...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 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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...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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...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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...Given the delicate nature of US relations with Cuba in the early 1960s, an ill-timed assassination could have been—to say the least—problematic. As the Marxist-Leninist 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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...Principle of Distributive Justice Considered as one type of justice, distributive justice is a central concept in the Catholic tradition and is closely linked to the concepts of human dignity, the common good, and human rights. Considered as an ethical principle, distributive justice refers to what society or a larger group owes its individual members in proportion to: 1) the individual’s needs, contribution and responsibility; 2) the resources available to the society or organization (market considerations would be included under this, as well as other financial considerations); and 3) the society’s or organization’s responsibility to the common good. In the context of health care, distributive justice requires that everyone receive equitable access to the basic health care necessary for living a fully human life insofar as there is a basic human right to health care. The principle of distributive justice implies that society has a duty to the individual in serious need and that all individuals have duties to others in serious need. In decisions regarding the allocation of resources, such as rationing decisions, the duty of society is not diminished because of the person’s status or nature of illness. Everyone is entitled to equal access to basic care necessary for living in a human way. Triage must presume an essential equality of persons. In other words, allocation decisions should not be based upon judgments of the quality of persons. Benefits and burdens should also be...
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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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...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 life. Ernesto’s early life was ridden with lung ailments. He contracted pneumonia less than two months after his birth, and began having asthma attacks just a few weeks prior to his second birthday. This forged a deep relationship between him and his parents, especially Celia. She would devote herself to his care and move the family multiple times to find a place that was suitable...
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...Organization & Leadership - Assignment Fidel Castro is one of the most recognizable leaders in world history. He led Cuba as Prime Minister and, subsequently, as President for almost fifty years. He was born and raised upper-middle class as his father was a very successful farmer and did quite well for himself and his family. There were several key events that led to Castro’s rise as a powerful leader and shaped him into the man who successfully led the Cuban revolution. First of all, although he benefited from a decent education and was exposed to the upper echelon of society at times, he also played with and grew up around the children of the migrant workers of the farm. He maintains that this conservative upbringing helped him to stay grounded and to develop empathy for the working class. Consequently, Fidel rebelled against what he perceived to be classism. While in law school in Havana, he became intertwined with the student protest movement. The government of the time decided to crack down on student protesters and a lot of student leaders were being killed. Instead of fighting against the governmental regime, however, the student protesters began turning on one another and becoming involved in crime. Being surrounded by this, Fidel decided to focus on political goals where he became enthralled by anti-imperialism and the opposition of U.S. involvement in Cuban (and Caribbean) politics. Law school exposed Castro to several student leftist groups and...
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...Year 11 Preliminary English Assessment Task Task: Motorcycle Diaries Question Two: Define Communism. Discuss its origins and how and where it was spread. In your discussion you must refer to at least 3 countries, which have adopted communism and examine its success and failures and the reason behind both. You must also examine the role Marxism plays in Communist ideology. Communism is an economic and social system in which all, or nearly all, property and resources are collectively owned by a classless society and not by individual citizens. It’s an ideology theory of government where all wealth is shared equally so there is no class system, that is, no poor class and no wealthy class. Everything is shared and everyone is equal, whether you’re a doctor or a factory worker. In such a communist society, the wealth and resources were to be regulated according to the needs, abilities and contribution of the people. Differences between manual and intellectual labour and between rural and urban life were to disappear, opening up the way for unlimited development of human potential. Based on the 1848 publication ‘Communist Manifesto’ by two German political philosophers, Karl Max and his close associate Friedrich Engels, it envisaged common ownership of all land and wealth and the withering away of the power of the state. Max and Engels believed that capitalism (private ownership of all property) should be diminished and that uneven distribution of wealth and resources should...
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...Latin American Politics and DevelopmentThe Cold War, the Cuban Revolution, the spread of guerilla warfare and the doctrine of National Security in Latin America | During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers. However, the relationship between the two nations was a tense one. Americans had long been wary of Soviet communism and concerned about Russian leader Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical rule of his own country. For their part, the Soviets resented the Americans’ decades-long refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of the international community as well as their delayed entry into World War II, which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of Russians. After the war ended, these grievances ripened into an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust and enmity. Post-war Soviet expansionism in Eastern Europe fuelled many Americans’ fears of a Russian plan to control the world. Meanwhile, the USSR came to resent what they perceived as American officials’ rhetoric, arms build-up and interventionist approach to international relations. By the time World War II ended, most American officials agreed that the best defence against the Soviet threat was a strategy called “containment.” In 1946, in his famous “Long Telegram,” the diplomat George Kennan explained this policy, The Soviet Union, he wrote, was “a political force committed fanatically to the belief that with the U.S. there can be no permanent modus vivendi...
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...The United States has maintained a near 58 year trading embargo on Cuba. (Fabry 2015) The embargo’s cost for both countries is possibly worth more than the importance of keeping it in place. President Kennedy imposed the final phase of the embargo in 1962, disenfranchising Cuba from trade with the United States. He established the embargo to decrease "the threat posed by its alignment with the communist powers." (Kennedy 1962) The United States has maintained the Cuban embargo even after establishing a close relationship with communist China and other countries. The embargo’s aim to bring the infamous Castro's out of power by choking the economy failed, as the Cuban people now suffer the consequences. The United States supported president...
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...Europeans should no longer interfere with any part of the Americas. Monroe stated that any attempt by a European power to influence or colonise any independent nation in the Americas would be seen as an attack on the peace and safety in the United States. This statement became known as the Monroe Doctrine. Its aim was to limit European influence in any part of the American continent as well as the Caribbean. The Platt Amendment, which was contained in the new Cuban constitution in 1902, gave the United States the legal right to intervene in Cuba in order to protect ‘life, property and individual liberties.’ The terms of the Platt Amendment included: - Restricted Cuba’s ability to make treaties with other countries - Gave the United States the power to intervene in Cuban affairs - Gave the U.S the right to buy or lease land for military use - Guaranteed the right to use land indefinitely The Platt Amendment effectively placed Cuba under American control. Majority of middle class Cubans were frustrated by its lack of political power and influence. Many Cubans were fed up of being ruled by big countries and wanted independence. Another factor that led to the Cuban Revolution was the ruthlessness of the Batista government. The Batista regime became increasingly unpopular because: - The Cuban economy depended on the U.S demand for its sugar - Cuba had become a playground for the U.S with gambling, prostitution and large scale corruption flourishing and the American Mafia...
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...of July Movement took over Cuba’s streets in January 1959. Though Castro’s charismatic and vibrant personality quickly won him astonishing support, he knew that he had to consolidate his political power by ensuring the trust of the population. The consolidation of Fidel Castro’s power between 1959 and1961 was more of a result of domestic issues rather than United States economic policies. In order, to consolidate power, it was known that the reminder of the revolutionary groups that were involved in the fight against Batista had to be quickly eliminated, so as not to challenge his political ambitions. The revolutionaries brought many of Batista’s prominent military and civilian leaders before trial which were extremely quick and defied any sense of justice and resulted in the summary execution of hundreds of persons. The regime ended the trials only in response to international criticism. Hence through this action, along with Raul using the military and large civilian militia to rid the country of the batistianos and the confiscation of their properties, Castro ensured that there was no opposition to his position and actions. In fact Louis Perez Jr. recalls, “Property owned by batistianos was confiscated, their safe deposit boxes seized, and their bank accounts frozen”. Castro appeared a saviour as he was exacting justice for the violated rights of the Cuban people. Another factor that consolidated Castro’s power was that of propaganda. In January 1959, Dr. Manuel Urrutia...
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...The missile crisis was unique in terms of having a balance of having thought out plans and having miscalculations. Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba in 1959. Castro aligned himself with the Soviet Union. Under Castro, Cuba grew dependent on the Soviets for military and economic aid. During this time, the U.S. and the Soviets including their allies were engaged in the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union at this point had basically been in conflict on a global scale. “In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the CIA began organizing and training anti-Castro Cuban exiles for a possible invasion. After President John F. Kennedy entered the White House in 1961, he agreed to continue this program, and in April, more than fourteen hundred commandos landed at the Bay of Pigs. U.S. experts believed that the people would rise up and revolt against Castro during this assault, but Castro easily...
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