Blas Roca Calderio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blas Roca Calderio
President of the National Assembly of People's Power
In office 2 December 1976 – 1981
Vice President	Raúl Roa García
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Flavio Bravo Pardo
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Popular Socialist Party
In office December 1933 – 24 June 1961
Preceded by	Jorge Vivo
Succeeded by	Fidel Castro
Personal details
Born	24 July 1908 Manzanillo, Cuba
Died	25 April 1987 (aged 78) Havana, Cuba
Political party	Popular Socialist Party (1929-1961) 26th of July Movement (1953-1965) Communist Party of Cuba (1965-1981)
Profession	Lawyer

Blas Roca Calderio (born July 24, 1908 – died April 25, 1987) was an important Cuban politician. He was a key leader of the Communist Party of Cuba for 28 years before the Cuban Revolution in 1959. He also served as the President of Cuba's National Assembly from 1976 to 1981.

Blas Roca helped write the Cuban Constitution of 1940. Later, he led the group that wrote Cuba's first socialist constitution in 1976. He was also the editor of a communist newspaper called Hoy.

Blas Roca's Life Story

Blas Roca was born Francisco Wilfredo Calderío López in Manzanillo, Cuba. He came from a poor family. He left school at age 11 to shine shoes and help his family.

In 1929, he joined the Communist Party. He changed his name to Roca, which means 'rock', to show his strength.

Early Political Work

In 1929, Blas Roca became the Secretary General of the Shoemakers' Union in Manzanillo. In 1931, he joined the Communist Party's main committee. He became the head of the party in eastern Cuba.

He wrote many articles for labor newspapers. He also led protests, including a big strike in August 1933. This strike helped to remove the dictator Gerardo Machado.

Leading the Communist Party

Blas Roca was called to the capital city, Havana. The Communist Party needed a strong leader. At just 26 years old, he became the head of the Cuban communists in 1933. He stayed in this role until the Cuban Revolution succeeded.

He helped change the party from a small group into a major national organization.

Working with Batista

In 1935, Blas Roca went to a big meeting in Moscow. There, he learned about a new strategy called the "popular front." This meant working with different groups, even those you didn't fully agree with.

At first, Roca saw Fulgencio Batista as an enemy. But in 1938, he told party leaders that things had changed. He believed Batista was now open to reforms and talks.

This alliance with Batista helped the Communist Party. They were allowed to operate legally. Their newspaper Hoy and the communist-led workers' union (CTC) also became legal.

The 1940 Constitution

In 1939, the communists elected 6 delegates to the assembly that wrote the new constitution. Blas Roca was one of them. The Cuban Constitution of 1940 included many progressive ideas. Blas Roca was one of its signers.

In the next election, the communists supported Batista for president. Years later, when Batista called Fidel Castro's group communists, Castro pointed out that Batista himself had been supported by communists in 1940.

Supporting the Spanish Republic

In the 1930s, Roca's party also helped the Spanish Republic. They sent aid and about a thousand Cuban fighters to Spain. These fighters joined the International Brigades to fight against fascism.

Growth During World War II

Under Blas Roca, Cuba's Communist Party grew a lot. They gained control over trade unions and other groups. During World War II, two communists served in Batista's government. They were Carlos Rafael Rodriguez and Juan Marinello. Both later held high positions under Fidel Castro.

The party had a popular radio station, Radio Mil Diez. Tens of thousands of people joined the party. Many Cuban artists and thinkers were members or supporters. These included writer Alejo Carpentier and poet Nicolás Guillén.

After World War II

After the war, the Communist Party changed its name to the Popular Socialist Party (PSP). Tensions grew between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The global communist movement criticized some of the PSP's ideas. However, the Cuban party stayed loyal to its core beliefs.

The Revolution and Beyond

The party faced difficulties under the anti-communist government of Carlos Prío Socarrás. They condemned Batista's coup in March 1952.

When Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada army barracks in 1953, the communists did not support it at first. They saw it as a small action, not a mass movement.

As the party could no longer operate openly, its leaders began to rethink their approach. They started to consider armed struggle. Blas Roca spent a year in China from 1955 to 1956.

After the revolution won, Roca returned to Cuba. He helped reorganize the party. He made sure it supported Fidel Castro's leadership. Roca even praised Castro's armed strategy. He admitted the party had made a mistake by not preparing for armed struggle.

In 1961, Blas Roca led a party group to meet Nikita Khrushchev in the Soviet Union. They gave him a Cuban flag. The Cuban communists played a key role in connecting Cuba with the Soviet Union.

Soon after, the Communist Party joined with Castro's 26th of July Movement and other groups. They formed the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations. In 1965, this became the new Communist Party of Cuba. Roca was part of its first main committee.

From 1976 to 1981, Roca served as president of the National Assembly of Popular Power. He had led the committee that wrote Cuba's socialist constitution in 1976.

Blas Roca was buried in a simple grave near the monument to Cuban independence hero Antonio Maceo Grajales. His son, Vladimiro Roca, later became a critic of the Cuban government.

Books Written by Blas Roca

Blas Roca wrote many books and articles. One important book was The Foundations of Socialism in Cuba, published in 1943. This book was used to teach communist party members for many years.

After the Cuban Revolution, it became a main textbook. It was used in schools that trained new leaders for the Communist Party of Cuba.

See also

In Spanish: Blas Roca para niños