Fidel Castro Essay

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, better known as Fidel Castro, was born on August 13, 1926 in Biran, Cuba. He attended Roman Catholic boarding schools in Santiago de Cuba and then moved on to Belen High School in Havana, Cuba. In 1945, he attended the University of Havana where he entered the School of Law with a primary focus in politics. During his years in law, Castro became very active in politics, including participating in the attempt to overthrow the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1947. He narrowly escaped capture and returned to Havana to complete his degree in 1950. That year, he entered a small law firm, which helped defend the poor. By this time, his political affiliation was with the Orthodox Party, which positioned itself against Fulgencio Batista’s Authentic Party. Batista was the elected President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944, and dictator from 1952 to 1959.

In 1952, Castro had expected to be an Orthodox candidate for Congress but the elections were cancelled by Batista. Outraged, Castro went to court to appeal this decision and charge Batista with violating his constitutional rights. The Court rejected his petition and it is at this point that Castro became a revolutionary leader. On July 26, 1953, Castro, with his brother Raul, and 165 men and women organized and carried out an attack on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Unfortunately, they failed and half of them were killed while Castro and his brother were taken as prisoners. In May of 1955, they were both released as a result of a general amnesty that was granted by Batista. At this time, the Castro brothers set up and planned what would be called the July 26th Movement.

On December 2, 1956, Castro and 81 other men attacked the Orie...

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... and low quality agriculture, Cuba became increasingly dependent on favorable Soviet trade policies. During the 1960’s, the Cuban government began a hard-lined stance toward Latin American countries. Castro also supported revolutionary movements in countries such as Venezuela and Chile. While this caused conflicts and tension among revolutionaries throughout America, the policy did isolate Cuba. Its support for armed guerrilla movements made normal relations with most governments in Latin America impossible and even served to bring Castro in conflict with significant Leftist forces in the region.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Matthews, Herbert L. Revolution in Cuba: An Essay in Understanding

. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1975.

Smith, Wayne S. The Closest of Enemies: A Personal and Diplomatic Account of U.S.–Cuban Relations Since 1957

. New York: Norton, 1987.