Different Strokes: Spanish Policy toward Cuba and Equatorial Guinea during the Colonial Period

Abstract

Spanish policy toward Cuba and Equatorial Guinea up to the end of the 19th century differed markedly. The policy itself is difficult to define but the general principle emphasized the exploitation of the resources of the colonies for the benefit of Spain. It also provided for the spread of Spanish culture and the Christian faith. It is therefore somewhat similar to the French assimilation policy. The emphasis on the economic benefits derivable from the colonies influenced Spain to pay attention to the development of infrastructure and establishment of effective administration in Cuba. This was very different from the situation in Equatorial Guinea. Since Equatorial Guinea did not hold much economically, Spanish policy toward the colony up to the early 20th century provided for the maintenance of loose control over the territory and very little effort was made to establish infrastructure and promote development. The article undertakes a comparative analysis of the experiences of Cuba and Equatorial Guinea under Spanish rule. It argues that although the focus of Spanish colonialism in Cuba, as elsewhere, was the exploitation of minerals and the development of plantation agriculture, the Spanish authorities established administrative structures and social infrastructure in the process. This was however not the case in Equatorial Guinea until the loss of Cuba in 1898 compelled Spain to turn attention to its African colony. The paper therefore disagrees with the view that the primary motive of colonial enterprise was to bring ‘civilisation' to the colonised, and concludes that the economic benefit to Spain was the most important consideration in the colonial enterprise, as was the case with most other colonial powers in Africa and elsewhere. Lagos Historical Review Vol. 7 2007: pp. 57-72