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Machado Administration Oral History Tapes collection, Dummy Date

 

Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains oral histories from prominent figures of the Revolution of 1933 in Cuba, including cassette tapes and handwritten transcriptions. The interviews all pertain to the Gerardo Machado administration (1924–1933) and events immediately following his exile. Many of the interviewees were members of opposition groups involved in the overthrowing of the Machado regime and subsequent administrations, including the ABC party, Directorio Estudiantil Universitario (D.E.U.), Joven Cuba, and Partido Auténtico.
Extent:
0.42 Linear Feet
1 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Machado Administration Oral History Tapes, USF Libraries – Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

Background

Scope and content:

The Machado Administration Oral History Tapes collection consists of twenty-four cassette tapes and two handwritted transcriptions. All materials pertain to oral histories taken of key figures in the Revolution of 1933.

Biographical / historical:

The Revolution of 1933 resulted from widespread violent opposition to President Gerardo Machado y Morales' dictatorship (1924–1933) and comprised a prolonged period of coups and civil unrest which culminated in Machado's exile. A war hero of the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898), the Liberal party candidate Machado was democratically elected as president in 1924 and reelected in 1928 as the only candidate, despite opposition from students and middle class professionals. During his second term, Machado took control of the Cuban political parties, instituted martial law, and suspended freedom of speech, press, and assembly. When the economic depression of the 1930s hit Cuba and Machado's regime was unable to offer substantial relief, opposition increased sharply. The ABC Party, composed predominantly of middle class and student members, was formed in 1931 to oppose Machado's administration. ABC opposed U.S. interventionism and large landholdings and advocated for nationalization of public services, political liberty, and social justice. The party coordinated the assassination of Senate president Clemente Vázquez Bello in 1932, as well as a failed plot to bomb Vázquez's funeral to assassinate other government officials, including Machado.

In an effort to regain political stability in the country to implement his New Deal Cuban policy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Sumner Welles as the U.S. ambassador and tasked him with mediating between the dictator and the opposition. Welles' initial mediation resulted in a declaration of amnesty and promises of political and constitutional reforms. However, Machado's promise to resign was never fulfilled, and he was forced into exile in August 1933. After the coup, Welles assembled a provisional government which included members from ABC and other oppositional groups. The new president, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, was quickly overthrown in a military coup. Decades of unrest followed with several short-term presidents who were removed or overthrown, ultimately leading to the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

References: "ABC Party" 2026. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/abc-party.

"Cuban Revolution" 2026. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Cuban-Revolution.

‌"Gerardo Machado Y Morales" n.d. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gerardo-Machado-y-Morales.

"The Republic (1898–1959)" 2026. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/republic-1898-1959.

‌"Revolution of 1933" n.d. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/revolution-1933.

Transcriptions of Conchita Castanedo and Inés Segura Bustamante's oral histories included in collection.

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Arrangement:

This collection is arranged by material type and alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The reading room is not currently equipped with public listening equipment for cassette tapes.

Terms of access:

None. The contents of this collection may be subject to copyright. Visit the United States Copyright Office's website at http://www.copyright.gov/ for more information.

Preferred citation:

Machado Administration Oral History Tapes, USF Libraries – Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

Location of this collection:
The University of South Florida, Tampa Campus
4202 East Fowler Ave. LIB122
Tampa
FL
33620-5400
USA