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Thread on Cuba's Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) which built community and consolidated the revolution:
"We are going to establish a system of collective vigilance and we shall see how the lackeys of imperialism are going to get around this." - Fidel Castro
"We are going to establish a system of collective vigilance and we shall see how the lackeys of imperialism are going to get around this." - Fidel Castro
"Fidel Castro described them as the foundation of Cuba’s democratic superstructure, where people participate directly in resolving their problems... Today there are over 133,000 local CDR units throughout Cuba with more than 8,300,000 members"
"Because they meet frequently ... CDR members ... are aware of which block members are old and need checking on, which residents work during the day and are not at home, and which block residents have problems in their households that may need social support."
"They organize vaccination drives for children, help to resolve problems informally between neighbors, aid in the census, and organize special activities for the block. CDR members frequently clean up common areas, fix up parks, and generally keep their blocks in good condition."
On how CDRs were used to vaccinate poliomyelitis:
"The extensive coverage of this organization (82,366 committees) permits contact with the most remote areas of the country, making it possible to complete the vaccination work in a short time at no additional cost"
"The extensive coverage of this organization (82,366 committees) permits contact with the most remote areas of the country, making it possible to complete the vaccination work in a short time at no additional cost"
"The community is informed of all aspects of the campaign in the days before the vaccination operation. This information is channeled through all the media in the country. The CDRs also play an important role... They hold neighborhood meetings called "health hearings""
"The CDR may also provide support for family members where a father or mother is in jail, will aid those getting out of jail obtain work and successfully return to the community, and otherwise help with social problems."
from these short papers:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10282580601157919?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=gcjr20
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4453384?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10282580601157919?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=gcjr20
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4453384?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Speech by Fidel Castro:
"Let them come... We will show the militia, the youth brigades, the great reforestation projects, the school cities we are building, we will show what our country is. Those who have come to see what we are doing are astonished.."
https://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1960/09/29.htm
"Let them come... We will show the militia, the youth brigades, the great reforestation projects, the school cities we are building, we will show what our country is. Those who have come to see what we are doing are astonished.."
https://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1960/09/29.htm
"Committees were set up not only in the neighbourhoods or districts, but also in the factories, shops, offices and schools. In this early
period CDRs were even set up on large ships and in prisons."
period CDRs were even set up on large ships and in prisons."
