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Fidel Castro: Revolutionary Leader Who Shaped History
The Legacy and Controversies of Cuba’s Most Influential Figure
Fidel Castro was one of the most polarizing and most significant leaders of the 20th century who remains a figure of controversy to this very day.
Castro the revolutionary leader of Cuba has not only altered the destiny of a country but a man who is loved and hated in equal measure across the globe. Well, who is Fidel Castro you may ask? What is so special and significant about him?
A Revolutionary Beginning
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on 13th of August 1926 in the province of Oriente in a small village of Biran. Castro was a lawyer by profession and he started the fight against oppression and discrimination from the age of 15.
He entered the revolutionary process in 1953 with the attack on the Moncada Barracks against the Batista government. This tried to do was to help Castro but this was not successful; however, the determination and leadership qualities of Castro were seen.
The 26 th of July Movement and Victory
Castro returned to Mexico after getting out of prison and there, he revived his revolution and formed the 26th of July Movement with Che Guevara.
In the following year, Castro and his followers invaded Cuba again with a small yacht called Granma and retreated to the mountains called Sierra Maestra, and began rebellion against Batista’s government using guerrilla tactics.
Finally, after many years of fighting, Castro and the revolutionaries Capture Havana on the 1st of January 1959 and thus took power, which signified the start of a new period in the history of Cuba.
Building Socialist Cuba
After coming to the power, Castro and his government began to introduce radical changes.
Some of the socialist characteristics included land reforms, free education and healthcare services, economical planning and taking a bold stand against the USA. His accomplishments in health and education specially made Cuba one of the most developed social states in Latin America.
The Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis as a Turning Point of the Postwar World
The Cuban leader Castro’s anti-Americanism and the pro USSR relations turned Cuba into a central stage in the Cold War.
The Cuban missile crisis of 1962, presents one of the most critical incidents that threatened the stability of the world as the United States and the Soviet Union came close to a nuclear conflict. This crisis once again proof Castro as an international leader.
Criticisms and Legacy
Over the course of his life, Fidel Castro had to deal with plenty of criticism. The abuses of human rights, clamp down on the media, and tough measures on political opponents were some of the major issues with his government.
Despite the mentioned aspects, Castro was one of the most prominent leaders in history, who devoted his life to the Cuban people and revolution.
After Castro
This paper aims to discuss the Cuban Revolution and its leader Fidel Castro who died on November 25, 2016, and the impact that he left behind.
A few saw him as a dictator while others saw him as a freedom fighter. Nevertheless, it can be said that Castro and his fight are inevitably recorded in the history of the world.
Life of Fidel Castro is the story of a revolutionary and determination. He will be remembered as a leader who in his own way changed the course of history not only in Cuba but across the globe.
In a way, the knowledge of Castro’s life and goals can be compared to studying one of the most significant books in the history of the mankind. Hence, to know Fidel Castro is to know an epoch and the fight of the Cuban nation.
References
- “Fidel Castro: A Revolutionary Life” by Jon Lee Anderson
- “Castro’s Cuba, Cuba’s Fidel” by Lee Lockwood
- “The Autobiography of Fidel Castro” by Norberto Fuentes
- BBC News, “Fidel Castro: Cuba’s Revolutionary Leader”
- History.com, “Fidel Castro”
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