Critical Review of Recent Studies on the Origin and Transformation of Colonial Sugar and Slavery Cuba

Abstract

Recently have been published many studies about of the Cuban sugar industry, who have updated the historiography and its participation in international debates. This paper analyzes these studies about 1765-1898 period, between the origin of the expansion of such industry using slave work, an around it was redefined the colonial pact with Spain, and the transformation that suffered after the abolition, and which ended Spanish colonialism. Remain issues to study and the years 1870-1898 are not sufficiently researched, but the progress in the knowledge has been remarkable, times and matters until now unknown have been explored and gaps and stereotypes inherited have been avoided. For example it been shown the redefinition of Spanish colonialism was consistent in their circumstances, it cannot speak of contradiction between slavery and technological change, or that the sugar creoles were not passive subject in the commercial and financial networks of their business.