Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Major/Program
Political Science
First Advisor's Name
Dario V. Moreno
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Tatiana Kostadinova
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Eduardo A. Gamarra
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Fourth Advisor's Name
Matthew C. Mirow
Fourth Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
semi-presidentialism, personalities, institutions, Cuba, presidency, executive branch, political culture, Latin American politics
Date of Defense
3-11-2022
Abstract
The ratification of Cuba’s Constitution of 1940 ushered hopes for democratic stability, most notably through the implementation of a semi-presidential system. Innovative for its time, semi-presidentialism sought to reduce the “perils of presidentialism” that plagued the early decades of the Cuban Republic. Yet, over the next two decades, the Cuban Republic declined and fell as it devolved into authoritarianism and totalitarianism.
This study analyzes the extent to which Cuba’s executive branch was institutionalized or personalized under the 1940 Constitution. Taking a close look at the presidential administrations of Fulgencio Batista Zaldívar (1940-1944, 1952-1954, and 1954-1959), Ramón Grau San Martín (1944-1948), Carlos Prío Socarrás (1948-1952), Andrés Domingo y Morales del Castillo (1954-1955), and Manuel Urrutia Lleó (1959), this study offers an overview of institutional concepts and political culture characteristics while exploring how these areas were manifested in decrees, ministerial appointments, newspaper and magazine headlines, political caricatures, and other features. This project concludes that the executive branch became more personalistic and less institutionalized during the period, significantly contributing to the Cuban Republic’s collapse.
Identifier
FIDC010506
Recommended Citation
Pedreira, Daniel, "Semi-Presidential Executive Branch Institutionalization and Personalization under Cuba's 1940 Constitution" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4940.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4940
Included in
Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, Latin American History Commons, Law and Politics Commons, Legislation Commons, Other Political Science Commons, Political History Commons, President/Executive Department Commons
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