Fidel Castro was the face of the Cuban Revolution and is a controversial figure. Some see him as the savior of Cuba, who saved the island from capitalism and American interference in the island. Others see him as the one who brought Cuba to ruin. Castro is every bit a charismatic man, who influenced several politicians after him, such as Nelson Mandela, Daniel Ortega and Hugo Chavez. The most important events during his regime were the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Young Years
Fidel Castro was born in 1926 as the illegitimate son of a sugar plantation owner and his maid in southeastern Cuba, what was then the Oriente province. Although his father Anglo Castro y Argiz divorced his wife and subsequently married Castro’s mother Lina Ruz Gonzales, the label of illegitimate child still stuck to him. Castro’s parents were both illiterate but wanted a good education for their children and sent Castro to a school run by Jesuits. Castro proved to be a brilliant student and also excelled in sports, earning him the title of best all-round student athlete in Cuba in 1944. In 1945, Castro studied law in Havana and slowly became involved in politics in Cuba.
Equality
Castro was attracted to the Cuban People’s Party, which he joined, because, like him, it wanted to do something about the situation of the poor, corruption and American interference in Cuba. In 1952, Castro was nominated as the party’s candidate for Congress, he was a brilliant speaker and had a large following, especially among the younger generation. The People’s Party was the declared winner of the elections, but in the same year General Batista committed a coup with the help of the army. Castro tried to get justice through a petition, but the Cuban courts rejected that idea and Castro decided that a revolution was needed to change the status quo in Cuba.
July 26 Movement
On July 26, 1953, Castro, along with his brother Raul and several other rebels, carried out an attack on the Moncada barracks. This attack failed miserably and several people were killed. Castro and his brother were arrested and Castro narrowly escaped the death penalty, instead being sentenced to 15 years in prison, but he was released in 1955. During his trial he gave a speech: History will absolve me, which would become very famous and was later published as a book, in which he addressed the problems in Cuba and how they should be solved. After his release, Castro left for Mexico, where there were many other Cuban exiles, where he also met Ernesto Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfugeas, who would play an important role in the upcoming revolution. They founded the ‘July 26 Movement’ and began making plans for the return to Cuba. Military training followed, weapons were collected and those left behind in Cuba were informed. The intention was to set up a camp in the Sierra Maestra mountains. On November 25, 1956, the ship The Grandma set sail for Cuba, where it arrived on December 2.
Guerrilla
Upon arrival, most of the Grandma’s crew were murdered by government forces, who turned out to have known about the ship’s arrival. Only sixteen people with twelve weapons reached the camp in the mountains. Despite their small numbers, they started a guerrilla attack, attacking barracks and capturing weapons. In areas that fell into rebel hands, the land was divided among farmers. The enthusiasm among the peasantry was great and they helped the rebels against Batista’s regime, students and some Catholic priests also joined the rebels. Batista cracked down on the rebels and those he suspected of contacts with them, but this policy turned against him. In 1958, 45 organizations submitted an open letter expressing their support for the ’26 of July Movement’. This showed that Castro now also had great support among the middle class. But again, Batista’s response was to take tougher action. And despite their small numbers, it was the guerrillas who achieved success, aided by their lenience towards those they captured. This resulted in entire units soon surrendering and joining the guerrillas. The United States, which had always supported Batista against ‘the red menace’, eventually called on him to hold elections, but the Cuban people largely boycotted them. In Havana 75% of the population refused to vote, in Santiago this was even 98%.
Castro in Power
Castro realized that the country was now ready for a new government and his troops moved towards the cities. The United States advised Batista to leave the country. On January 9, 1959, Castro marched into Havana and became the new Cuban leader. Soon new laws were introduced, rents were reduced (by 50% for the poor), properties of Batista and his clique were confiscated, land was redistributed and the division between white and black was abolished. Education was also promoted, a large part of the Cuban population was illiterate and Castro changed that, education became free for all Cuban citizens. Healthcare was also overhauled and three new training courses for medical staff were established. In the first years, about 250,000 Cubans fled the country (mostly to the US), mainly from the middle and upper classes.
United States and Cuba
The United States was far from enthusiastic about the new administration. Much of the land confiscated and given to Cuban farmers had been owned by American companies. The same applied to the telephone company, which had now been nationalized (with prices reduced by 50%). The US decided to stop aid in the form of technology and technicians. When there was no response, the next step was to refuse the import of Cuban sugar. Castro reacted strongly and in 1960 US assets worth $850 million were nationalized. In addition, Castro sought support from the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, which now bought Cuban sugar. The Soviets also sent technical assistance. This slowly but surely made the US nightmare come true, the red danger was now off the American coast and the more they resisted Castro, the more he sought help from the communists.
Cold War
The world was at the height of the Cold War and Americans were terrified of Castro. The CIA decided to attempt to have Castro killed. For this they called in the Cuban mafia, who hated Castro because he had closed their thriving casinos and nightclubs. However, this plan failed. John F. Kennedy also contributed to these plans as president, under the name Operation Freedom. Kennedy was not very enthusiastic, but did not want to appear soft with his attitude towards communism. On April 14, 1961, American planes bombed Cuban airfields, leaving only seven Cuban planes remaining. Two days later, five ships arrived and brought 1,400 Cuban refugees to Cuba’s Bay of Pigs to overthrow Castro’s government. The plan failed miserably, two ships were sunk and two aircraft providing air cover were shot down. Within 72 hours the operation was over and a disaster for the US.
Cuba Crisis
In September 1962, American aircraft discovered that the Soviet Union was preparing to build a missile base in Cuba. This was of course a thorn in the side of the US and everything got so out of hand that the two superpowers were only just able to prevent a nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis turned out well for the Americans, while Soviet leader Khrushchev suffered a huge loss of face. After this crisis, Cuba was largely left alone by the United States. However, the Soviet Union continued to support Cuba, which only stopped when the Soviet Union collapsed.
After the Soviet Union
With the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, Cuba was largely alone and in the 1990s the country suffered a severe economic crisis. Especially because the United States trade embargo still existed. In 1994, Castro suffered a major loss of face after his daughter sought asylum in the US. In 2005, the CIA announced that Castro was suffering from Parkinson’s and other sources reported that he was suffering from cancer. Indeed, in 2006, Castro underwent surgery and on July 31 of the same year, he temporarily transferred his political responsibilities to his brother Raul. On February 19, 2008, Castro announced that he would not run for president of Cuba again.
Praise & Criticism
Castro has received both praise and criticism. His critics largely come from the Cuban community, mainly located in Florida. They see Castro as a dictator, another accusation is the fact that his regime has been guilty of abusing human rights. In addition, political prisoners have been sentenced to death under the regime. Castro has won praise, especially from left-wing groups, for making education and health care priorities in his country. In addition, there is praise for the fact that he has always fought against racism. In South Africa, Castro was praised by Nelson Mandela for his role in the fight against apartheid and Mandela has indicated that Castro influenced his political stance. news highlighted