Carlos Baliño: A bridge between revolutionary generations

Image via the PCC

By Lissel Pino Ceballos, Communist Party of Cuba, translated from the Spanish

In Cuban history, several figures have masterfully woven the thread that unites the struggle for independence with social justice. One example is Carlos Baliño y López , who stands as a bridge between two great generations of revolutionaries: that of José Martí and that of Julio Antonio Mella.

He was born in Guanajay , in the current province of Artemisa, on February 13, 1849. From a young age he showed a great interest in progressive ideas, and his career was marked by a deep patriotic vocation and an unwavering commitment to social justice.

Together with José Martí, in 1892 he participated in the founding of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, whose main objective was to achieve unity in the struggle for our country's independence from Spanish domination. His work reflected a clear conviction that freedom must be accompanied by a profound social transformation, in which workers and peasants played a leading role. Martí and Baliño shared a vision of a free and just Cuba, and their collaboration ran deep.

In 1904, Baliño participated in the organization of the Workers' Party, which, thanks to his initiative, was transformed into the Socialist Workers' Party . From this platform, he actively contributed his writings to La Voz Obrera , the official organ of the party. Two years later, in 1906, he signed the founding document of the Socialist Party of Cuba, which emerged after the merger of the Socialist Workers' Party with the International Socialist Grouping, an formation that also enjoyed his valuable support. In addition, he was a prominent member of the Socialist Grouping of Havana, becoming its president in 1910.

During this period, he collaborated on various labor and socialist publications, including El Socialista , the organ of the Agrupación Socialista (Socialist Group), as well as El Productor, El Obrero Cigarrero, and Justicia y Lucha de Clases , a magazine of which he was director. From 1919 onwards, he devoted his efforts to the reorganization of small socialist groups, encouraging their formation into communist organizations that laid the foundations for the Cuban revolutionary movement.

Years later, in 1925, together with Julio Antonio Mella, he founded the Communist Party of Cuba, continuing his commitment to social transformation. While the first revolutionary party sought national independence, this second movement promoted the fight for workers' rights and the construction of a socialist society. Thus, Baliño's thinking served as a bridge between independence and Marxism, uniting the patriotic cause with social justice.

His vision and actions served as a prelude to the current Communist Party (PCC) , which consolidated itself as the country's leading political force and represents the continuation of a historic struggle that has shaped the nation's destiny. Its existence is not an isolated event, but rather the result of a revolutionary process that began with the quest for emancipation and evolved toward building a more equitable society.

As a continuator of the ideas of its founding fathers (Martí, Mella, and Baliño), the PCC, more than a political party, is a symbol of the Cuban people's will to take control of their destiny and to build a present and future guided by the principles of justice and equality. Its legacy reflects a nation that has shown the world that true change is born from collective determination and sacrifice.

Our party is the clearest expression of a historic struggle that has defined the country's course, and its existence cannot be understood without the path forged by generations of revolutionaries who, with sacrifice and determination, fought for a truly free and independent country.

At the age of 78, Carlos Baliño died on June 18, 1926, and today, 99 years after his death, he remains recognized as a symbol of Cuban revolutionary thought. He influenced generations of leaders and the construction of the current political model. His story is a clear example that social transformation is a continuous process, in which revolutionary ideas must adapt and evolve to meet the challenges of each generation.

This work was translated and shared via a License CC-BY-NC