Fidel Castro was born August 13, 1926 in Cuba into a family of 6 children. Despite the poverty in Cuba Castro grew up wealthy and went to private boarding schools. He was interested in sports, but ended up going to law school at University of Havana and became interested with Cuban nationalism, and socialism. Surprisingly he in his earlier days he advocated for social justice and went to the Dominican Republic to help overthrow the dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1947. Once he returned he joined an anticommunist political party dedicated to economic independence, social reforms, and nationalism. The party's founder was who inspired Castro to become a ardent disciple. Castro gained wealth and connections once he married Mirta Diaz Balart the next year, yet the marriage was over just two years later. In 1953 Castro, and other attacked military barracks to try and overthrow the dictator, yet ended up with a 15 year prison sentence. However word travelled and Castro was famous throughout Cuba and started an opposition to the government. Castro was still determined to overthrow the dictator though, so after he was released from prison (early due to an amnesty deal,) he lead a two year guerrilla war against the government. In 1959 his efforts proved himself, as the dictator fled and later Castro was sworn in as prime minister. He imminently created a new government, which was recognized by the US. He wanted to end Cuba's economic dominance on the US, which lead to friction between the two. The whole time Castro denied being a communist, while the US citizens were very suspicious of his policies. Later that year in May, Castro limited the size of land holdings and prohibited foreign land ownership by signing the Agrarian Reform Law. By the end of the year, Castro had media suppression of opposition ideas, purges of military leaders, and a connection with the USSR. In 1960 Cuba signed a trade to buy Soviet Union oil, and establish diplomatic relations. A year later President Eisenhower broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba, and Castro declared Cuba a socialist state. The next day an invasion on the bay of pigs started the cuban missile crisis.
http://www.biography.com/people/fidel-castro-9241487#cuba-under-castro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro
http://www.biography.com/people/fidel-castro-9241487#cuba-under-castro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro
I like this article about Fidel Castro, it gives a background description of what he was like and where his tactics came from and how his policies, both domestic and foreign came about. I didn't know background about Castro and learning it helps me better understand his allignment with Russia and his involvement in the Cuban Civil War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is interesting to know his background and learn more about his foreign policy regarding the US. Good description if you a reader is looking for a quick article to further understand Castro and his policies.
ReplyDeleteThis gives a good background of Fidel Castro's early years and helps us understand his motivations better. While Castro is often portrayed as a brutal dictator, a label that in some cases, I think he deserves, he also introduced some beneficial reforms to Cuba. The reforms included desegregation, expanding health care, and improving literacy with new schools. While he also censored the public and imposed a variety of limitations, it's important to remember that he wasn't all bad. Understanding the motivations in his early life that led to this helps us humanize people like Castro and gain a deeper understanding of his rule.
ReplyDeletesource: http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fidel-castro