The 1959 Cuban Revolution has had an enormous impact on the Caribbean basin. Puerto Rico, a small island under the aegis of the United States, was bound to be affected, especially since Puerto Rico had a long historical relationship with Cuba. Given the character of the Puerto Rican political status (a Commonwealth under the United States), and the antagonistic relationship between Cuba and the United States, Puerto Rico provided a particularly suitable arena for Cuban action This interdisciplinary study analyzes the impact of the Cuban Revolution on Puerto Rico's political status at the national and at the international level. At the national level, the study presents the impact of the Cuban exiles on the economic, social, and political environment, as well as the impact of the Cuban revolutionary model on Puerto Rico's political parties and society. At the international level, the study is concerned with the Cuban government activities on behalf of Puerto Rico's independence The research supported the following conclusions: (1) The Cuban exiles in Puerto Rico, an economic and social elite, strengthened the conservatism and anti-communism of the majority of Puerto Ricans. (2) Political violence, which has been traditionally rejected by Puerto Ricans, increased throughout the 1960's and 1970's. This increase was perceived by the majority of Puerto Ricans as inspired by and sponsored by the Cuban revolutionary government and its Puerto Rican allies. The Movimiento Pro Independencia and the Federacion Universitaria Pro Independencia were identified especially as politically and socially disruptive. (3) The independence movement was strengthened internationally as Cuba carried successfully its Puerto Rican allies' message to the Third World and to the United Nations. (4) The Cuban government, by incessantly attacking the Commonwealth and the Partido Popular Democratico (PPD), weakened the autonomist position on the island. The autonomist solution to Puerto Rico's political status had been traditionally the preferred choice of the majority of Puerto Ricans. (5) The Cuban Revolution and its Puerto Rican allies greatly increased statehood sentiment in Puerto Rico. Fear of independence materialized in the form of a rejection of independence parties, in defections from the PPD, and in support for the Partido Nuevo Progresista