–1922) to refute Dieterich’s positions. Trotsky’s “Introduction to the German edition of The Permanent Revolution” (1931) also appears, indicating the chapter invokes permanent revolution theory against Dieterich’s framework. Marx’s The Civil War in France is referenced, grounding the discussion in the Paris Commune as a historical model of proletarian power.
A speech by Fidel Castro and a Cuban Foreign Ministry document from 2005 provide official Cuban sources, likely used to contrast Dieterich’s analyses with revolutionary reality. The structure of the references—with long runs of consecutive citations to Dieterich (notes 20–32) and repeated use of “op. cit.” and “ibid.”—suggests the chapter engages in close, point-by-point rebuttal of his arguments. The inclusion of a 2008 piece on “the strange role of Prensa Latina” hints at a dispute over media and information control within Cuba.
Overall, the reference list indicates a chapter that is a dense Marxist polemic against Dieterich’s reformist or post-capitalist proposals for Cuba, using Lenin, Trotsky, and Marx to defend a revolutionary, class-based perspective on the Cuban process.