Cuba and the United States have a close history that is characterized by conflict.
Explanation:
Cuba is a former colony of the Spanish Crown and it first gained its independence after the Spanish American war in 1898. In the years following the war, Cuba was subject to US military rule, but it gained formal independence in 1902. This however made it so the Cuban economy became dominated by American capital. The number of sugar estates owned by Americans soared so that by 1905 Americans owned nearly 10% of Cuba's total land area. At independence, American companies controlled what little industry there was in Cuba taking 80% of Cuba's ore exports. Americans also owned the sugar refineries and factories where they made cigarettes. This control and close involvement and investment in the Cuban economy grew up until the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
