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E-book
Author Cosner, Charlotte, 1969-

Title The golden leaf : how tobacco shaped Cuba and the Atlantic world / Charlotte A. Cosner, Ph. D
Published Nashville : Vanderbilt University Press, [2014]

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Description 1 online resource
Contents Cover; Title Page; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. "The consumption ... is excessive"; 2. "Learnt by observation and experience"; 3. "One of the good growers"; 4. "A matter of chief importance"; 5. "Apply all of your attention to the laws"; 6. "I work with all my might to eradicate the evil"; 7. "Shipments of Havana tobacco not arriving due to the present war"; Epilogue; Glossary; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Summary "Through the rise and fall of empires, ideologies, and economies, tobacco grown on the tiny island of Cuba has remained an enduring symbol of pleasure and extravagance. Cultivated as one of the first reliable commodities for those inhabitants who remained after conquistadors moved on in search of a mythical wellspring of gold, tobacco quickly became crucial to the support of the swelling Spanish Empire in the 17th seventeenth and 18th eighteenth centuries. Eventually, however, tobacco became one of the final stabilizing forces in the empire, and it ultimately proved more resilient than the best laid plans of kings and queens. Tobacco, and those whose livelihoods depended on it, shrugged off the Empire's collapse and pressed on into the 20th century as an economic force any state or political power must reckon with. Cosner explores the history of this golden leaf through the personal narratives of farmers, bureaucrats, and laborers, all struggling to build an independent and lucrative economic engine. Through conquest, rebellion, colonial and imperial schemes, and the eventual Communist revolution, Cuban tobacco and cigars became a luxury item that commanded commanded loyalty that defied mere borders or embargoes. Ultimately, The Golden Leaf is a story of two carefully cultivated products: Cuban tobacco, and its lofty reputation"-- Provided by publisher
""Tobacco is one of Cuba's best known commodities, yet its history has been clouded in myth and misconception. This work addresses the ways in which tobacco shaped Cuba and the Atlantic world in terms of culture, society, governmental control, and economics"--Provided by publisher"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Tobacco -- Cuba -- History
Tobacco -- America -- History
Tobacco industry -- Cuba -- History
Tobacco industry -- America -- History
HISTORY -- Caribbean & West Indies -- Cuba.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economic History.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Industries -- General.
HISTORY -- Caribbean & West Indies -- Cuba.
Tobacco
Tobacco industry
SUBJECT Cuba -- History -- 18th century
Cuba -- History -- 19th century
Subject America
Cuba
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780826520340
0826520340
9781322411651
1322411654