Arts and Literature of Cuba

lobby— an organized attempt to convince a legislator to vote a cer- tain way on an issue. nationalism— a sense of national consciousness; promotion of the interests of one’s own nation above the interests of other nations. paramilitary— relating to a force organized along military lines but not composed of official soldiers. proletariat— the class of industrial workers. refugee— a person who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. socialism— an economic system that is based on cooperation rather than competition and that utilizes centralized planning and dis- tribution, controlled by the government; in Marxist theory, an intermediate stage between capitalism and communism during which the state—controlled by the proletariat—owns all factories and other places of work, and wages and the distribution of goods are still somewhat unequal. totalitarian— relating to a political regime that seeks to exert com- plete control over citizens’ lives.

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