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| Fidel Castro |
In 1959, Fidel Castro took control of Cuba by force and remained its dictator for nearly five decades. As the leader of the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere, Castro has long been the focus of international controversy.
Childhood of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro was born near his father's farm in Barran, Cuba in what was then Oriente Province.
Castro's father, Ángel Castro y Argiz, was an immigrant from Spain who became successful as a sugarcane farmer in Cuba.
Although Castro's father was not married to María Luisa Argta (Castro's mother), he had five children out of wedlock with Lina Ruz Gonzalez (Castro's mother), who worked as a maid and cook. Years later, Angel and Lina married.
Fidel Castro spent his youngest years on his father's farm, but spent most of his youth playing sports at a Catholic boarding school.
Castro is a revolutionary
In 1945, Castro started law school at the University of Havana and quickly became involved in politics.
In 1947, Castro joined the Caribbean Leon, a group of political prisoners from Caribbean countries who planned to break away from dictator-led governments. When Castro joined, Leogen planned to overthrow Rafael Trujillo, Generalissimo of the Dominican Republic, but this plan was canceled due to international pressure.
In 1948 Castro planned to disrupt the Pan American Union conference by traveling to Botota, Colombia, when nationwide riots broke out in response to the assassination of Jorge Eliezer Gaytan. Castro grabbed a rifle and joined the riot. While handing over US patronage to the mob, Castro experienced popular revolt early on.
After returning to Cuba, Castro married fellow student Mr. Díaz-Balart in October 1948. Castro and Mirta had one child together.
Castro vs. Batista
In 1950, Castro graduated from law school and began practicing law.
Maintaining a strong interest in politics, Castro ran for a seat in the Cuban House of Representatives in the June 1952 election. However, before the election, a successful coup led by General Fingelício Batista overthrew the previous Cuban government.
Since the beginning of the Batista regime, Castro has been fighting against him. First, Castro took the pot to court to examine legal means of eradicating it. However, failing that, Castro began organizing an underground group of rebels.
Castro's attack on Monica Barracks
On July 26 Castro, his brother Raúl, and a group of 160 armed men attacked Cuba's second largest military force at the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba.
Confronted with hundreds of trained soldiers in the civilian population, there was little chance that the attack could succeed. Castro's rebel commander is killed; Castro and Raúl were imprisoned and then given a trial.
After delivering a speech at his trial, "Blame me.
It doesn't matter. History will convict me," Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released on May 25, 1955.
26th July Movement
After his release, Castro went to Mexico where he spent the next year organizing the "26th of July Movement" (based on the date of the failed Moncada Barracks attack).
On December 1, 1956, Castro and the remnants of the July 26 movement landed on Cuban soil with plans to start a revolution. Held by heavy ballista defenses, almost everyone in the movement was killed, with only a handful escaping, including Castro, Raúl and Che Guevara.
For the next two years, Castro carried out guerrilla attacks and managed to gain a large number of volunteers.
Using guerilla warfare tactics, Castro and his supporters attacked Battista's forces, crossing town after town.Batista quickly lost popular support and suffered many defeats. Battita fled Cuba on January 1, 1952.
Castro became the leader of Cuba
In January, Manuel Urrutia was elected president of the new government and Castro was put in charge of the military. However, by July 1952 Castro had effectively taken over as Cuba's leader, a position he held for the next four decades.
Between 1959 and 1960 Castro transformed Cuba by nationalizing industry, agricultural cooperatives, and expropriating American-owned businesses and farms.
Also during these two years, Castro established strong ties with the Soviet Union, isolating the United States. Castro made Cuba a communist country
US Castro was out of power. In an attempt to overthrow Castro, the United States unsuccessfully invaded Cuba in April 1961 (the Cuban invasion of Cuba). Over the years, the US has made hundreds of attempts to assassinate Castro, all without success.
In 1961, Castro met Dalia Sopo del Valle. Castro and Dalia had five children together and eventually married in 1980.
Cuba was the center of world focus in 1962 when the US discovered a Soviet nuclear missile site. The struggle that took place between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Cuban Missile Crisis, brought the world closer than it had ever come to nuclear war.
Castro ruled Cuba as ruler for the next four decades. Some Cubans benefited from Castro's education and land reforms, while others suffered from food shortages and a lack of personal freedom.
Hundreds of thousands of Cuban American citizens are leaving Cuba to live in the United States.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Castro suddenly found himself alone and dependent on Soviet aid and trade. With the US embargo against Cuba still in place, Cuba's economic situation suffered greatly in the 1990s.
In July 2006, Castro announced that he was temporarily handing over power to his brother Raúl, while he underwent gastrointestinal surgery. Complications from the surgery have since resulted in Castro undergoing several additional surgeries.
Still in ill health, Castro announced on February 19, 2008 that he did not intend to resign as President of Cuba.