The extensive historiography on the foreign policy of the Cuban Revolution often overlooks a crucial dimension: by aligning with the socialist world, Havana not only strengthened its ties with the Soviet Union but also with the entire Eastern Bloc. Relations between the Castro administration and the so-called “people’s democracies” of Eastern Europe were systematic—though not without tensions—from the earliest days of the 1959 Revolution. Yet few scholars have thoroughly explored these connections. In Our Comrades in Havana: Cuba, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe, 1959-1991, Bulgarian researcher Radoslav Yordanov addresses this longstanding gap with a detailed, well-researched chronological account of Cuba’s connections with the socialist bloc, drawing on Eastern European diplomatic sources. Through an impressive array of archives from more than ten countries (including Cuba, the United States, Russia, and most former Eastern European socialist states), Yordanov sheds light on the exchanges between Havana and the communist world, avoiding, as he argues, their tendency to be “overshadowed by the ties between Havana and Moscow.” One of Yordanov’s key aims is to reclaim the centrality and agency of the Eastern European sphere, long viewed merely as a backdrop to the Cuban-Soviet axis.
Yordanov’s unparalleled use of rarely exploited sources allows him to navigate over 30 years of turbulent and zigzagging relations between a defiant Cuba and its new socialist allies, who carefully weighed the pros and cons of supporting the “Island of Freedom.” Through a clear, chronological narrative, he reconstructs the early efforts to establish these ties from 1959 to 1962 in the book’s first chapter, the potentially catastrophic effects of the Missile Crisis (chapter 2), and the growing hostilities and debates over peaceful coexistence (chapter 3). After focusing on the “normalization” of relations in the late 1960s (chapter 4), the author delves into the socialist institutionalization of the Cuban Revolution (chapter 5), the views of East German and Bulgarian officials (chapter 6), the challenges posed by Cuba’s economic vulnerabilities (chapter 7), the delicate balance between realpolitik and support for Central American revolutionaries (chapter 8), the appropriateness of militarily backing Cuba’s self-defense capabilities (chapter 9), and finally, the reevaluation of the 25-year alliance by reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (chapter 10).
Despite the breadth of all the above-mentioned crucial topics covered in just over 200 pages, Yordanov’s remarkable ability to synthesize delivers a coherent and engaging narrative that offers a rich and precious account of three decades of relations. This carefully crafted work represents an engaging invitation for other researchers to continue refining our understanding of Cuba’s interactions with the socialist world, especially from perspectives beyond the Soviet Union.
Far from forming an indestructible bond as revolutionary propaganda often claimed, the testimonies uncovered by Yordanov reveal that the work of Eastern European mediators in Cuba was far from straightforward. These mediators found themselves navigating a delicate balance between educating a nascent revolution and avoiding the paternalistic attitude so despised by Cuban leaders. As the book frequently reminds us, cooperation with Havana remained a sensitive issue that often strained relations between ideological allies, particularly in the economic field. Cuba, indeed, tended to lambast its Eastern partners for basing their financial aid on “trade principles,” while the decision to buy Cuban sugar at a higher price was met with reluctance by Eastern European authorities.
One of Yordanov’s key achievements is incorporating a genuinely transnational perspective. Cuba’s ties with its Eastern European allies were not determined solely by debates pertaining to their respective regions but were also influenced by external factors beyond their geographical control. While the ever-looming shadow of the United States is rightfully central to the analysis, Yordanov shows how negotiations between Cuba and the Eastern Bloc were also shaken by controversial issues such as support for Latin American guerrilla movements, the rise of new socialist revolutions in the hemisphere, and Havana’s determination to intervene in Africa’s anti-colonial struggles. The gap between Cuba’s Third-World policies and its European socialist allies grew even wider in the 1980s, as authorities acknowledged that Castro’s projection of military and political power in Africa and Havana’s hosting of the Non-Aligned Movement Conference in 1979 reflected the island’s capacity for autonomous, sometimes defiant, decision-making. By integrating these Third World dynamics, Yordanov avoids a narrow bilateral account, offering a refreshing global picture instead.
Another strength of the book is its focus on economic factors, often overshadowed by political considerations in traditional historiography. In one of the book’s most compelling chapters, Yordanov provides a detailed account of economic collaboration between Cuba and its Eastern allies, who did not always share the same vision of socialist economic construction. He shows how the Eastern Bloc used Cuba’s position within the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) as leverage to push Havana toward concessions. Similarly, the book reveals that growing tensions between Cuba and Eastern European socialism in the 1960s also had deep economic roots rather than purely strategic disagreements about revolutionary paths and armed struggle, as is often emphasized in existing literature.
One might expect that Yordanov’s use of previously unused Eastern European primary sources —thereby departing from the Soviet-centered perspective—would lead to a significantly different narrative of Cuba’s relationships with the socialist bloc. However, rather than radically altering the established view, the book largely confirms the traditional chronology of Cuban-Soviet relations, implicitly reaffirming Moscow’s central role in shaping Cuba’s ties with the broader socialist world. Yordanov’s main contribution lies in consolidating existing knowledge with new, unprecedented documentation while adopting a broader, more global approach.
The only notable shortcoming (that as a Latin American historian I feel bound to mention) is the book’s limited engagement with Spanish-language scholarship—an unfortunate omission for a work that prominently features “Havana” and “Cuba” in its title. For instance, in a footnote in the introduction, where Yordanov seeks to position his own work within the rich historiographic tradition of Latin America’s Cold War studies, he cites several “notable examples offering novel interpretations.” Notably, all eight books on Latin America’s Cold War listed in this footnote are authored by non-Spanish-speaking historians. This appears as an awkward oversight in an overview of “Latin America’s Cold War.” However, this minor flaw does not detract from the tremendous value of the book, which greatly expands our understanding of revolutionary Cuba’s foreign relations and its intricate and pivotal engagement with Eastern European countries.
Overall, Yordanov’s book offers the most comprehensive account to date of the complex relations between Cuba and its Eastern European allies after the 1959 revolution. While classical interpretations often emphasize Cuba’s more resounding ties with the Soviet superpower, this book’s multifactorial examination explores the various factors that shaped, and sometimes strained, Cuba’s relations with Eastern European states between 1959 and the end of the Cold War. It must be noted that none of the parties are seen as mere observers or recipients in the process, instead highlighting the “accommodation strategies” employed by Havana and its socialist partners. Drawing on a compilation of primarily diplomatic sources from multiple countries, Yordanov provides a remarkable and much-needed contribution, tackling a broad subject in a clear and concise manner, paving the way for future research and opening new epistemological avenues.
Rafael Pedemonte is a historian and associate professor (Maître de conférences) at the University of Poitiers (France). He is a specialist on the Cold War in Latin America, and currently works on a project that aims to study Cuba’s relations with French speaking European countries. He has published a series of articles on the Latin American Cold War, and Cuba’s relationships with the USSR, Chile, and France.
