Next Year in Havana is historical fiction, and the Cuban Revolution serves as the primary historical setting. Knowledge of significant events of the Revolution is crucial to understanding important moments in the plot and the motivations of the central characters.

Cuba was a part of Spain’s empire in the Americas. With the breakup of the Spanish empire, Cuba gained its independence near the turn of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the United States quickly assumed control and made Cuba a part of its empire in the Western hemisphere. Once Cuba managed to regain the power to hold elections, the United States intervened in its politics to protect American business and political interests.

During the 1920s, these interests were the production of sugar and rum; people like the Perez and Rodriguez families reaped the rewards of this system, placing them in conflict with the ordinary Cubans who gained nothing from this prosperity. Pablo and Alejandro’s critique of the role of the United States reflects many Cubans’ sense that their fates and resources were always in the hands of outsiders who did not have their best interests at heart. Their awareness of the unfairness of this system is a foundational part of Cuban identity, and the desire to make Cuba into a country for Cubans motivates the great sacrifices that Alejandro, Pablo, and their compatriots are willing to make.