Consequences of the development of the sugar industry in Cuba

The development of the sugar industry in Cuba is one of the most important events in Cuban history. It can be affirmed that during the XVIII century, sugar production experienced a slow and gradual increase that was consolidated in the XIX century with the transformation of some sugar mills into mills and the construction of some sugar mills. With the American occupation, foreign capitalists began to invest in this country. The new mills built had all the technological advances of the time. "As early as 1905, there were already 29 American-owned sugar mills in Cuba, whose production constituted 21 percent of the Cuban harvest". But it was not until 1911-1913 that the American investment and domination process accelerated, when their investments amounted to 205 million dollars". They were still smaller than the British ones, but it can be said that they were more diverse and strategic. World War I meant a stimulus for the growth of the sugar industry in Camagüey due to the deficit of the product in the world market. Between 1913 and 1920, 18 sugar mills were built.