Biographies of World Leaders: Fidel Castro, Symbol of the Communist Revolution
Fidel Castro is known as a symbol of the communist revolution in Latin America after carrying out the Cuban Revolution in 1959. After overthrowing the government of Fulgencio Batista, he served as prime minister until December 2, 1976. After that, Castro served as President of Cuba before deciding to resign for reasons health on February 24, 2008. The following is a biography of a figure whose supporters were considered successful in releasing Cuba from the grip of American imperialism
1. Childhood and Political Interest Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13 in Biran, eastern Cuba. His father, Angel Castro, Argiz, is a veteran of the Spanish-American War. He moved to Cuba from Galicia, Spain, and gained success after planting sugar cane on the Las Manacas Biran farm. While Castro's mother is Lina Ruz Gonzalez who was originally a servant of Angel's first wife, Maria Luisa Argota. Angel and Lina have a relationship, and have three sons and three daughters with Castro being the sixth child. At the age of six, he was sent to live with his teacher in Santiago de Cuba before being baptized two years later. After being baptized, he attended the La Salle Boarding School in Santiago. Because of his behavior, he was transferred to Dolores School which was run by the Jesuit priest. Also read: Kim Jong Un Send a Letter to Sister Fidel Castro In 1945, Castro was transferred to a Jesuit school whose name is known as mash, El Colegio de Belen in Havana. Although Castro is very fond of history, geography, and arguing, he is not classified as a student with good academics because he is serious about sports. In the same year, Castro entered the University of Havana Law Department. Claiming to be "politically blind", he began to be involved in student activities. He became a devotee of anti-imperialism and opposed the intervention of the "Uncle Sam" Country in the Caribbean region. His interest in politics intensified after he criticized President Ramon Grou's government which was considered corrupt in November 1946. In 1974, he joined the veteran politician Eduardo Chibas, who is known for being charismatic.
In June 1947, he heard of an attempt to overthrow the Dominican Republic's dictator, Rafael Trujillo, known as a US ally. He joined the coup which was then canceled. After that, he went to Bogota, Colombia in April 1948 to participate in the rebellion. Returning to Cuba, Castro became an influential figure in the protest against the government's intention to raise bus fares. In 1948, he married Mirta Diaz Balart, a student from a wealthy family associated with Fulgencio Batista. Although his second marriage was not approved, Dad Diaz Balart gave them several tens of thousands of dollars so they could honeymoon in New York.
2. The Power of Batista and the Plan to Start a Rebellion After graduating from university in 1950, Castro began his practice in law. In addition, he is increasingly focused on Ortodoxo. He became a candidate for Partido Ortodoxo in the House of Representatives Election which was planned to be held in June 1952. He started a campaign which led him to meet Batista, a former president from the period 1940-1944 who returned to politics by using the United Action Party. At that time, Batista offered a position to Castro in his party if he succeeded in winning the election.
Although both did not like the government of President Carlos Prio Socarras, Castro did not have a vision of understanding with Batista. March 10, 1952, Batista moved the military, and carried out a coup that made Prio flee to Mexico. After declaring himself president, Batista announced the cancellation of the election, and introduced his system as a "disciplined democracy". Castro, along with others, considered Batista to have carried out dictatorial government, and sued legally. He brought several cases which were considered to be violations of the Batista regime. However, because it didn't work, Castro began to think about planning a rebellion.
3. The Beginning of the Cuban Revolution Castro began a rebellion by forming a group called "Movements" and moving using a secret cell system. July 26, 1953, Castro and around 150 followers attacked the Moncada military barracks located in Santiago de Cuba to overthrow Batista. The attack failed. Castro was caught. He was later tried, and sentenced to prison for up to 15 years. While in prison, he and his sister, Raul, formed the "July 26 Movement" as a warning to the attack on Moncada. May 15, 1955 Castro and other Moncada attackers were released after they received an amnesty from the Batista regime. In the same year, clashes broke out as a result of demonstrations and bombings. Castro, his sister, and his friends had to flee to avoid arrest. They headed for Mexico, where Castro met and then made good friends with an Argentine doctor named Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Guevara, who believed poverty in Latin America could only be overcome with an armed revolution agreed to join Castro.
4. Guerrilla War 1956-1959. After getting a yacht named Granma, Castro sailed from Tuxpan with 81 other members of the revolution on November 25, 1956. They only arrived on December 2, 1956 in the Manzanillo mangrove swamp, and were immediately greeted by Batista's attack. The attack left members of the revolution killed and captured. Only 12 people left, including Castro, Raul and Guevara. They took refuge in the Mount Sierra Maestra area, and began a campaign against the government military using guerrilla warfare tactics. Also read: Castro Says Trump Revives the Spirit of the US-Cuba Cold War Propaganda has begun to reap success with many people asking to join the guerrilla movement. In 1958, Castro and his forces began a series of operations to capture a number of important areas in Cuba. With the weakening of support, Batista chose to flee to the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1959. At the age of 32, Castro successfully destroyed the Batista government when 800 of his followers defeated 30,000 government soldiers. Emergency government was temporarily rolled out, with Manuel Urrutia appointed as president, and Jose Miro Cardona becoming prime minister. The move quickly made the US admit. While Castro entered Havana with his supporters, he was appointed and was installed as military commander. In February 1959, Miro resigned after a dispute with Castro who was angry at seeing thousands of people becoming unemployed. They are unemployed after the government closes casinos and brothels. After retreating, Miro fled to the US, and joined the anti-Castro movement.
5. Turning Cuba into a Communist On February 16, 1959, Castro was installed as the Prime Minister of Cuba. He reformed nationally a number of US factories and plantations. In the midst of the reforms, he announced he would impose compensation on foreign companies whose property was considered low to avoid taxes. The policy was felt to make it difficult for US companies. Soon after, Washington and Havana's relations deteriorated. During his tenure, Castro always refused to be called communist. But for the US people, the policy is too leaning towards the Soviet Union.
In April 1959, Castro visited the United States and became a guest of the National Press Club. He hired a public relations consultant to help him promote himself. However, the then US President, Dwight Eisenhower, refused to meet with Castro at the event. In May 1959, he signed the Agrarian Reform Act to limit foreign ownership of land in Cuba. On paper, the law aims to make farmers more independent. But in reality so that the state can control these lands. At the end of 1959, Castro's revolution was increasingly radical. He cleansed the cleansing of political and military elites. In the cleaning, Urrutia was forced to resign. In addition, Castro pressed the media that were critical of his policies. The Castro regime also began to establish relations with the Soviets. Moscow sent 100 advisers who were fluent in Spanish to help establish a defense committee. In February 1960, Cuba signed an oil trade agreement with the Soviets and established diplomatic relations. When a US-owned refinery refused to provide oil, Castro drove them away. Washington retaliated by cutting Cuban sugar imports.
6. The Gulf Pig Incident and the Cuban 1961 Missile Crisis became the culmination of tensions between Cuba and the US. Starting with Eisenhower's decision to sever diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961. April 14, 1961, Castro announced Cuba as a socialist country. Three days later, an incident occurred in the Bay of Pigs. About 1,400 Cubans in the United States are trying to carry out a coup to overthrow the "El Comandante" government.
The coup attempt failed, in which 1,000 people were captured, while hundreds of other rebels were killed. Although the US denied their involvement in the Bay of Pigs, there were reports that the Cubans were trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The National Security Archive then issued a document that Washington planned an action against Castro in March 1959. Castro used the Gulf Pig Incident to consolidate his power, and promote various agendas. May 1, 1961, he announced that all democratic elections in Cuba were stopped, and condemned the actions of US imperialism. In late 1961, Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist, and announced Cuba's economy and politics based on communism. All these calls made Washington declare a full economic embargo on Cuba on February 7, 1962. October 1962, Castro became more intimate with the Soviets where he sought assistance to prevent future US invasions. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, proposed the idea of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba, about 144 km from the coastal region of Florida. Khrushchev said the move was made after the State "Uncle Sam" installed Jupiter Missiles in Turkey. The US U-2 reconnaissance aircraft succeeded in detecting the installation process of the missile facility which made President John F Kennedy react.
He then held a secret meeting with Khrushchev, where the two superpowers agreed to release the missile. The two leaders managed to save their reputation. Even reaping praise for being able to prove it can hold back. Castro, on the other hand, felt humiliated because neither the US nor the Soviet had invited him at all in the negotiations. During his reign, Castro was reported to be the target of a CIA assassination attempt. Starting from a bomb made into a cigar. Then there are wetsuits fitted with mushrooms so Castro has a terrible skin disease. According to Cuban intelligence, there were 638 attempted killings.
7. The Fall of the Soviet Union and Castro's Decline In 1991, the Soviet Union experienced a collapse that made the Cuban economy retreat, and made Castro lose momentum. Without cheap oil imports and the market share provided by the Soviets for Cuban products such as sugar, unemployment and inflation increase. In addition, speculation spread that El Comandante began to experience health problems caused by old age.
The most significant happened in 2006. At that time he had to undergo surgery due to gastrointestinal bleeding. On July 31, 2006 through a dramatic announcement, Castro appointed his younger brother Raul as a temporary leader. February 19, 2008, 81-year-old Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of Cuba. April 2011, shocking news occurred when Castro also announced the resignation of the First Secretary of the Communist Party. In his retirement, he began writing columns about experiences and opinions which were recorded as Reflections of Fidel.
8. Death of El Comandante On November 25, 2016, Cuban state television announced that Fidel Castro died at the age of 90 years. With unknown causes of death, Castro was cremated on November 26, 2016, and his ashes were buried at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, Santiago de Cuba.
1. Childhood and Political Interest Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13 in Biran, eastern Cuba. His father, Angel Castro, Argiz, is a veteran of the Spanish-American War. He moved to Cuba from Galicia, Spain, and gained success after planting sugar cane on the Las Manacas Biran farm. While Castro's mother is Lina Ruz Gonzalez who was originally a servant of Angel's first wife, Maria Luisa Argota. Angel and Lina have a relationship, and have three sons and three daughters with Castro being the sixth child. At the age of six, he was sent to live with his teacher in Santiago de Cuba before being baptized two years later. After being baptized, he attended the La Salle Boarding School in Santiago. Because of his behavior, he was transferred to Dolores School which was run by the Jesuit priest. Also read: Kim Jong Un Send a Letter to Sister Fidel Castro In 1945, Castro was transferred to a Jesuit school whose name is known as mash, El Colegio de Belen in Havana. Although Castro is very fond of history, geography, and arguing, he is not classified as a student with good academics because he is serious about sports. In the same year, Castro entered the University of Havana Law Department. Claiming to be "politically blind", he began to be involved in student activities. He became a devotee of anti-imperialism and opposed the intervention of the "Uncle Sam" Country in the Caribbean region. His interest in politics intensified after he criticized President Ramon Grou's government which was considered corrupt in November 1946. In 1974, he joined the veteran politician Eduardo Chibas, who is known for being charismatic.
In June 1947, he heard of an attempt to overthrow the Dominican Republic's dictator, Rafael Trujillo, known as a US ally. He joined the coup which was then canceled. After that, he went to Bogota, Colombia in April 1948 to participate in the rebellion. Returning to Cuba, Castro became an influential figure in the protest against the government's intention to raise bus fares. In 1948, he married Mirta Diaz Balart, a student from a wealthy family associated with Fulgencio Batista. Although his second marriage was not approved, Dad Diaz Balart gave them several tens of thousands of dollars so they could honeymoon in New York.
2. The Power of Batista and the Plan to Start a Rebellion After graduating from university in 1950, Castro began his practice in law. In addition, he is increasingly focused on Ortodoxo. He became a candidate for Partido Ortodoxo in the House of Representatives Election which was planned to be held in June 1952. He started a campaign which led him to meet Batista, a former president from the period 1940-1944 who returned to politics by using the United Action Party. At that time, Batista offered a position to Castro in his party if he succeeded in winning the election.
Although both did not like the government of President Carlos Prio Socarras, Castro did not have a vision of understanding with Batista. March 10, 1952, Batista moved the military, and carried out a coup that made Prio flee to Mexico. After declaring himself president, Batista announced the cancellation of the election, and introduced his system as a "disciplined democracy". Castro, along with others, considered Batista to have carried out dictatorial government, and sued legally. He brought several cases which were considered to be violations of the Batista regime. However, because it didn't work, Castro began to think about planning a rebellion.
3. The Beginning of the Cuban Revolution Castro began a rebellion by forming a group called "Movements" and moving using a secret cell system. July 26, 1953, Castro and around 150 followers attacked the Moncada military barracks located in Santiago de Cuba to overthrow Batista. The attack failed. Castro was caught. He was later tried, and sentenced to prison for up to 15 years. While in prison, he and his sister, Raul, formed the "July 26 Movement" as a warning to the attack on Moncada. May 15, 1955 Castro and other Moncada attackers were released after they received an amnesty from the Batista regime. In the same year, clashes broke out as a result of demonstrations and bombings. Castro, his sister, and his friends had to flee to avoid arrest. They headed for Mexico, where Castro met and then made good friends with an Argentine doctor named Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Guevara, who believed poverty in Latin America could only be overcome with an armed revolution agreed to join Castro.
4. Guerrilla War 1956-1959. After getting a yacht named Granma, Castro sailed from Tuxpan with 81 other members of the revolution on November 25, 1956. They only arrived on December 2, 1956 in the Manzanillo mangrove swamp, and were immediately greeted by Batista's attack. The attack left members of the revolution killed and captured. Only 12 people left, including Castro, Raul and Guevara. They took refuge in the Mount Sierra Maestra area, and began a campaign against the government military using guerrilla warfare tactics. Also read: Castro Says Trump Revives the Spirit of the US-Cuba Cold War Propaganda has begun to reap success with many people asking to join the guerrilla movement. In 1958, Castro and his forces began a series of operations to capture a number of important areas in Cuba. With the weakening of support, Batista chose to flee to the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1959. At the age of 32, Castro successfully destroyed the Batista government when 800 of his followers defeated 30,000 government soldiers. Emergency government was temporarily rolled out, with Manuel Urrutia appointed as president, and Jose Miro Cardona becoming prime minister. The move quickly made the US admit. While Castro entered Havana with his supporters, he was appointed and was installed as military commander. In February 1959, Miro resigned after a dispute with Castro who was angry at seeing thousands of people becoming unemployed. They are unemployed after the government closes casinos and brothels. After retreating, Miro fled to the US, and joined the anti-Castro movement.
5. Turning Cuba into a Communist On February 16, 1959, Castro was installed as the Prime Minister of Cuba. He reformed nationally a number of US factories and plantations. In the midst of the reforms, he announced he would impose compensation on foreign companies whose property was considered low to avoid taxes. The policy was felt to make it difficult for US companies. Soon after, Washington and Havana's relations deteriorated. During his tenure, Castro always refused to be called communist. But for the US people, the policy is too leaning towards the Soviet Union.
In April 1959, Castro visited the United States and became a guest of the National Press Club. He hired a public relations consultant to help him promote himself. However, the then US President, Dwight Eisenhower, refused to meet with Castro at the event. In May 1959, he signed the Agrarian Reform Act to limit foreign ownership of land in Cuba. On paper, the law aims to make farmers more independent. But in reality so that the state can control these lands. At the end of 1959, Castro's revolution was increasingly radical. He cleansed the cleansing of political and military elites. In the cleaning, Urrutia was forced to resign. In addition, Castro pressed the media that were critical of his policies. The Castro regime also began to establish relations with the Soviets. Moscow sent 100 advisers who were fluent in Spanish to help establish a defense committee. In February 1960, Cuba signed an oil trade agreement with the Soviets and established diplomatic relations. When a US-owned refinery refused to provide oil, Castro drove them away. Washington retaliated by cutting Cuban sugar imports.
6. The Gulf Pig Incident and the Cuban 1961 Missile Crisis became the culmination of tensions between Cuba and the US. Starting with Eisenhower's decision to sever diplomatic relations on January 3, 1961. April 14, 1961, Castro announced Cuba as a socialist country. Three days later, an incident occurred in the Bay of Pigs. About 1,400 Cubans in the United States are trying to carry out a coup to overthrow the "El Comandante" government.
The coup attempt failed, in which 1,000 people were captured, while hundreds of other rebels were killed. Although the US denied their involvement in the Bay of Pigs, there were reports that the Cubans were trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The National Security Archive then issued a document that Washington planned an action against Castro in March 1959. Castro used the Gulf Pig Incident to consolidate his power, and promote various agendas. May 1, 1961, he announced that all democratic elections in Cuba were stopped, and condemned the actions of US imperialism. In late 1961, Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist, and announced Cuba's economy and politics based on communism. All these calls made Washington declare a full economic embargo on Cuba on February 7, 1962. October 1962, Castro became more intimate with the Soviets where he sought assistance to prevent future US invasions. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, proposed the idea of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba, about 144 km from the coastal region of Florida. Khrushchev said the move was made after the State "Uncle Sam" installed Jupiter Missiles in Turkey. The US U-2 reconnaissance aircraft succeeded in detecting the installation process of the missile facility which made President John F Kennedy react.
He then held a secret meeting with Khrushchev, where the two superpowers agreed to release the missile. The two leaders managed to save their reputation. Even reaping praise for being able to prove it can hold back. Castro, on the other hand, felt humiliated because neither the US nor the Soviet had invited him at all in the negotiations. During his reign, Castro was reported to be the target of a CIA assassination attempt. Starting from a bomb made into a cigar. Then there are wetsuits fitted with mushrooms so Castro has a terrible skin disease. According to Cuban intelligence, there were 638 attempted killings.
7. The Fall of the Soviet Union and Castro's Decline In 1991, the Soviet Union experienced a collapse that made the Cuban economy retreat, and made Castro lose momentum. Without cheap oil imports and the market share provided by the Soviets for Cuban products such as sugar, unemployment and inflation increase. In addition, speculation spread that El Comandante began to experience health problems caused by old age.
The most significant happened in 2006. At that time he had to undergo surgery due to gastrointestinal bleeding. On July 31, 2006 through a dramatic announcement, Castro appointed his younger brother Raul as a temporary leader. February 19, 2008, 81-year-old Fidel Castro announced his resignation as President of Cuba. April 2011, shocking news occurred when Castro also announced the resignation of the First Secretary of the Communist Party. In his retirement, he began writing columns about experiences and opinions which were recorded as Reflections of Fidel.
8. Death of El Comandante On November 25, 2016, Cuban state television announced that Fidel Castro died at the age of 90 years. With unknown causes of death, Castro was cremated on November 26, 2016, and his ashes were buried at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, Santiago de Cuba.
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