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Cuban Revolutionary Party: Superior Phase of the Independence
Struggle
By Yolanda Díaz Martínez, Historian
Among the main conclusions that Cuba's National Hero Jose Marti took
from his experience of
the Ten Year War (1868-1878) was the need for coherence and unity of
the independence
activists in the creation of an entity aimed at organizing and
heading a future struggle.
The Cuban Revolutionary Party was created on April 10th, 1892 by
Jose Marti with the support
of a number of revolutionaries.
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The war that was to begin in
Cuba and end in national independence, main objective of the
1868 war and which was never achieved, could not advance without
a guideline or adequate leadership.
The decisive unity of the Cuban emigrants in the United States began in
the last trimester of 1891 that gathered the interests and
characteristics of the different emigrant groups, in addition to
the different elements that made up Cuban society was essential
for the future republic that would emerge.
The most important of the preparatory objectives occurred on January 5th,
1892, date in which Marti announced the Bases and Statutes of
the future Cuban Revolutionary Party.
The documents were approved before the presence of 27 people, members of
the leadership of the emigration organizations, the Key West
Cuban Convention and the owners of three of the most important
cigar factories.
With this diverse representation, the Cuban National Hero achieved the
consensus and commitment of different sectors of the emigration
in the US. The articles of the Bases totaled 9, gathered and
broadened the integration and unifying spirit desired for a long
time.
The main objective and included in the first article was to achieve the
independence of Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The generous and brief character of the conflict to begin included the
preparation for the war for the good of the Cuban people and the
non commitment with any nation. These were some of the aspects
gathered in the Bases ratifying the republican ideal of the
Cuban liberation movement.
The structure of the Party was the most important aspect and was
sustained in the independent associations whose presidents made
up in each area the Council Body.
Jose Marti was elected as delegate and maximum figure while Benjamin
Guerra as Treasurer. The proclamation of the Party on April
10th coincided with the date in which, the Republic in Arms was
constituted in 1869.
Thanks to the efforts of the Party, significant financial contributions
were achieved in order to begin and develop the war. Juan
Gualberto Gomez was responsible for the structure of the Cuban
Revolutionary Party.
The Patria Daily was freely distributed abroad and clandestine in Cuba
and contributed to promoting the objectives of the organization
and the inevitability of the war.
With the death in combat of Jose Marti, different opinions were written
on who would replace him as leader of the CRP. There were
unanimous opinions among the community of historians that said
that Marti never left any written document on who would replace
him as delegate.
The main candidates proposed by the emigration were Gonzalo de Quesada
and Tomas Estrada Palma; the latter was elected and was in
charge until the dissolution of the party in December of 1898.
Despite the short life of the Party, it was a contribution by Jose Marti
to future generations to continue their combat against
imperialism in the new conditions that would arise in the newly
born Republic.
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