--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The oligarchy was divided into Liberals…" description: "\"“The oligarchy was divided into Liberals and Conservatives, who were united in their terror of communism after the success of the Cuban Revolution, esp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/louis-de-bernieres-5492_cuban-revolution_the-oligarchy-was-divided-into-liberals_2307800.jpg" --- # The oligarchy was divided into Liberals and Conservatives… ![“The oligarchy was divided into Liberals and Conservatives, who were united in their terror of communism after the success of the Cuban Revolution, especially since many of them had had interests in the brothels and casinos of Havana; others had had interests in pharmaceutical companies that…” quote by Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/louis-de-bernieres-5492_cuban-revolution_the-oligarchy-was-divided-into-liberals_2307800.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/louis-de-bernieres-5492_cuban-revolution_the-oligarchy-was-divided-into-liberals_2307800.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/louis-de-bernieres-5492_cuban-revolution_the-oligarchy-was-divided-into-liberals_2307800.jpg) > ““The oligarchy was divided into Liberals and Conservatives, who were united in their terror of communism after the success of the Cuban Revolution, especially since many of them had had interests in the brothels and casinos of Havana; others had had interests in pharmaceutical companies that manufactured drugs to cure the diseases spread by the former, and some in supplying guns to be used by gangs struggling for control of the latter. However, the Liberals and Conservatives differed over how to combat the spread of such appalling beliefs as “equality,” “fair pay,” and “democracy.” The Conservatives believed in coming down hard on them; this involved being curt with your campesinos, keeping them illiterate, and paying them a fixed wage of 150 pesos a week. The Liberals, on the other hand, believed in being jolly with your campesinos, teaching them to read bits of paper with instructions on them, and paying them a fixed wage of 150 pesos a week. In this way they hoped that the peasants would become too contented to bother to be Communists. The whole situation became infinitely confused by the Conservatives’ habit of describing the Liberals as “Communists.”” [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage sat how both political factions used oppression and patronage to control peasants, disguising their motives while blaming each other for communism. **In simple terms:** Both sides manipulate the poor to maintain power, while accusing the other of being communists. Key Takeaway Recognize how rhetoric can mask exploitation. Themes politics class aganda colonialism Mood cynical critical Type satirical political When to use this quote - rural Cuba - political strategy - economic exploitation - ideological conflict Key Concepts patronage control misinformation class struggle Questions to Reflect On - How do power structures use “good” versus “evil” narratives? - What are the real impacts on the campesinos? A Different Perspective The description simplifies complex motives into a binary, ignoring nuanced agency of the peasants. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservatives Differed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatives-differed-5469647/) [Cuban revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuban-revolution/) [Divided Liberals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided-liberals-5469646/) [Liberals Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals-communists-4975386/) [Oligarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oligarchy/) [Oligarchy Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oligarchy-divided-5469645/) ## Related quotes > [Liberals, communists, socialists, look at people as workers. 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So the only reason I did not come to join \[Fidel\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-newton/i-wanted-to-leave-high-school-in-1958-and-join-the-cuban-revolution/) [Huey Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-newton/) > [Today, everybody is more or less conscious of the total failure of the Cuban revolution to produce wealth, to produce a better standard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/today-everybody-is-more-or-less-conscious-of-the-total-failure-of-the/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“The Directorio Revolucionario (“DR”) existed during the mid-1950’s and it was a Cuban University students’ group in opposition to the dictator President Fulgencio Batista.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/the-directorio-revolucionario-dr-existed-during-the-mid-1950-s-and-it/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/) > [Socially, the Cuban revolution created an education system and health service that remain the envy of much of the neo-liberal world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/socially-the-cuban-revolution-created-an-education-system-and-health/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [“In 1933, Batista closely allied himself with the newly created, five-man Presidency of Cuba named “The Pentarchy.” Sergio Carbó y Morera, an influential member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/in-1933-batista-closely-allied-himself-with-the-newly-created-five/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [“and some other shit, and the wife—can’t remember her name—would cry a lot. The kids were young. Three of them. They were okay, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/and-some-other-shit-and-the-wife-can-t-remember-her-name-would-cry-a/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [Comandante Fidel Castro loves Cuba! But his love for humanity, if you'll pardon the expression, trumped his love for Cuba: He was universal; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/comandante-fidel-castro-loves-cuba-but-his-love-for-humanity-if-you/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [The white man knows what a revolution is. He knows that the Black Revolution is worldwide in scope and in nature. 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I've been lobbying MPs, and I'm not going to give up campaigning for equality until I get equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/family-law-is-institutionally-anti-male-i-ve-been-lobbying-mps-and-i/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“The dead can read tears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/the-dead-can-read-tears/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [...but then the general trouble with ignorance is always that the ignorant person has no idea that that's what they are. 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O, to kiss the sugar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/your-lips-are-like-sugar-and-your-cheeks-an-apple-your-breasts-are/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/when-you-fall-in-love-it-is-a-temporary-madness-it-erupts-like-an/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [The De Bernieres were very military. I broke the military tradition but I was terribly proud of my father being a soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/the-de-bernieres-were-very-military-i-broke-the-military-tradition/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [We should care for each other more than we care for ideas, or else we will end up killing each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/we-should-care-for-each-other-more-than-we-care-for-ideas-or-else-we/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“Pelagia put her hands on her hips, taking advantage of the superiority implicit in the fact that she was standing and he lying down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/pelagia-put-her-hands-on-her-hips-taking-advantage-of-the-superiority/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“There comes a point in life where each one of us who survives begins to feel like a ghost that has forgotten to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/there-comes-a-point-in-life-where-each-one-of-us-who-survives-begins/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“Men are sometimes driven by things that to a women make no sense, but she did know that Corelli had to be with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/men-are-sometimes-driven-by-things-that-to-a-women-make-no-sense-but/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“All their lovers' talk began with the phrase "After the war". After the war, when we're married, shall we live in Italy? There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/all-their-lovers-talk-began-with-the-phrase-after-the-war-after-the/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) [Explore all 99 Louis de Bernières quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) ## More Cuban revolution quotes > [It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and a plan of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/it-does-not-matter-how-small-you-are-if-you-have-faith-and-a-plan-of/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [“Much of Sartre’s time in the 1960s was spent travelling in China and the Third World, a term invented by the geographer Alfred Sauvy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/much-of-sartre-s-time-in-the-1960s-was-spent-travelling-in-china-and/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [The white man knows what a revolution is. He knows that the Black Revolution is worldwide in scope and in nature. The Black Revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/the-white-man-knows-what-a-revolution-is-he-knows-that-the-black/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Comandante Fidel Castro loves Cuba! But his love for humanity, if you'll pardon the expression, trumped his love for Cuba: He was universal; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/comandante-fidel-castro-loves-cuba-but-his-love-for-humanity-if-you/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [“and some other shit, and the wife—can’t remember her name—would cry a lot. The kids were young. Three of them. They were okay, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/and-some-other-shit-and-the-wife-can-t-remember-her-name-would-cry-a/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“In 1933, Batista closely allied himself with the newly created, five-man Presidency of Cuba named “The Pentarchy.” Sergio Carbó y Morera, an influential member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/in-1933-batista-closely-allied-himself-with-the-newly-created-five/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [Socially, the Cuban revolution created an education system and health service that remain the envy of much of the neo-liberal world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/socially-the-cuban-revolution-created-an-education-system-and-health/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [“The Directorio Revolucionario (“DR”) existed during the mid-1950’s and it was a Cuban University students’ group in opposition to the dictator President Fulgencio Batista.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/the-directorio-revolucionario-dr-existed-during-the-mid-1950-s-and-it/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/) > [Today, everybody is more or less conscious of the total failure of the Cuban revolution to produce wealth, to produce a better standard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/today-everybody-is-more-or-less-conscious-of-the-total-failure-of-the/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [ I wanted to leave high school in 1958 and join the Cuban revolution. So the only reason I did not come to join \[Fidel\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-newton/i-wanted-to-leave-high-school-in-1958-and-join-the-cuban-revolution/) [Huey Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-newton/) > [“…the following day, after only six months in office, Manuel Urrutia Lleó resigned from the Presidency of Cuba, to which people in attendance started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/the-following-day-after-only-six-months-in-office-manuel-urrutia-lle/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [The fact is, when men carry the same ideals in their hearts, nothing can isolate them - neither prison walls nor the sod of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/the-fact-is-when-men-carry-the-same-ideals-in-their-hearts-nothing/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [I propose the immediate launching of a nuclear strike on the United States. The Cuban people are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/i-propose-the-immediate-launching-of-a-nuclear-strike-on-the-united/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [“By October of 1958, most roads leading to the Oriente Province had become impassable. Bridges were cut and dropped by the rebels, making travel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/by-october-of-1958-most-roads-leading-to-the-oriente-province-had/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [We have a complete respect for history, we respect the experiences of other countries and we have our own, but the truth is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/we-have-a-complete-respect-for-history-we-respect-the-experiences-of/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) [Browse all 44 Cuban revolution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cuban-revolution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The oligarchy was divided into Liberals and Conservatives, who were united in their terror of communism after the success of the Cuban Revolution, especially since many of them had had interests in the brothels and casinos of Havana; others had had interests in pharmaceutical companies that manufactured drugs to cure the diseases spread by the former, and some in supplying guns to be used by gangs struggling for control of the latter. However, the Liberals and Conservatives differed over how to combat the spread of such appalling beliefs as “equality,” “fair pay,” and “democracy.” The Conservatives believed in coming down hard on them; this involved being curt with your campesinos, keeping them illiterate, and paying them a fixed wage of 150 pesos a week. The Liberals, on the other hand, believed in being jolly with your campesinos, teaching them to read bits of paper with instructions on them, and paying them a fixed wage of 150 pesos a week. In this way they hoped that the peasants would become too contented to bother to be Communists. 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