...There are many views that people have of Cuba’s Fidel Castro. Castro is a figure with opinions on both ends of the spectrum. While he is not worldly popular at this point in his life, he was immensely beneficial to his country. Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba for the past 50 years may not be viewed in the best light, but he did phenomenal things for his people which makes him one of the most undervalued and overlooked political figures. Fidel Castro Ruz was born in Biran, Cuba on August 13, 1926 (Britannica, 2014). Born into a middle class sugar farm owning family, Castro grew up relatively affluent but his origins pointed to anything but a revolutionary career. “I was born into a family of landowners in comfortable circumstances. We were considered rich and treated as such. Everyone lavished attention on me and treated me differently from other children. These other children went barefoot while we wore shoes; they were often hungry, at our house there was always a squabble at the table to get us to eat.” – Fidel Castro (Castro, 2009) Fidel Castro’s family was not Rockefeller rich, but had far more than many other people did in Cuba at the time. Due to this he attended an elite Catholic private school. Castro was very much into politics, while attending the University of Havana he joined a student group that opposed political corruption. He was a member of the Orthodox Part, also known as the Cuban People’s Party (Geyer, 1991). With Fidel Castro’s exceptional public speaking skills...
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...The year was 1953 and Fidel Castro was a dashing and daring reformer that was determined to make a impact in a country that was ruled by an unjust president. With the Movement strong and confident, Castro delivered these strong words to his group of men: “In a few hours you will be victorious or defeated, but regardless of the outcome – listen well, friends – this Movement will triumph. If you win tomorrow, the aspirations of Martí will be fulfilled sooner. If we fail, our action will nevertheless set an example for the Cuban people, and from the people will arise fresh new men willing to die for Cuba. They will pick up our banner and move forward... The people will back us in Oriente and in the whole island. As in '68 and '92, here in Oriente we will give the first cry of Liberty or Death!” These words by Castro illustrates what type of leader he was and still is to this day. Castro is one of the most polarizing figures in Cuban history, with many natives of Cuba arguing that he was the central cause of the destruction of Cuba, while others consider him to be the visionary that saved Cuba from the destruction that would have come about if a capitalist system had been instituted instead of a communist one. Actions taken by Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution shaped Cuba politically and socially to what we know it to be today. Fidel Castro was born in southeast Cuba, in the Oriente Province on August 13, 1926. Castro’s father was Angelo Castro y Argiz, who was an immigrant...
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...Kristian Delatorre Mrs. Pflaumer Spanish V Notes Fidel Castro y Raul Castro nació el 13 de agosto de 1926 en Birán, una pequeña ciudad en el este de Cuba. Su padre era un rico agricultor de caña de azúcar español que llegó por primera vez a la isla durante la Guerra de Independencia de Cuba (1895-1898); su madre era una empleada doméstica de la familia de su padre, que le dio a luz fuera del matrimonio. Después de asistir a un par de escuelas incluyendo jesuitas del Colegio de Belén , donde se destacó en el béisbol Castro se matriculó como estudiante de derecho en la Universidad de La Habana. Una vez allí, se interesó en la política, a la lucha contra la corrupción Partido Ortodoxo y participar en un intento de golpe de Estado abortado contra el brutal dictador República Dominicana Rafael Trujillo. En julio de 1953, Castro llevó cerca de 120 hombres en un ataque contra el cuartel Moncada en Santiago de Cuba. El asalto fracasó, Castro fue capturado y condenado a 15 años de prisión, y muchos de sus hombres fueron asesinados. Fulgencio Batista apoyado por Estados Unidos , en busca de mejorar su imagen autoritaria , posteriormente liberó a Castro en 1955 como parte de una amnistía general. Castro terminó en Mexico. Raúl se interesó en la política y se unió a un grupo de jóvenes socialistas . A finales de 1950 , participó en la revolución que llevó a su hermano , Fidel Castro, al poder, y poco después fue nombrado jefe de las fuerzas armadas. En las décadas que siguieron, también...
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...In Biran, Cuba’s eastern Oriente Province, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926. The third of six children, Fidel’s brothers are Raul and Ramon and his three sisters; Angela, Emma, and Augustina. His father was a Spanish soldier who arrived to Cuba during the American-Spanish war. In Cuba, he became a wealthy sugar plantation owner who conducted his business with the US. Lina Ruz Gonzalez, Fidel’s mother, was the servant of the house in Alejandro’s previous marriage. Alejandro later married Lina by the time Fidel was 15 years old. For tourists in the late 50s, Cuba was the center of luxury. It was the playground for Americans. However for Cubans, poverty dominated their lives. Both education and health care systems were poor. Living conditions were even worse than any of the...
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...Born in Cuba, Fidel Castro came from a wealthy family from which he could afford an admirable education and soon realize he excelled at everything he did, whether it be academic or athletic. This steered his mindset to make him believe he could do anything he desired. It is when Castro started his studies in law school at the University of Havana that he developed an interest for politics which would later turn him into one of the most influential leader Cuba has had (Biography.com Editors, 2016). Rather than being a communist, Castro was first a pronounced nationalist (Wood, week 10, slide 21). This strong characteristic of his personality made him a man dedicating his all to the promotion of the country he loved so much, Cuba (Merriam-Webster,...
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...The Memory of Fidel Castro The 20th century was the era of the dictator. Around the world, dictators rose and affected millions of lives for better and for much worse. In 2016 Fidel Castro, the communist dictator, passed away and left behind a controversial legacy. Castro's regime leaves behind a polarized memory split between people who him and heroify him. Some people view him as a great liberator of Cuba and some consider him a ruthless oppressor of his dissenters. Cuba is an anomaly among countries due to Castro’s policy on decolonization that has enriched the lives of many while simultaneously oppressing and destroying the lives of countless others. While Castro created many social movements such as health care and education that benefited...
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...Long live Castro In the article How Castro Will Be Trump’s First Foreign Policy Test he stills the reader about the death of Castro and how Cuba may still be a foreign policy issue for Trump. The author also tells us how he believe Trump is turning Washington into a reality show. This article relates to my book for one reason like Trump Castro was John's problem too. Both of the presidents had foreign policy issues with Cuba. For example, “foreign policy novice the tycoon will face far graver international question” travel issues with Cuba go back to the war that John Kennedy almost started. This ties in with my book because it shows that Cuba has hated America for a long time. Like in the start of President Kennedy's term Russia is still expanding. “Russia juggles a shrinking economy, an...
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...Fidel Castro was the prime minister and then president of Cuba. He ruled for about 50 years. When Castro showed an interest in politics, so did Fulgencio Batista, who takes over the Cuban government and establishes a military dictatorship. Fidel is well known for the Cuban Revolution, when he overthrew General Fulgencio Batista, and became the new leader of Cuba. Fidel Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926 in the city of Mayari which is in the northwestern part of Cuba. His Father, Àngel Castro y Argiz was a wealthy planter. Fidel Castro had many siblings including Raul Castro, who is the leader of Cuba today. Fidel was “educated by the Jesuits and studied law at the University of Havana” . He always liked Latin American Revolutionary Politics since he was a child also . Fidel Castro became a lawyer specializing in public-interest and was kind enough to sometimes represent the poor at no cost. In 1952 Castro decided to become a candidate for parliament...
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...Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, Cuba. His father was Ángel Castro, who was a sugar plantation owner. His mother was Lina Ruz Gonzalez, whom Castro’s father had an affair with while she was a maid to Ángel’s first wife. He had seven brothers and sisters, one of which would become Castro’s future chief associate. Castro attended many different schools as a child, such as the Roman Catholic Boarding School located in Santiago, Cuba, and the Catholic high school in Havana. During his high school career, Castro was very athletic to the point of taking the position of pitcher on a baseball team. In his college career he attended the School of Law of the University of Havana, in 1945, where entered the difficult world...
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...system strengthened, Cuba’s location in relation its surrounding islands and the US became more and more disconcerting: should Fidel Castro move to uproot the political systems of its close neighbors, the opportunity for success was in place. It’s understandable then that the US would seek to alter the playing field of the Caribbean—in attempting to do so, however, a potentially unauthorized plot to kill Fidel Castro became a very near reality. For a plot that appeared in many forms, its inception is still not fully understood. Further, it is unclear whether or not...
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...Thomas Hughes (Candidate Number: 006362 – 0036) How did Fidel Castro affect the relations between both the USA and the USSR? IB History Internal Assessment Centre Number: 6362 Doha British School Plan of Investigation Summary of Evidence Evaluation of Source Analysis Conclusion Contents A. Plan of Investigation 2 B. Summary of Evidence 3 C. Evaluation of Sources 5 Section D: Analysis 7 Section E: Conclusion 8 Bibliography (Written Sources) 9 Bibliography (Non-Written sources) 9 A. Plan of Investigation This study will seek to answer the question of how Fidel Castro affected the relations between the US and the USSR during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I chose this question because I’ve always had a passion for learning about the Cold War, especially the Cuban perspective of the whole situation. With this in mind, this is why I found the topic relevant, as the whole incident has been a standing point in time representing the effects of unstable relations in times of nuclear crisis. In order to answer...
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...almost half of Cuba's sugar plantations and the majority of its cattle ranches, mines and utilities. Batista did little to restrict their operations. He was also reliably anti-communist. Castro by contrast, disapproved of the approach that Americans took to their business and interest in Cuba. It was time, he believed, for Cubans to assume more control of their Nation....
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...revolutionaries inevitably dishonour.”1 By examining the Cuban and Russian Revolutions, this can be seen to be too general a statement. Under Lenin, the Russian Revolution instituted one of the most progressive constitutions yet seen,2 while Cuba, with its unique role in relations between two Cold War superpowers, stayed mostly true to its primary goals of attaining social justice and equality. The objective that tends to be the most fraught by revolutions is liberty, because in order to completely reshape a society, power must be, at least for a time, concentrated in the hands of few. Thus, the Russian Revolution, particularly under Stalin, can be said to have dishonoured the goals of the original revolution, while the Cuban Revolution under Castro, for the most part, did not. The aim of eliminating inequality was central to both the Russian and Cuban Revolutions. Since before its independence, Cuba had been subjected to nepotistic governments that gave preference to Spanish immigrants; there was a distinct hierarchy in Cuban society that affected social and economic standing.3 Following independence from Spain, however, Cuba traded one dependence for another as it became heavily dependent economically on the United States, with a great deal of political interference from it...
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...José Castro was an undocumented factory worker from Mexico, hired by Hoffman Plastic Compounds, located in California. Seven months after he was hired, Castro began participating in union activities, organizing and distributing authorization cards. After his involvement was discovered, Hoffman laid Castro off along with two other workers. Castro later sued Hoffman Plastic Compounds for violating his right to freedom of association (Sensiba and Yavrom 18). The case Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board eventually made it to the Supreme Court, where on March 27, 2002, the Supreme Court decided that Castro was unlawfully fired, but was not to be given back pay. In this case, the National Labor Relations Board found Hoffman Plastic Compounds to be in violation of the National Labor Relations Act. Section 7 states, "Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection” (National Labor Relations Act). The...
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...History Essay – Fidel Castro Castro’s Social Policies After coming to power in 1959 with the aim of making radical change to the country. He promised to end inequality, corruption and the economic dependency on USA. With these aims, he implemented economic policies to generate economic growth. The ups and downs of Cuba’s economic performance had not affected the state’s considerable investment in social reform, foreign aid and military involvement. Underpinned by long term credit and trade agreements with USSR, the Cubans had achieved standards of health and literacy rivaling those of developed countries. After his coming to power, Castro had managed to reduce the infant mortality rate, a yardstick of development of development from 60 per thousand live children in 1958 to 13.2 in 1980. On the eve of the revolution there had been one doctor for 5,000 Cubans, whereas thirty years later there was one per 400. Average life expectancy had risen from 74 to 57 and only 2 percent of the population was illiterate compared to 24 percent in 1958. All children of primary school age now attended schools whereas only 56 percent had done so before the revolution. The bare figures conceal the extent of social and economic change in Cuba. Castro’s reform aimed to introduce social justice and allow all sectors of society to have equal oppurtunities. Reforms in health, education and the treatment of women and of minorities were implemented among other areas. Some of these reforms clashed...
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