Fidel Castro Biography

When researching such a controversial figure as Fidel Castro, one has to be very objective. The fact that he is loved and hated by so many and the massive amounts of propaganda associated with him makes it difficult to discover who the true man is. There is ample information concerning his life after the revolution, his relations with the United States, and his iron-fisted rule over Cuba. However, little focus is given to his life before the Cuban Revolution. It is the purpose of this essay to piece together the story of his youth and discover what may have influenced his rise to dictator when only in his thirties.

Fidel Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926, to Angel Castro y Argiz and Lina Ruz Gonzáles. Born an illegitimate child, his father and mother married soon after his birth, and his parents baptized him in a Roman Catholic ceremony. 1

Little is written about his relationship with his family. Fidel kept his private affairs and feelings to himself. It is known that he did not have a good relationship with his father unlike the affectionate relationship he had with his mother. Although his parents saw little necessity in schooling, he demanded to be sent to school. He went to stay with his godparents in Santiago to attend a Jesuit school called the Colegio Dolores. However, his godparents treated him badly. Upon his graduation at age sixteen, he went to Colegio Belen, a prep school in Havana. In the fall of 1945, he entered the University of Havana. He began the study of law and became active in student affairs. This involvement in student politics helped lead him into Cuban politics. 2

Castro will discuss little about his university career. According to university reports, he seems to have done well in his stu...

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...ntion to bring about a social revolution on behalf of the people. By sifting through articles, speeches, and letters, scholars find that Fidel is years away from Communism or Marxism-Leninism while in Mexico. Until Castro decided to carry his revolution into the Communist camp around the mid-1960s, he remained indignant when Communist charges were leveled against him. 18

Astonishingly, Fidel Castro began his rule of Cuba at the age of thirty-three. However, by reviewing his experiences in revolutionary activities, it is easy to see how he accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. Although Castro has a very controversial image in the world, many authors relate the fact that he truly did have the best interest of Cuba at heart in all of his endeavors. How he chose to rule once he gained power may seem to many as though this was far from his mind.