The soviet union agreed to buy large amounts of Cuban sugar<----NovaNet
From personal experience I can say that the development of Socialism as the economic policy of Cuba has helped its citizens development considerably. IE: Before the revolution 70% of arable land was owned by the USA and over 90% of Capital by foreign investment. The improvement of human rights and public welfare became the State's primary concerns, these areas saw drastic improvement in the years following the revolution. The level of Democracy enjoyed by the population also drastically improved, the government was heavily de-centralized and the role of president was reduced over several decades. While Cuba has a single party, the diversity within the Communist Party is evident. In fact, nearly half of parliamentary seats are held by Independents, non-Communist Socialists, Liberals and Social democrats. This distribution of power has led to problems over the last two decades, when a certain regions administration commits a particular breach of its citizens human rights these violations are commonly attributed to the entire government. This same power structure has led to representatives voting in favor of certain laws that restrict travel of Cuban citizens and recently access to certain hotels to sell items. With all things considered, the Socialist revolution has been beneficial for the Lower and Middle classes of Cuba. It has also helped Cuba persevere through the "Special Period" of economic depression following the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
