to these problems, the main goals of the revolution were thus to create greater social justice and national independence. The new government remarkably succeeded in improving education, which was desired by poorer Cubans who would be able to improve their social status and incomes.
             Illiteracy was reduced by about one-half in both rural and urban areas during the 1960s. Moreover, female students increased considerably in secondary and higher-level educational institutions. Public schools were expanding to the poorer population, especially in rural areas, and massive literacy campaigns were launched. This suggests that by the late 1980s, Cuba's labor force was highly educated with respect to other developing Latin American countries. The health sector also improved but the main achievement was that medical service was now accessible to people on lower incomes. One-third to one-half of the practicing doctors and dentists emigrated to rural areas.
             Another great achievement of the revolution was in the fact that by the mid-1980, absolute poverty had been virtually eliminated in Cuba. Nearly everyone had secure access to at least minimally adequate food. Good quality medical and educational services were available for all free of charge, and a minimally adequate shelter was almost universal. To resolve the food shortage, rationing was introduced in 1961 and all Cubans had provisions that dealt with their basic needs for three decades. In other Latin American countries, attempts at food rationing have usually functioned for only a few months before collapsing.
             After the collapse of the Soviet bloc in late 1980, in which Cuban's economy was completely dependent, few observers, including its sympathizers, believed the regime could resist. But, Cuba is still standing thanks to its capacity to adjust rapidly to changing circumstances. This can be partly explained by the maintenance of public support for social serv
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