Tobacco on the Periphery

The book explores the intricate development of the Cuban tobacco industry, highlighting its transformation from a prestigious manufacturing hub to a leaf exporter influenced by overseas trade. It delves into the dynamics of a powerful tobacco oligarchy, the peasant grower class, and the reliance on slave and indentured labor. The narrative reveals how foreign and domestic capital shaped large plantations and extreme sharecropping practices, alongside the struggles of a shrinking luxury market and the prevalence of small-scale production into the twentieth century.