Castro

Castro
Name	Fidel Castro
Caption	Castro in 1962
Office	First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba
Term start	October 3, 1965
Term end	April 19, 2011
Predecessor	Position established
Successor	Raúl Castro
Office2	16th Prime Minister of Cuba
Term start2	February 16, 1959
Term end2	December 2, 1976
Predecessor2	José Miró Cardona
Successor2	Position abolished
Office3	17th President of Cuba
Term start3	December 2, 1976
Term end3	February 24, 2008
Predecessor3	Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
Successor3	Raúl Castro
Birth name	Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz
Birth date	August 13, 1926
Birth place	Birán, Oriente Province, Cuba
Death date	November 25, 2016 (aged 90)
Death place	Havana, Cuba
Party	Communist Party of Cuba
Spouse	(see personal life section)
Children	9, including Alina Fernández
Alma mater	University of Havana
Profession	Guerrilla, Revolutionary, Politician
Religion	None (Atheist)

Castro was a Cuban revolutionary, lawyer, and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. A Marxist–Leninist and Cuban nationalist, he transformed the island nation into a one-party Communist state under the Communist Party of Cuba, serving as its First Secretary for nearly five decades. His administration oversaw significant social reforms, faced immense international opposition led by the United States, and became a defining figure of the Cold War in the Western Hemisphere.

Early life and education

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born in Birán, Oriente Province, to a wealthy Galician immigrant landowner, Ángel Castro y Argiz, and his domestic servant, Lina Ruz González. He was educated at elite Jesuit institutions, including the Colegio de Dolores in Santiago de Cuba and the Colegio de Belén in Havana. He entered the University of Havana in 1945 to study law, where he became immersed in the volatile political culture of the era, influenced by Antonio Guiteras, Eduardo Chibás, and the ideas of Karl Marx. His early political activism included involvement in the Cayo Confites expedition and the Bogotazo riots in Colombia.

Rise to power

After graduating, Castro practiced law and planned to run for congress, but the Cuban coup d'état of 1952 led by Fulgencio Batista preempted elections. On July 26, 1953, he led an armed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, which failed and led to his imprisonment. His defense speech, later published as "History Will Absolve Me," outlined his revolutionary platform. Released in 1955, he went into exile in Mexico, where he formed the 26th of July Movement and trained a guerrilla force with figures like Che Guevara and his brother Raúl Castro. In December 1956, they landed in Cuba aboard the Granma, beginning the Cuban Revolution from the Sierra Maestra mountains. After a protracted guerrilla war, Batista fled on January 1, 1959, and Castro's forces entered Havana in triumph.

Leadership of Cuba

Castro's government quickly moved to consolidate power, implementing radical agrarian reform and nationalizing industries, which led to a mass exodus of the upper and middle classes to Miami. In 1961, he formally declared the revolution to be Socialist and defeated the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs Invasion by CIA-trained exiles. He aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union, a partnership solidified during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Domestically, his policies established a centrally planned economy, achieved near-universal literacy and healthcare, but were also marked by political repression through agencies like the Dirección General de Inteligencia and the imprisonment of dissidents.

Foreign relations and international impact

Castro's foreign policy was characterized by militant opposition to U.S. influence and support for revolutionary movements worldwide. Cuba provided military and logistical support to leftist forces in nations like Angola during the South African Border War, Ethiopia in the Ogaden War, and Nicaragua under the Sandinista National Liberation Front. This made Cuba a leading player in the Non-Aligned Movement and a close ally of the USSR. The relationship brought economic subsidies via the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance but also resulted in a stringent U.S. embargo and Cuba's isolation from the Organization of American States.

Later years and death

Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba entered a severe economic crisis known as the Special Period. Castro gradually delegated duties due to health problems, with Raúl Castro assuming acting presidential powers in 2006. He formally resigned as President in 2008 and as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in 2011. In his final years, he wrote commentaries for Granma and met with dignitaries like Pope Francis. Castro died in Havana on November 25, 2016. His ashes were interred in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba after a procession retracing the route of the Caravan of Liberty.

Legacy and historical assessment

Castro remains a profoundly polarizing historical figure. Supporters credit him with defending Cuban sovereignty, creating a model of social welfare, and inspiring anti-imperialist struggles globally. Critics condemn his authoritarian rule, suppression of civil liberties, and economic management that led to widespread poverty and emigration. His legacy is physically embodied in monuments like the Plaza de la Revolución and institutions such as the Latin American School of Medicine. The ongoing governance of Cuba by the Communist Party of Cuba and the enduring U.S. embargo ensure his impact continues to shape Cuba–United States relations and debates about socialism and national self-determination.

Category:2006 deaths Category:Cuban communists Category:Cold War leaders Category:Presidents of Cuba