...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...
Words: 1440 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 5057 - Pages: 21
...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...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...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,...
Words: 259 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 2642 - Pages: 11
...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...
Words: 1812 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 772 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 1105 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1269 - Pages: 6
...Introduction; Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 near Biran, in the eastern Orient Province of Cuba. He was the third child out of six and had two brothers and three sisters; his father was a wealthy sugar plantation owner, although he is originally from Spain. His mother was a maid to his father’s first wife, Maria Luisa Argota at the time of Fidel’s birth. As his father married his mom at the age of 17 Fidel had his last name changed from “Ruz” to “Castro”. He soon got married in 1984 he married a woman named Mirta Diaz Balart who was from a wealthy home and had one child and named him Fidel and him wedding to Mirta gave him any strong political connections. Paragraph; In 1945 Castro began studying law at the University of Havana admitting...
Words: 479 - Pages: 2
...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...
Words: 1188 - Pages: 5
...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,...
Words: 737 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 682 - Pages: 3
...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....
Words: 609 - Pages: 3
...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....
Words: 398 - Pages: 2