Comparing twoconsequential movements that shed light on the nature of revolutionRevolutions in Cuba and Venezuela compares the sociopolitical processes behind two major revolutions-Cubain 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power, and Venezuela in 1999, when HugoChavez won the presidential election. With special attention to theCuba-Venezuela alliance, particularly in regards to foreign policy and thetrade of doctors for oil, Silvia Pedraza andCarlos Romero show that the geopolitical theater where these events played outdetermined the dynamics and reach of the revolutions.Updating and enriching the currentunderstanding of the Cuban and Venezuelan revolutions, this study is unique inits focus on the massive exodus they generated. Pedraza and Romero argue thatthis factor is crucial for comprehending a revolution's capacity to succeed orfail. By externalizing dissent, refugees helped to consolidate the revolutions,but as the diasporas became significant political actors and the lifelines ofeach economy, they eventually served to undermine the social movements.Using comparative historical analysis and datacollected through fieldwork in Cuba and Venezuela as well as from immigrantcommunities in the U.S., Pedraza and Romero discuss issues ofpolitics, economics, migrations, authoritarianism, human rights, and democracyin two nations that hoped to make a better world through their revolutionaryjourneys.Publication of this work madepossible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grantfrom the National Endowment for the Humanities.