Fidel Castro

Fidel 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	President of the Council of State
Term start2	December 2, 1976
Term end2	February 24, 2008
Predecessor2	Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
Successor2	Raúl Castro
Office3	Prime Minister of Cuba
Term start3	February 16, 1959
Term end3	December 2, 1976
Predecessor3	José Miró Cardona
Successor3	Position abolished
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	(m., married 1948; div. 1955) Mirta Díaz-Balart, (m., married 1980; died 2016) Dalia Soto del Valle
Children	9, including Alina Fernández
Alma mater	University of Havana
Allegiance	Cuba
Branch	Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
Rank	Comandante en Jefe
Battles	Cuban Revolution, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuban Missile Crisis, Angolan Civil War

Fidel 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. He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1965 until 2011, leading the country as a one-party socialist state. Under his administration, Cuba became a key player in the Cold War, aligning with the Soviet Union and pursuing policies of anti-imperialism and international revolution.

Early life and education

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born in Birán, Oriente Province, to a wealthy landowner, Ángel Castro y Argiz, and his domestic servant, Lina Ruz González. He was educated at private Jesuit schools, including the Colegio de Dolores in Santiago de Cuba and the Colegio de Belén in Havana. Castro enrolled at the University of Havana in 1945, where he studied law and became immersed in the volatile political culture of the era, influenced by nationalist figures like Eduardo Chibás and the anti-imperialist rhetoric against United States influence in Cuba. His early political activism included involvement in the Cayo Confites expedition and protests against the governments of Ramón Grau and Carlos Prío Socarrás.

Cuban Revolution

Castro first rose to prominence after leading the failed Moncada Barracks attack on July 26, 1953, against the regime of Fulgencio Batista. Imprisoned and later exiled to Mexico, he founded the 26th of July Movement and, alongside key figures like Che Guevara, Raúl Castro, and Camilo Cienfuegos, launched the Granma expedition in 1956 to begin a guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra mountains. After a protracted campaign against Batista's forces, which gained popular support, the revolution triumphed on January 1, 1959, when Batista fled to the Dominican Republic. Castro's entry into Havana marked the beginning of his rule.

Leadership of Cuba

Upon taking power, Castro's government initiated radical reforms, including the Agrarian Reform Law of 1959, which nationalized large estates, and the nationalization of industries, many of which were American-owned. This led to a rapid deterioration in relations with the United States and the eventual imposition of the United States embargo against Cuba. In 1961, Castro formally declared the socialist character of the revolution and merged his movement into the newly formed Communist Party of Cuba. Key domestic policies included the expansion of literacy and healthcare, but were accompanied by the suppression of political dissent, the imprisonment of opponents, and control over media like the newspaper Gramma.

Foreign relations

Castro's foreign policy was defined by staunch opposition to United States influence in Latin America and alignment with the Soviet Union. This alliance was cemented during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, a direct confrontation with the John F. Kennedy administration. Castro actively supported revolutionary movements abroad, most notably by deploying troops to the Angolan Civil War in support of the MPLA and to the Ogaden War in Ethiopia. He was a leading figure in the Non-Aligned Movement and maintained close ties with leaders such as Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.

Personal life and death

Castro was first married to Mirta Díaz-Balart, a member of a prominent political family, with whom he had a son, Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart. After their divorce, he had several other relationships and is known to have had at least eight other children, including Alina Fernández, who became a vocal critic. Known for his lengthy speeches, military fatigues, and fondness for baseball, Castro survived numerous CIA assassination attempts. His health declined in the mid-2000s, leading him to transfer power to his brother Raúl Castro in 2006. He died in Havana on November 25, 2016; his ashes were interred in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba.

Legacy and public image

Fidel Castro remains a deeply polarizing historical figure. Supporters, particularly within Cuba and among leftist movements worldwide, hail him as an anti-imperialist hero who defended Cuban sovereignty, advanced social programs, and defied the United States. Critics condemn his regime for human rights abuses, political repression documented by groups like Amnesty International, and economic mismanagement that led to periods of hardship such as the Special Period. His legacy is inextricably linked to the Cold War, the endurance of a communist state in the Americas, and the ongoing political dynamics between Cuba and the United States.

Category:Fidel Castro Category:2016 deaths Category:Presidents of Cuba Category:Cold War leaders