Introduction

Introduction taken from the edited collection Cuba's Forgotten Decade: How the 1970s Shaped the Revolution; Anna Clayfield is also co-editor of this volume.Cuba's Forgotten Decade provides a comprehensive assessment of the 1970s that challenges prevailing interpretations of the decade as simply a period of "Sovietization" characterized by widespread bureaucratization, institutionalization, and adherence to Soviet orthodoxy. Drawing from multidisciplinary perspectives and exploring a range of areas - including politics, international relations, culture, education, and healthcare - the contributing authors demonstrate that the 1970s were a time of intense transformation that proved pivotal to the development of the Revolution. Indeed, many of the ideas, approaches, policies, and legislation developed and tested during this decade maintain a very visible legacy in contemporary Cuba. In highlighting the complexity of the 1970s, this volume contributes to a greater understanding of the Cuban Revolution and how the country has faced the challenges of the twenty-first century