I. From Conqueror to Castro (1512-1959)
After the conquest of Cuba by the Spaniards in 1512, it saw the arrival of thousands of settlers from Spain, and the forced immigration of thousands of Africans brought to its shores as slaves. Between 1512 and 1800 western European institutions were transferred to Cuba, and by the end of the 19th century a hybrid version of western civilization had taken root on the island. the Republic of Cuba, established in 1902, had a civic society, and between that date and 1959 Cuba saw the growth of literacy and the development of a political culture.