Cuba is a very unique country in terms of government and politics. It is notable not only for being the last communist country in Latin America, but also for having experienced and continues to undergo major changes in government policy. Through the analysis of the five criteria of democracy and the careful examination of systems theory, political scientists can see that Cuba is on the path to momentous political change due to the rapid deterioration of its communist government, on the Soviet model. Democracy and systems theory as they apply to Cuba, it is important to briefly consider the history of this country. Cuba's current government was founded after the overthrow of President Batista in a violent coup d'état led by Fidel Castro in 1959. In 1961, Castro officially declared Cuba a socialist state; it is now simply recognized as a totalitarian communist state (US Department of State, 03/25/10). Although Cuba has a written constitution granting civil rights, it essentially denies these freedoms by declaring that "any citizen attempting to prevent the growth of socialism" is exempt from these rights (U.S. Department of State, 3/25 ). /10). The constitution also identifies the Cuban Communist Party as the only party with legal legitimacy. As can already be deduced from these strict government laws, the economy is also completely controlled by the communist party, but this is one of the interesting points in the analysis of the Cuban political system, because much of the hand - government workers are soon to be laid off in favor of a move to the private sector (The Economist, November 2010). At the time of the US State Department's report on Cuba, ninety...... middle of paper ...... five criteria for democracy presented by Charles Hauss, Cuba failed miserably in competitive elections and in the rule of law. , on the other hand, although certainly far from industrialized democracies, recent developments suggest the potential for improved civil rights and the dominance of capitalism. As far as systems theory is concerned in Cuba, this is almost impossible until improvements are made to the aforementioned civil rights criterion. Finally, compared to other communist countries, Cuba shows signs of going the way of the USSR and risks collapse as perestroika begins and the regime is restructured. All things considered, Cuba has become an extremely intriguing country for political scientists in recent years, as the country has begun several transitions toward far greater democratization than it ever experienced under its former leader...