...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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...Fidel Castro’s Influence on the Cuban Revolution, 1953-1959 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...
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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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...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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...political 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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...William Mati Mr.Laing CHC- 2D0 June 1, 2012 Fidel Castro: A leader without limits Fidel Castro was an extraordinary leader who fought for the good of his people and led them to victory in the Cuban revolution. This victory did not only prove Fidel's courage by standing up against the Cuban government and standing up for the poor, but it also demonstrated his determination to become victorious. However, in order to overthrow the government, Castro would have needed supporters for his cause, in which his charisma helped influence. Such a revolution would be impossible to achieve if Castro was not an extraordinary leader. Fidel Castro was courageous, charismatic, and determined. First, Castro always displayed courage and bravery throughout his lifetime. After he witnessed what was truly occurring in Cuba, Fidel began to doubt the political system and the rein of Batista. As a result, Fidel had begun to participate in revolutionary campaigns and speaking out against Batista. On July 26 1953, Castro participated in a battle between the guerillas and the military. Many of the guerillas were killed, but luckily for Castro, he was sent to prison and later exiled to Mexico, where he formed a revolutionary group. Forming another group displayed courage by attempting another assault on Batista and risking death. Since Castro supported communism, he was put at further risk because the concept of communism was looked down upon. "The Communist Party with only some ten thousand members...
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...Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, or better known as Fidel Castro, was born on August 13, 1926, in Biran Cuba. Fidel Castro attended two Roman Catholic boarding schools; the first was Santiago de Cuba and then the Catholic high school Belen in Havana. He attending the School of Law of the University of Havana, this is where he interests in politics began. After he graduated, Castro began practicing law and eventually became a member of the reformist Cuban People’s Party. Castro became their candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives for the Havana district, but the former Cuban president, toppled the government and stopped the election. Because the elections were canceled, Castro led over a hundred men on a suicide mission to attach the Moncada military barracks. This event demonstrated that Fidel Castro is a charismatic authority leader and because of his leadership style, he came into power in Cuba, broke the promises he made to his people, that lead the country into bring the first communists country, which in turn led to many adversities for the nation, and made it hard to conduct business in American because Castro had to overcome cross cultural barriers. Because of Castro’s “charismatic authority leadership” style, he had the support of most Cubans on the promises to restore the 1940 constitution, create an honest administration,...
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...Fidel Castro (more formally known as Fidel Alejandrio Castro Ruz) is well known for his positions as a Cuban politician, revolutionary, Prime Minister of Cuba, and then as president. Castro was educated in private Jesuit boarding schools, allowing him to be raised away from the common poverty of Cuba’s people. He was a very intellectual mind, but preferred to spend the majority of his time in sports rather than studies. During his childhood, he pitched for the baseball team at El Colegio de Belen. This all-male preparatory school is now located in Miami, Florida after the Jesuits were expelled from Cuba after the communist government of Fidel Castro came to power. After his graduation in 1945, Fidel Castro entered law school at the university...
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...Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was born on 1959 August 13, 1926 in, Biran, near Cuba, Castro successfully used guerrilla-control to remove Cuban President Batista, and he was sworn in as Prime Minister. Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro lead the Cuban missile crisis, the secret military and economic ties with the Soviet Union. He served as prime minister until 1976, then became president. He served Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces as chief from 1959 to 2008, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba 1961-2011, the Marxist-Leninist, under his administration Cuba became part of the socialist state; Nationalized industry and business, and socialist reforms in all spheres of society. At international level, Castro 1979-1983 and 2006-2008, served as secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement....
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...Born on August 13th, 1926 Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a revolutionary in the making. He was able to take over the Cuban government and transform Cuba into the first communist state in the western hemisphere. Castro led Cuba with a strong fist for a total of 49 years before passing power over to his brother Raul. Through is ruling Castro was a man who sparked different opinions from many different people before passing away on November 25th, 2016. With so many opinions floating around about Fidel Castro we have to wonder who was he really? Castro was born in Biran, Cuba where his father was a hard-working sugar cane farmer and landowner and his mother was a housemaid/cook for sugar industry officials. Castro’s family was considered to be a bourgeois middle class family. He lived not too far from the battlefield where Jose Marti died helped fuel his idea of his historical destiny. As a kid, Castro spent a lot of his time alongside his father’s workers which helped strengthen his empathy towards his country’s poor. Growing up in the violent Oriente Province Castro soon learned the true power of firearms....
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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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...is the largest island in the Caribbean. The capital of Cuba is Havana, and its population is 10.8 million. The main language used by most cubans is spanish and the currency used there is a Cuban Peso, which is equal to one U.S. Dollar. Cuba is a communist state and its president, since December 1976, is Fidel Castro Ruz. The main objective of this paper is to talk about the economic and political side of Cuba during the reign of Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 in Oriente. The schools that he attended were Catholic and located in Havana. He entered the University of Havana in 1945 and graduated with a law degree in 1950. In 1948 he married Mirta Diaz Balart but they were soon divorced in 1954. His son Fidel Castro Diaz Balart became the head of Cuba's atomic energy commision. Castro was a very good vocalist and he brought himself national prominence by leading an attack on Moncada army barracks. Due to this attack he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, which only lasted for 2 years. After being in exhile in Mexico, Castro returned with 81 others, including Che Guevera, to Cuba and launched a successful guerrilla war. Castro became a strong leader and many other countries begun to fear him. In Cuba the state is the head of the economy and controls almost all trade between foreign countries. Many reforms have been undertaken by the government so that the labor incentives would increase and so that there would be no shortages of...
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...Che Guevara: The Man and The Myth Many will call me an adventurer- and that I am, only one of a different sort; one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes. ---Che Guevara. Who was Ernesto “Che” Guevara and why did he chose to live the life of a revolutionary when he could have been an affluent doctor in Buenos Aires? Why was he to always be a “foreigner” when he loved his Argentina? What motivated him to leave his opportune life in an aristocratic family to attempt to achieve a better world for others? Che was a man with a lust for battle. No matter what he attempted, he went for it with everything he could possible give. But, what did he accomplish in that life? When his life is examined and his endeavors looked at closely, did he really make a difference in helping others to have a better life? Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara de la Serna was born in Rosario, Argentina on June 14, 1928. His father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch and his mother Celia de la Serna y Llosa were both blue-blooded aristocrats. His father’s family had lived in Argentina for over twelve generations and his mother’s family had land, both signs of money in this land of immigrants. Che’s father was “a cultivated man, very intelligent, he was active in the ranks of the Radical Party” (page 4, Compañero). Che’s mother who with her sister’s influence, would become a”socialist, anticlerical feminist” (page 4, Compañero). This heritage, especially his mother’s influence, was Ernesto’s foundation to his revolutionary...
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