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Abstract
This thesis investigates the Sovietization Period of Cuba’s history and asks the questions, what is the status of Sovietization historiography and how was it interpreted during the Cold War? The research method is a comparative analysis of how the ideologically opposed anti- communist Cuban exiles and pro-communist Cuban government narrated this transformative moment. This comparative framework is supplemented by a study of the historiography and an overview of the Sovietization Period. The study concludes that both camps framed Sovietization for their respective audiences. Exiled ideologues viewed Sovietization as a symbol of Fidel Castro’s despotism and as a catalyst for his future downfall. The Cuban government interpreted the period as an example of fully realized socialist internationalism and vanguardism. These principles were used to frame Sovietization for the Soviet state and the Cuban people respectively. This study concludes that the historiography must be expanded to better understand this period.