Considered spoiled by his parents from a young age, he was long considered the "trouble child" of the family. [254] Cuba's government underwent a restructuring along Soviet lines, claiming that this would further democratization and decentralize power away from Castro. [333][334] Some economic problems remained; in 2004, Castro shut down 118 factories, including steel plants, sugar mills and paper processors to compensate for a critical shortage of fuel. [438] The house itself was decorated in a classical Caribbean style, with local wicker and wood furniture, porcelain plates, watercolor paintings, and art books. Though Chibs came third in the 1948 general election, Castro remained committed to working on his behalf. [430], He gave no importance to his appearance or clothing; for 37 years, he wore only his trademark olive-green military fatigues or the standard MINFAR dress uniform for formal events and special occasions, emphasizing his role as the perpetual revolutionary, but in the mid-1990s began wearing dark civilian suits and guayabera in public. [289] Castro feared a US invasion of Nicaragua and sent Ochoa to train the governing Sandinistas in guerrilla warfare, but received little support from the USSR. Fidel Castro - Wikipedia [437] Prior to the Revolution, Castro smoked various brands including Romeo y Julieta Churchill, H. Upmann, Bauza, and Partags. I speak on the behalf of the sick who have no medicine, of those whose rights to life and human dignity have been denied. In the west of Cuba, he had three residences: Casa Americana (confiscated from an American businessman connected to Batista); Rancho la Tranquilidad in the locality of Mil Cumbres; and La Deseada, a hunting lodge utilized in the winter for duck hunting and fishing trips. In response, Pro agreed to quell the gangs, but found them too powerful to control. He ensured that the government implemented policies to cut corruption and fight illiteracy and that it attempted to remove Batistanos from positions of power by dismissing Congress and barring all those elected in the rigged elections of 1954 and 1958 from future office. [170] On 16 December, the US ended its import quota of Cuban sugar, the country's primary export. If you win tomorrow, the aspirations of Mart will be fulfilled sooner. [419] He promoted the idea that Jesus Christ was a communist, citing the feeding of the 5,000 and the story of Jesus and the rich young man as evidence. [34] Pro faced widespread protests when members of the MSR, now allied to the police force, assassinated Justo Fuentes, a socialist friend of Castro's. Addressing the warming Cuba-U.S. relations, Castro wrote, Nobody should be under the illusion that the people of this dignified and selfless country will renounce the glory, the rights, or the spiritual wealth they have gained with the development of education, science and culture. In April a frail soon-to-be-90-year-old Castro told the Communist Party Congress that he would be dying soon, and he implored party members to work to fulfill his communist vision for Cuba. [426] Officially, the Cuban government did maintain a cult of personality, but unlike other Soviet-era leaders and his allies, it was less widespread and took on a more subtle and discreet form. [400] Castro was also described as a poor father; often absent from their lives, he had little interest in the activities of his children and was more interested in his work. The third ring consisted of thousands of soldiers both in MININT and MINFAR who provided support for Logistics, Air-Defense, Intelligence, etc. Cuba's stature in the world soared to new heights, and Fidel's role as the adored and revered leader among ordinary Cuban people received a renewed boost. In retaliation, the National Institute for Agrarian Reform INRA took control of 383 private-run businesses on 14 October, and on 25 October a further 166 US companies operating in Cuba had their premises seized and nationalized. Born in Birn, Oriente Province, Castro was the illegitimate son of ngel Castro y Argiz, a wealthy farmer and landowner, and his mistress Lina Ruz Gonzlez. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. [132] In response to popular uproar, which demanded that those responsible be brought to justice, Castro helped to set up many trials, resulting in hundreds of executions. [14] After becoming passionate about anti-imperialism and opposing US intervention in the Caribbean,[15] he unsuccessfully campaigned for the presidency of the Federation of University Students on a platform of "honesty, decency and justice". [487] Another son known as Ciro was also born in the early 1960s, the result of another brief fling, his existence confirmed by Celia Snchez.[476]. Around 1990, he wrote software that allowed Russian programs to be run on Japanese ones; the product was purchased by, Antonio Castro Del Valle, born in 1971. She was a teacher who was part of the government's literacy campaign who moved to Havana on Castro's initiative and later moved in with him at. He was infuriated that the government had left thousands unemployed by closing down casinos and brothels. These actions, coupled with Castro's leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1979 to 1983 and Cuba's medical internationalism, increased Cuba's profile on the world stage. I am sure this would bring happiness to the Cuban people. [259] In February, Castro visited Algeria and then Libya, where he spent ten days with Gaddafi and oversaw the establishment of the Jamahariya system of governance, before attending talks with the Marxist government of South Yemen. [80], In 1955, bombings and violent demonstrations led to a crackdown on dissent, with Castro and Ral fleeing the country to evade arrest. "[518] Human Rights Watch stated that his government constructed a "repressive machinery" which deprived Cubans of their "basic rights". [10] Although Castro took an interest in history, geography, and debate at Beln, he did not excel academically, instead devoting much of his time to playing sports. After participating in rebellions against right-wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, he planned the overthrow of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, launching a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In what was known as the Mariel boatlift, hundreds of boats arrived from the US, leading to a mass exodus of 120,000; Castro's government took advantage of the situation by loading criminals, the mentally ill, and homosexuals onto the boats destined for Florida. Castro ordered Captain Jos Ramn Fernndez to launch the counter-offensive, before taking personal control of it. It was the first time since the 1959 revolution that he ceded control. On 23 July, Castro resumed his premiership and appointed Marxist Osvaldo Dortics as president. [326] In 1994 a ministry dedicated to the environment was established, and new laws established in 1997 that promoted awareness of environmental issues throughout Cuba and stressed the sustainable use of natural resources. Although most were freed within a few days, many fled to the US, establishing themselves in Florida. Instead, he advocated hard work, family values, integrity, and self-discipline. ", "400 picket U.N. in salute to castro and lumumba. In 1973, the military led a coup d'tat and established a military junta led by Augusto Pinochet. [240] Despite the economic issues, many of Castro's social reforms were popular, with the population largely supportive of the "Achievements of the Revolution" in education, medical care, housing, and road construction, as well as the policies of "direct democratic" public consultation. In September, on the eve of the release of the first volume of his memoirs, The Strategic Victory, he remarked to a reporter from the United States that the Cuban model doesnt even work for us anymore. Many took his comment as an admission of the failure of communism. Cuba asserted that this was a manifestation of US hegemony, and refused to allow an investigative delegation to enter the country. [62] Accompanied by 19 comrades, Castro set out for Gran Piedra in the rugged Sierra Maestra mountains several kilometres to the north, where they could establish a guerrilla base. Death of Fidel Castro's son 'Fidelito' reveals a divided family [100] The MR-26-7 members operating in urban areas continued agitation, sending supplies to Castro, and on 16 February 1957, he met with other senior members to discuss tactics; here he met Celia Snchez, who would become a close friend. [112] In the summer, the MR-26-7 went on the offensive, pushing the army out of the mountains, with Castro using his columns in a pincer movement to surround the main army concentration in Santiago. Around 200,000 peasants received title deeds as large land holdings were broken up; popular among the working class, it alienated the richer landowners, including Castro's own mother,[143] whose farmlands were taken. He spent most of his time under their protection and were usually his companions in his personal interests. The US responded by ending diplomatic relations, and it increased CIA funding for exiled dissidents; these militants began attacking ships that traded with Cuba, and bombed factories, shops, and sugar mills. Abroad, Castro supported anti-imperialist revolutionary groups, backing the establishment of Marxist governments in Chile, Nicaragua, and Grenada, as well as sending troops to aid allies in the Yom Kippur, Ogaden, and Angolan Civil War. The New York Post reported that Castro had sex with at least two women a . [368] During the North Korea crisis of 2013, he urged both the North Korean and US governments to show restraint. They are defending, to the last atom, socialist ideas, principles and goals. JTA Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whose death was announced late Friday, had a complicated history with Jews. [196] In response, the US successfully pushed the Organization of American States to expel Cuba; the Soviets privately reprimanded Castro for recklessness, although he received praise from China. [266], After forcing back the Somalis, Mengistu then ordered the Ethiopians to suppress the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, a measure Castro refused to support. I ask you to have trust in what the government and party are doing. [436], Castro's primary residence was at Punto Cero, a large and vegetative estate approximately 6km from the Palacio de la Revolution in the Siboney neighbourhood. [273] Conversely, his relationship with China declined, as he accused Deng Xiaoping's Chinese government of betraying their revolutionary principles by initiating trade links with the US and attacking Vietnam. He became their candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives from a Havana district in the elections scheduled for June 1952. In late 1993 Castros daughter sought asylum in the United States, where she openly criticized her fathers rule. He wants to increase people's standard of living, the availability of material goods, and to import the latest technology. [310] Castro hoped for a restoration of MarxismLeninism in the USSR, but refrained from backing the 1991 coup in that country. [436] Castro claimed that he quit around 1985 during an anti-smoking campaign promoted by the Communist Party. On July 31, 2006, Fidel Castro passed power on a provisional basis to his brother Ral in order to recover from surgery for a serious intestinal illness. [45] He was instead nominated as a candidate for the House of Representatives by party members in Havana's poorest districts, and began campaigning. [283] Cuba's economy became even more dependent on Soviet aid, with Soviet subsidies (mainly in the form of supplies of low-cost oil and voluntarily buying Cuban sugar at inflated prices) averaging $45billion a year by the late 1980s. As the undisputed revolutionary leader, Castro became commander in chief of the armed forces in Cubas new provisional government, which had Manuel Urrutia, a moderate liberal, as its president. [182] US Secretary of State Christian Herter announced that Cuba was adopting the Soviet model of rule, with a one-party state, government control of trade unions, suppression of civil liberties, and the absence of freedom of speech and press.[183]. Castro was convinced that he was right, and that his system was for the good of the people. Fidel would then make a mental mark of the individual as an "idiot", and would wait for the right time to retaliate against them. [81] Castro sent a letter to the press, declaring that he was "leaving Cuba because all doors of peaceful struggle have been closed to me As a follower of Mart, I believe the hour has come to take our rights and not beg for them, to fight instead of pleading for them. [295] In the spring of 1988, the intensity of South African-Cuban fighting drastically increased with both sides taking heavy losses. [318] Fearing that dissident groups would invade, the government organized the "War of All the People" defence strategy, planning a widespread guerrilla warfare campaign, and the unemployed were given jobs building a network of bunkers and tunnels across the country.[319]. Metadata. [381], Castro proclaimed himself to be "a Socialist, a Marxist, and a Leninist",[382] and publicly identified as a MarxistLeninist from December 1961 onward. Indeed, Castros philosophy gravitated toward a Leninist strain of Marxism as his rule progressed, although his beliefs differentiated themselves in some key ways, such as his identification with nonaligned countries and his celebration of guerrilla-style revolution. [213] Castro returned to Cuba with new ideas; inspired by Soviet newspaper Pravda, he amalgamated Hoy and Revolucin into a new daily, Granma,[214] and oversaw large investment into Cuban sport that resulted in an increased international sporting reputation. Further democratization was to be brought in by having the National Assembly's members elected directly by the people, rather than through municipal and provincial assemblies. [458] A sports fan, he also spent much of his time trying to keep fit, undertaking regular exercise such as hunting, fly fishing, underwater fishing, scuba diving, and playing basketball. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz ( / kstro /; [1] American Spanish: [fiel alexando kasto rus]; 13 August 1926 - 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 2008. [166] Cuba's government ordered the country's refineriesthen controlled by the US corporations Shell and Essoto process Soviet oil, but under US pressure they refused. I witnessed the spectacle of a totally spontaneous revolution [T]hat experience led me to identify myself even more with the cause of the people. [225] "Biographers and historians on both poles have treated his life like prosecutors scouring his . We do not have a smidgen of capitalism or neo-liberalism. Petrol rations were dramatically reduced, Chinese bicycles were imported to replace cars, and factories performing non-essential tasks were shut down. [250] As the Yom Kippur War broke out in October 1973 between Israel and an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria, Cuba sent 4,000 troops to aid Syria. [399], Various Western governments and human rights organizations nevertheless heavily criticized Castro and he was widely reviled in the US. Under Castro, who seized power in 1959, and his brother Raul Castro, who took . Updates? By 1970, a third of the population would be involved in the CDR, and this would eventually rise to 80%. He ended this speech with "Patria o Muerte!" Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926, near Birn, in Cuba's eastern Oriente Province. [315], In 1991, Havana hosted the Pan American Games, which involved construction of a stadium and accommodation for the athletes; Castro admitted that it was an expensive error, but it was a success for Cuba's government. [358] He continued to interact with the Cuban people, published an opinion column titled "Reflections" in Granma, used a Twitter account, and gave occasional public lectures. All of them were killed or captured except Fidel and Ral Castro, Ernesto (Che) Guevara, and nine others, who retreated into the Sierra Maestra to wage guerrilla warfare against the Batista forces. Fidel Castro, in full Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, (born August 13, 1926, near Birn, Cubadied November 25, 2016, Cuba), political leader of Cuba (19592008) who transformed his country into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere. [12] Admitting he was "politically illiterate", Castro became embroiled in student activism[13] and the violent gangsterismo culture within the university. For more on the Cuba embargo debate, visit ProCon.org. He came upon the island by accident while reviewing the region in the aftermath of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Calling the situation "incredible and absurd", he maintained that war would not benefit either side, and that it represented "one of the gravest risks of nuclear war" since the Cuban missile crisis. In the meantime Castro created a one-party government to exercise dictatorial control over all aspects of Cubas political, economic, and cultural life. [189] He ordered the 1189 captured rebels to be interrogated by a panel of journalists on live television, personally taking over the questioning on 25 April. [239] When that year's production quota was not met, Castro offered to resign during a public speech, but assembled crowds insisted he remain. [42] He took part in a high school protest in Cienfuegos in November 1950, fighting with police to protest the Education Ministry's ban on student associations; he was arrested and charged for violent conduct, but the magistrate dismissed the charges. [355] On 24 February 2008, the National Assembly of People's Power unanimously voted Ral as president. [231] In turn, the Soviet-loyalist Anbal Escalante began organizing a government network of opposition to Castro, though in January 1968, he and his supporters were arrested for allegedly passing state secrets to Moscow. It means that we have to adopt to the reality of that world. His big battle is international affairs. [414] He enjoyed art and photography and was known as a patron of both within Cuba but was uninterested in music and disliked dancing. Fidel Castro Ruz (1926-2016) FamilySearch His supporters view him as a champion of socialism and anti-imperialism whose revolutionary government advanced economic and social justice while securing Cuba's independence from US hegemony. Margarita Inocencio Cardenas. [96] They began launching raids on small army posts to obtain weaponry, and in January 1957 they overran the outpost at La Plata, treating any soldiers that they wounded but executing Chicho Osorio, the local mayoral (land company overseer), who was despised by the local peasants and who boasted of killing one of Castro's rebels. He came to interpret Cuba's problems as an integral part of capitalist society, or the "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie", rather than the failings of corrupt politicians, and adopted the Marxist view that meaningful political change could only be brought about by proletariat revolution. A court ordered the publisher to pay . and "Down With Yankee Imperialism!". Castros propaganda efforts proved particularly effective, and as internal political support waned and military defeats multiplied, Batista fled the country on January 1, 1959. Castro's secret Italian Catholic lover recounts 40-year affair - RFI The group's purpose was to oppose the influence of the violent gangs within the university; despite his promises, Pro had failed to control the situation, instead offering many of their senior members jobs in government ministries. My mother, even if she didn't say it every minute, loved her children. [501], Despite its small size and limited economic weight, Castro's Cuba gained a large role in world affairs. [407] He preferred to meet foreign diplomats in these early hours, believing that they would be tired and he could gain the upper hand in negotiations. "[363], On 19 April 2011, Castro resigned from the Communist Party central committee,[364] thus stepping down as First Secretary. Fast Facts: Fidel Castro Known For: President of Cuba, 1959-2008 Born: August 13, 1926 in the province of Orient, Cuba Parents: ngel Maria Bautista Castro y Argiz and Lina Ruz Gonzlez Died: November 25, 2016 in Havana, Cuba Education: Colegio de Dolores in Santiago de Cuba, Colegio de Beln, University of Havana In 1945 he entered the School of Law of the University of Havana, where organized violent gangs sought to advance a mixture of romantic goals, political aims, and personal careers. He is either incredibly naive about Communism or under Communist discipline-my guess is the formerHis ideas as to how to run a government or an economy are less developed than those of almost any world figure I have met in fifty countries. Alex Castro Del Valle, born in 1963. [385], Castro's government was also nationalistic, with Castro declaring, "We are not only Marxist-Leninists, but also nationalists and patriots". [505] Similarly, Wayne S. Smiththe former Chief of the United States Interests Section in Havananoted that Castro's opposition to US dominance and transformation of Cuba into a significant world player resulted in him receiving "warm applause" throughout the Western Hemisphere. [295] The cost of Cuba's wars in Africa were paid for with Soviet subsidies at a time when the Soviet economy was badly hurt by low oil prices while the apartheid government of South Africa had by the 1980s become a very awkward American ally as much of the American population, especially black Americans, objected to apartheid. [2] His father, ngel Castro y Argiz, a veteran of the SpanishAmerican War,[3] was a migrant to Cuba from Galicia, in the northwest of Spain. He wanted a system that provided the basic needs to all enough to eat, health care, adequate housing and education. Until his uprising against Batista, Castro typically kept a pencil-thin moustache along with combed back hair, typical of upper-class Cuban men in the 1950s but grew out both during his years as a guerrilla fighter and retaining them afterwards. His father, ngel Castro y Argiz, an immigrant from Spain, was a fairly prosperous sugarcane farmer in a locality that had long been dominated by estates of the U.S.-owned United Fruit Company. In his capacity as both president of the NAM and of Cuba he appeared at the United Nations General Assembly in October 1979 and gave a speech on the disparity between the world's rich and poor. [113], The US instructed Cantillo to oust Batista due to fears in Washington that Castro was a socialist,[114] which were exacerbated by the association between nationalist and communist movements in Latin America and the links between the Cold War and decolonization. Peter Bourne, Castro biographer, 1986[184], In January 1961, Castro ordered Havana's US Embassy to reduce its 300-member staff, suspecting that many of them were spies. The United States came to oppose Castro's government and unsuccessfully attempted to remove him by assassination, economic embargo, and counter-revolution, including the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. [413] Castro was a voracious reader; amongst his favourite authors were Ernest Hemingway, Franz Kafka, William Shakespeare, and Maxim Gorky, and he named For Whom the Bell Tolls as his favourite book, committing several portions of the novel to memory and even utilizing some of its lessons as a guerrilla fighter. [217] In September, the government temporarily permitted emigration for anyone other than males aged between 15 and 26, thereby ridding the government of thousands of critics, most of whom were from upper and middle-class backgrounds. After Batista's overthrow in 1959, Castro assumed military and political power as Cuba's prime minister. In part it read, I do not bid you farewell. [396] Castro took a relatively socially conservative stance on many issues, opposing drug use, gambling, and prostitution, which he viewed as moral evils. Castro also disliked worrying about his appearance and hated shaving, making the beard and uniform all the more convenient for him. For the TV series, see, The Movement and the Moncada Barracks attack: 19521953, Imprisonment and 26 July Movement: 19531955, Bay of Pigs Invasion and "Socialist Cuba": 19611962, Cuban Missile Crisis and furthering socialism: 19621968, Economic stagnation and Third World politics: 19691974, Foreign wars and NAM Presidency: 19751979, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the CouncilofStateofCuba, President of the CouncilofMinistersofCuba, Secretary-General of the NonAlignedMovement, Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, revolutionaries against the Western-backed government, Tri-Continental Conference of Africa, Asia and Latin America, Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Fidel ngel "Fidelito" Castro Daz-Balart, List of awards and honours bestowed upon Fidel Castro, United States Interests Section in Havana, wide variety of awards and honours from foreign governments, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Por vez primera en Mxico se exhibe el testimonio fotogrfico del Che Guevara", "Raul Antonio Chibs: Manifiesto Sierra Maestra", "The shadows of Cold War over Latin America: the US reaction to Fidel Castro's nationalism, 195659", "Setting Up the Scapegoat Who Will Be Blamed for Cuba?
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