Written with a touch of nostalgia for a lost opportunity of democracy and civil liberties, Charles Ameringer’s The Cuban Democratic Experience recounts Cuba’s political history during the 1944–52 years, when the island was ruled by the Partido Revolucionario Cubano Auténtico. This party, which Ameringer characterizes as nationalist and social democratic, was one of the byproducts of the so-called revolution of 1933 against the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado. Despite its crucial role in the politics of the second republic, the party, its main leaders, programmatic documents, and policies have received little attention from historians. This is the gap that Ameringer seeks to fill. As the author explain, his “intention is to examine the eight-year period of Auténtico government in its entirety to achieve a sense of the only time in their history when Cubans had the opportunity to be free” (p. 15).
The book accomplishes its goals. In a well-written, straight...
