Fidel Castro
Coming from a family of 7, from a rich Spanish landowner ‘Angel Castro Argiz’ and a Cuban mother ‘Lina Ruz Gonzalez’ (who was his father’s mate ), Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926.
When he became seven years old, his parents sent him to Santiago, Cuba, in order to live with a teacher that took control over his education. However, because of her, Castro ‘knew hunger’ as he mentions since this woman abandoned him as a child. Then, he entered a religious school to continue his studies but end up leaving it at age of 11 and moving to another institution in Havana after rebelling against an authoritarian teacher. In his new school, and after getting remarkably high grades, his teacher claimed that Fidel was an excellent team-oriented player; he was also courageous, loved and admired by the whole school as well as being extremely smart and brilliant!
After graduating from high school, Fidel Castro joined University of Havana in 1945 in order to start his law studies and was soon elected as a delegate between his fellow mates in the Faculty of Law since he always discussed and demonstrated corruption of Government under President Ram”n Grau San Martin. He was so courage that he denounced the BAGA, the armed groups of the government. Due to those acts of Castro, several students from different faculties started to attend Castro’s speeches that one day, a sound from the audience shouted: ‘He who speaks too long, will speak for the last time’. Castro stood up then, walked strait and stood in the middle of the hall declaring the names of all those leaders and members inside University Students who had received stipends from the government.
When he became 22, Castro supported Juan Bosch against Rafael Trujillo (who was supported by the USA), and shortly after Juan Bosch ended the dictatorship and became the new President of the Dominican Republic.
In 1950, he had finished his studies in law and became a lawyer. Castro kept up working as a lawyer who doesn’t interfere in Politics until 1952. Scarifying his studies to defend the poor, he never joined the Popular Socialist Party neither the communist party in his country. However, Castro joined the PPC ‘Cuban People’s Party or the Orthodox Party’ that asked for somehow communist ideas: national sovereignty, nationalization of factories and businesses, social justice, workers rights, to stand against corruption ‘Fidel Castro was therefore really influenced by these ideas set by Jos” Mart”, of Chib”s.
On the 10th of March of 1952, when Fidel Castro was just 26, General Fulgencio Batista who was directly supported by the USA overthrew the government of Carlos Prio Socarr”s and took power in Cuba just three months before the Presidential Elections starting by that the new Dictatorship in Cuba! What was Castro’s reaction?
Fidel Castro, as he was a lawyer, filed a complaint against the new dictator claiming that in case courts exist in this country, Batista must be punished and if he wasn’t so, how then could the court judge civilians for rebellion against this regime that is at the same time illegal and a result of unpunished betrayal? However, the Supreme Court, under the new regime, did nothing about it.
On 26th of July 1953, the world woke up on several attacks against the Moncada barracks, the number two military fortress in the country. Indeed, Fidel Castro, who was head of those 131 men who took responsibility of launching attacks, had in mind to take down Santiago, and from there call for a rebellion against Batista to bring him down too. Then, July 26, 1953 became official date of the start of the Cuban revolutions.
Nevertheless, that day was a real catastrophic start for a revolution. It was indeed a bloody failure where 6 were killed while fighting, while 55 were massacred and tortured by Batista’s army. The others were very lucky and were able to escape with the help of the civilians. After only few days, Fidel Castro was caught by one of Batista’s army and was to be killed unless Sergeant Pedro Sarr”a who didn’t work according to his superiors orders stopped the soldiers from shooting Castro saying: ‘Do not shoot! Do not shoot! You cannot kill ideas’.
After that, Castro spelled one the most known speeches ever where he was defending himself and mentioning Batista’s cruelty and how he treated his people demonstrating a program to a free Cuba, based on social ideas under the name of ‘History Will Absolve Me’.
However, although all that, Castro was sentenced up to fifteen years in jail, but was soon released, in 1555, after two years exactly following an amnesty granted by the Batista regime.
One of the basic steps of the revolution now was the July 26 movement, released after 2 years exactly of the failed revolution where he declared a plan to continue the revolution and stop this dictatorship lead by Batista.
He then was exiled into Mexico. However, Fidel Castro met there in a caf” a young doctor with the same political ideas, and they started discussing global international politics! This young doctor was Ernesto Chi Guevara! They both organized an expedition under the name of Granma expedition and that’s when Castro officially became a member of the future expedition.
In the next few months, Castro published his July 26 movement plan that had mainly basics of the famous ‘History Will Absolve Me’ document. He wanted to reach the ‘Free Cuba’ he always dreamed of. He wanted a state where life was free to all, where each could live equally to the others, where all people could be educated, where national industrialization was a must’etc
And then, in October 1955, Castro visited the USA. Strange, isn’t it? Well he wanted to raise funds for the expedition and to reach that goal, he met Cuban exiles. What was the US’s respond to that? Well the FBI had very well surveillance on all clubs that were founded due to the 26th of July movement.
After once year and one month from his visit to the USA, Castro left Mexico and went back to his country in order to accomplish what he has been planning with Guevara for a long time ‘Granma Expedition’. He went with 82 revolutionaries in a boat of 25 people in order to start Guerilla Attacks in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra. However, the weather wasn’t that good for such a trip, that one member of the revolutionaries fell overboard. Castro then refused to move a step forward as long as the member of the expedition wasn’t saved. Everyone was touched by Castro’s words and maybe that encouraged them more and more and enhanced the fighting spirit inside each of them. The man was saved finally and after a trip that took about a week, the revolutionaries landed on Cuba on the second of December 1956. Almost 2000 gunfire were hold for them the minute they landed, Batista’s armies were everywhere, however they were capable to fled away and spread inside Cuba, each by his own.
After few days, the whole expedition rejoined and that’s when the Guerilla leader declared that now is the time to win this war, and this thing should take about 25 months.
Two months after, in an interview with the New York Times, Castro confirmed the guerilla attacks all throughout Cuba, what made the international public opinion really active concerning the reality of Cuba back in those days. Batista then confirmed in his memoirs that ‘Castro was becoming a legendary figure’.
Guerilla war in Cuba was quiet as distinguishably remarkable war. In fact, it was based on two structures:
‘ The people, that sleeping mass whom without its support no guerilla work could ever be done
‘ The vanguard or the most active group who took responsibility to lead the revolution
Back to the International level, the US always claimed neutrality, but all its support (Economic and Military) to Batista showed the opposite. For instance, on December 1958, when the National Security Council met, the US policy was quiet obvious: To prevent Castro from winning the revolution! Even with the help of the US, Batista’s army couldn’t defeat Castro’s Guerilla troops announcing the failure of ‘End of Fidel’ mission always wanted by the Americans. 20,000 soldier versus 300 revolutionary?? How was that even possible?
Well, one great thing about Fidel Castro other than being genius is that he always had connection with the mass whenever needed. And, in the name of his country’s dignity and resistance, he strategically won over Batista with one of the greatest countries supporting him.
And then, on the new first day of the year 1959, the Cuban revolution lead by Guevara and Castro emerged triumphant. That’s when Castro became Minister of the armed Forces. However, shortly after, he was appointed Prime Minister instead of Jos” Mir” Cardona.
Castro, always disturbed by President Urrutia who refused further reforms in Cuba, the same guy who appointed him prime minister, resigned from his position. Cuban then was on streets asking the president to resign and Castro to come back. With the new president. Castro was reappointed at the same position.
As one of the most powerful states of that time, Castro was willing to have good relations with the USA. But what was he thinking? A communist leader having good relations with the Americans? He sure had hope that with his visit to the US things could get better! But, US president refused to meet him since he ‘was busy’; he preferred to go golfing instead of meeting Cuba’s Prime Minister. No doubt how much President Eisenhower hated Fidel Castro.
Shortly after, US pilots bombed Cuba, dropped a bomb in Havana injuring more than 45 civilians and killing 2.
After requesting help from Europeans, Americans and Canadians to get weapons to protect Cuba and after a major refuse from all three, Castro drew closer to the Soviets! That, and all Castro’s previous acts drove the Americans crazy. They decided then to throw Castro out, but how?
Well they attempted to kill him in 638 ways. The CIA did the impossible to get rid of Castro. For instance, they poisoned his cigars, his shoes, his swimming suit, they tried to shoot him, to stab him’
The CIA were trying to control everything concerning Cuba that they even destroyed a French ship in the port of Havana carrying weapons killing more than 100 persons.That’s when Castro in tribute to the martyrs lunched the term ‘Patria o Muerte’ meaning Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death inspired by the French revolution.
The following year, in 1961, CIA bombed the main airports of Cuba, one action preloading the Bay of Pigs. This ‘Bay of Pigs’, led by 1400 exiles supported by the CIA was decided to be an invasion to kill definitely and remove Castro completely from Cuba. However, he was one of the firsts to go down to stand against the Americans and won victoriously the battle within 66 hours. This indeed blew up his popularity worldwide.
Then, during the Missile Crisis, Soviets were all supporting Castro. And after that, he became the First Secretary of the PCC.
Many years passed, and in 1975, Castro was elected President of Cuba! Then in 1988, from more than 20,000 kilometers away, Fidel Castro, in Havana, led the battle of Cuito Cuanavale in Angola. Cuba changed the course of history in Southern Africa!
After 10 years, on the 26th of July 1989, Castro said to his people in a Presidential Speech that Cuba should survive even if the Soviet Union disappears [‘] ‘Cuba and the Cuban Revolution will continue to fight and resist’.
In 1994, Fidel Castro met the friend of the rest of his life ‘Hugo Chavez’. The Venezuelan President with Castro created ‘the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America’.
In 1998, the pope John Paul II visited Cuba and asked the world to interact with Cuba. In 2002, former president of the US made an unexpected visit to Cuba where he declared that he’s not there to get into internal affairs of Cuba, but to build a friendship between the two countries.
Later, in 2006, Cuban leader had to get out of power due to serious intestinal illness. In 2008, Castro started writing his memoirs and regularly publishing articles. He had become the most term non-royal serving of his century! Fidel Castro passed away at the age of 90 as a result of a severe disease.
The victory of Cuban Revolution under the leadership of Fidel Castro, that controversial figure of the 20th century, marked history. His belief in the dignity of Cuba and resistance against dictatorship changed the destiny of his country.