Cuba has survived more than 40 years of US sanctions intended to (11) ---- the government of Fidel Castro. It has also defied predictions that it would not withstand the collapse of its main supporter, the Soviet Union. (12) ---- the fall of the US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Cuba has been a one-party state led by Castro, who exercises control (13) ---- virtually all aspects of Cuban life through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations, the government bureaucracy and the state security apparatus. Exploiting the US-Soviet Cold War, Castro was for decades able to rely on strong Soviet backing, including annual subsidies (14) ---- $ 4-5 billion, and succeed in building reputable health and education systems. But, at least partly because of the US trade sanctions, he failed to diversify the economy, (15) ---- continues to depend on sugar exports.