| The U.S. government offered to purchase the island, but Spain refused.
In 1868, revolutionaries led by f Carlos Manuel de Céspedes declared
Cuban independence. The Ten Years' War followed, a costly struggle to both
Spain and Cuba. A truce ended the war in in 1878 and Spain
granted concessions to the Cubans.
In 1886 slavery was abolished.
In 1893 blacks and whites received equal civil status.
Hotel Plaza in La Habana
The Soviet Union crumbled under the costs of it's military organization,
and Cuba lost a steady source of money, fuel and machinery. Fidel
Castro declared a "Special Period", and the Cuban people did their best
to endure the hardships that followed. To help alleviate the financial
crisis, the Cuban goverment began to invest in tourism - including a major
renovation of Old Havana. Our hotel, the Hotel Plaza, was once a
place where American jazz greats and actors stayed. |
