Fragile Connections: Finnish Settlers and U.S. Power in Cuba, c. 1904–1959

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the early twentieth century, around forty Finnish families settled in Cuba as part of a larger settler migration from North America and Northern Europe. The Finns mostly settled in two American farming colonies, one near Itabo (Matanzas province), the other in Omaja (Oriente). The prominently working-class Finns usually came to Cuba from the U.S., where they had lived as labourers. In Cuba, they hoped to establish themselves as export-oriented farmers, shipping fruits and vegetables to U.S. markets. Through diverse sources, including newspapers, correspondence, and consular records, this article explores the experiences of Finnish settlers in Cuba from the early years of their settlement (1904–1908, when the Finnish population peaked) to the departure of the last elderly settlers after the revolution of 1959. The article argues that while the Finnish experience in Cuba largely paralleled that of other settlers from North America, the Finns’ dearth of social and economic capital, as well as their citizenship status (most were not U.S. citizens), exacerbated their troubles as farmers and settlers. Together with U.S. protectionism, low start-up capital frustrated their attempts at farming, while their noncitizen status impeded their mobility in the 1920s, when the U.S. introduced restrictive immigration laws.