Background

Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926, near Birán, in Cuba's eastern Oriente Province, to Ángel Castro y Argiz and Lina Ruz Gonzalez. Fidel Castro was the illegitimate child of the couple and hence bore the surname Ruz for the first 17 years of his life. He was the third of the seven children of the couple.

Education

As a child, he attended various schools, finally enrolling himself at the El Colegio de Belen in Havana. Although Castro took an interest in history, geography and debating at Belén, he did not excel academically, instead devoting much of his time to playing sports.

In 1945 Castro 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. Castro’s main activity at the university was politics, and in 1947 he joined an abortive attempt by Dominican exiles and Cubans to invade the Dominican Republic and overthrow Gen. Rafael Trujillo. He then took part in urban riots that broke out in Bogotá, Colombia, in April 1948.

Career

Graduating in 1950 as a Doctor of Law, Castro began his legal practice. He started a legal partnership with Jorge Azpiazu and Rafael Resende, focusing on helping poor Cubans assert their rights but poor finances let to the closure of the firm.

Castro turned his interest to politics and became an active member of the Cuban Peace Committee. Still focussing his vision for Cuba around Chibas and the Party of the Cuban People, Castro envisioned himself as the heir to Chibas, following the latter’s death. Castro’s radical reputation, however, came in his way as the nominated candidate.

General Fulgencio Batista’s return to power scrapped the slated presidential elections as he set himself up as a dictator. He got support from the military and Cuban elite and the US recognized his government.

Baffled by this, Castro made plans to oust the government. Along with 150 supporters, he attacked the Moncada military barracks with an attempt to overthrow Batista. However, the 26 July plan failed and Castro was tried and imprisoned. Nevertheless, the incident raised the popularity of Castro amongst the Cubans.

While in jail, Castro kept the rebellious sentiments alive and maintained control of the Movement. Meanwhile, Batista held the presidential election in 1954 but won the same as there were no opponents.

Released two years later on May 15, 1955, Castro moved to Mexico, where along with Ernesto "Che" Guevara, he formulated a plan to overthrow the Batista government. In no time, Guevara became an ally and confidante of Castro. They devised a new strategy which was called guerrilla warfare.

The Following year, forces led by Castro attacked the government forces but like earlier, failed in their attempt. Castro, along with Guevara and Raul (his brother) fled to the south-eastern coast.

Subsequently, Castro organized a parallel government alongside that of Batista’s and started building resistance groups in cities and small towns across Cuba. He enforced some agrarian reforms and controlled provinces with agricultural and manufacturing production.

In 1958, Castro, along with his group, launched military campaigns throughout the key areas of Cuba, which resulted into the collapse of the government and Batista fled to Dominican Republic.

Castro emerged as a national hero. While Jose Miro Cardona was voted as the Prime Minister for Cuba, Castro became the commander-in-chief of the military. However, as a result of Miro’s sudden resignation, Castro became the Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959.

Castro accepted the position of the Prime Minister of Cuba with a condition that the powers of the Prime Minister should be increased.

In his initial days as the Prime Minister, Castro launched various reforms which resulted in nationalization of factories and plantations. This move was mainly focussed to end the US economic domination. However, the reforms antagonised the US towards Cuba.

Castro’s political tactics made him a favourite with lower classes, including workers, peasants, labors and so on, but he received opposition from the middle class comprising of doctors, engineers and professionals, which ultimately resulted into their mass-migration to the US, causing economic brain drain in Cuba.

He was widely criticized for his reformative policies which led to the formation of anti-Castro groups. The group opposed the government, which was duly suppressed by Castro. Even journalists and writers who wrote against the government were forced to publish clarification at the end to every article that opposed the government, thus leading to press censorship.

Castro worked towards strengthening the ties between Cuba and the Soviet Union and it agreed to organize Cuba’s defence committee.

Furthermore, Cuba agreed to buy oil from Soviet, which led to expropriation of the U. S. -owned refineries in Cuba, when the latter refused to process the oil. Striking back, US cut short Cuba’s import of sugar.

US-Cuba ties worsened with the passage of time and came to all-time low in 1961. Outgoing US President Dwight Eisenhower broke off all diplomatic relations with the Cuban government and Castro declared Cuba a socialist state.

In April 1961, thousands of exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow the Castro regime. Despite being taken aback by this surprise attack, the military was able to restrict the insurgents. The toll of the number of dead went past hundreds.

Capitalizing on this US-backed incident, Castro further strengthened his position by announcing the end of democratic elections and American imperialism. Thereafter, he clearly indicated to the world that he was a Marxist-Leninist and Cuba would follow the communist way.

While US imposed economic ban on Cuba, the Soviet Union affirmed its base by giving Cuba economic and military aid. The increasing hold of Soviet Union over Cuba reached a new level when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba to avert US invasion.

Discovering the plan, US asked Khrushchev to remove the missiles, which he agreed in exchange for the United States' public agreement not to invade Cuba and US removal of Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

In 1965, Castro formed the Cuba Communist party. Serving as the head of the organization, he initiated a campaign which supported armed struggle against imperialism in Latin America and Africa.

Slowly, he became the leading spokesperson of the Third World countries. Cuba became a member of the OAM (Organization of American States), with Cuba’s government being called first National Congress of the Cuban Communist Party.

Cuba’s emergence as a socialist state meant abolishing the position of the President and the Prime Minister and adoption of a new constitution based on the lines of the Soviet Union.

Castro was proffered with the position of the Presidency of both Council of State and Council of Ministers, which made him the head of state and head of government.

Along with Cuban Presidency, Castro also remained the President of the Non-Aligned Movement until 1982. Under his rule, the literacy rate of Cuba increased to 98% as hundreds and thousands of new schools were opened. The infant mortality rate of the country also reduced dramatically to 1. 1% under the Castro regime.

Civil liberties, however, crumpled under his administration, as labor unions lost the right to strike. Independent newspapers were forced to shut down as were religious institutions.

Anyone who stood at the opposite end of Castro was removed either through imprisonment or execution and sometimes forced emigration, which was prevalent in the 1980s when Castro opened the port of Mariel to allow Cubans who wished to move to the U. S.

Though US initially agreed for a total of 3500 refugees, mass exodus took place resulting in almost 120, 000 Cubans seeking shelter in the US. Castro, astute as he was, filled the boats carrying the people with convicts, mental patients and socially undesirables.

The economy of Cuba hit all-time low in 1999 as favourable trade from the Soviet Union crashed. In two years, the economy dipped over 40% with major food shortages, widespread malnutrition and lack of basic goods.

Realizing the need for reforms, Castro announced a number of changes at the Fourth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party meeting, primary of which was his stepping down as the head of the government. He, however, retained his position as the head of the Communist Party and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

A number of economic reforms were brought to the forefront and emigration restrictions were relaxed. Apart from sugar industry, biotechnology and tourism were also selected to provide a boost to the economy.

Castro even softened his arch-anti-religious sentiments, allowing people belonging to religious faith to join the Communist Party. He allowed people to choose their own religious faith and even organized a visit by Pope John Paul II to Cuba in 1998, a move that not only strengthened the position of Church but also Castro’s government in Cuba.

The dawn of the 21st century brought to Cuba a ‘godsend’ opportunity in the form of Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela. Castro and Chavez developed economic ties, which solidified Cuba’s economy.

On July 31, 2006, Castro transferred all his powers to Raul, his brother, on account of his failing health. However, with time, his health recovered and he took part in the important issues of the government.

Two years later, Castro gave up his position as the head of the Communist party and the Commander-in-chief of the military as well. Though Raul substituted him, he gave a provision that allowed him to seek advice and consultation from Castro in matters of great importance. His retirement was announced on February 24, 2008.

Post-retirement, Castro took to writing a column - Reflections of Fidel, which reflected an account of his personal experiences and opinions.

Fidel Castro died on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90.

Achievements

• One of the most prominent communist leaders, Fidel Castro was the Prime Minister, President and Commander-in-Chief of Cuba and made the country a one-party socialist state.
  
  He became the first foreigner to receive the Order of Lenin - he was honoured with this three times.
  
  His effort against racism won him South Africa’s highest civilian award for foreigners - the Order of Good Hope.
  
  Additionally, he was honoured and praised by many governments around the world, including Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Spain, Mexico, Ukraine, Venezuela, Malaysia, etc.
  
  Because Fidel Castro has chosen not to create a cult of personality, inside Cuba there are no streets, buildings, institutions or localities named for him. The only things named in honor of Fidel Castro are located outside Cuba.
  
  He holds the Guinness Book of Records title for the longest speech ever delivered at the United Nations: 4 hours and 29 minutes, on September 29, 1960. His longest speech on record in Cuba was 7 hours and 10 minutes in 1986 at the III Communist Party Congress in Havana.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Appearance of Major Fidel Castro 1968
  • Fidel by Fidel
  • The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro 2007
  • Main Report Speech the The Closing 1997
  • History Will Absolve Me 1953
  • Report of the central committee of the cpc to the first congress 1977
  • My Life: A Spoken Autobiography 2006
  • Fidel By Fidel 1996
  • History Will Absolve Me 1953

Religion

Fidel Castro's religious beliefs have been a matter of some debate; he was baptized and raised a Roman Catholic, but he identified himself later in life as an atheist. He criticized use of the Bible to justify the oppression of women and Africans, but commented that Christianity exhibited "a group of very humane precepts" which gave the world "ethical values" and a "sense of social justice".

Politics

Fidel Castro proclaimed himself to be "a Socialist, a Marxist, and a Leninist", and publicly identified as a Marxist–Leninist from December 1961 onward.

From 1947 to 1952, Fidel Castro belonged to the Party of the Cuban People – Orthodox. Later from 1955 to 1965, he was a member of the 26th of July Movement. From 1965 to 2016, Castro became a Communist.

Views

Quotations: "A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past."

"The revolution is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters."

"The human being is a strange mixture of blind instinct, on one hand, and conscience, on the other."

"None of us has any personal interest above the interests of the country. Our country is more important than our careers."

"Religious faith, like political belief, should be based on reasoning, on the development of thought and feelings. The two things are inseparable."

Personality

Fidel Castro was known for his busy working hours, often only going to bed at 3 or 4 a. m. 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.

Castro was fluent in English, but he usually refused to speak it (even in public or private interviews) because he considered it to be "the language of his enemies."

Fidel Castro was a violent smoker - his image with a Havana cigar in his mouth became classic. However, in the mid-1980s Fidel quit smoking.

Fidel Castro claimed he survived 634 attempts or plots to assassinate him, mainly masterminded by the Central Intelligence Agency and U. S. - based exile organizations. They may have included poison pills, a toxic cigar, exploding mollusks, and a chemically tainted diving suit.

For most of his life, Fidel Castro preferred military style clothes and the combat look to anything else, but in his last years, he adopted a more comfortable style. He particularly grew fond of the sport brand Adidas. He wore casual Adidas jackets even at important political meetings.

Quotes from others about the person

• “Fidel Castro,” said Henry M. Wriston, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations in the 1950s and early ’60s, “was everything a revolutionary should be.”
  
  “The personality of the man is overpowering,” Mr. Matthews wrote. “Here was an educated, dedicated fanatic, a man of ideals, of courage and of remarkable qualities of leadership.”
  
  “The Cuban regime turns out to be simply the case of a third-world dictator seizing a useful ideology in order to employ its wealth against his enemies,” wrote the columnist Georgie Anne Geyer, whose critical biography of Mr. Castro was published in 1991.”

Interests

• Fidel Castro took a great interest in gastronomy, as well as wine and whisky, and he had a lifelong love of guns.

• Politicians

  Castro described Karl Marx and Cuban nationalist José Martí as his main political figures, although it is believed that Martí ultimately remained more important than Marx in Castro's politics.

• Writers

  Fidel Castro's favorite author was an American novelist Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway had one of his permanent residences in Cuba and wrote some of his famous works there. Castro and Hemingway met in 1960 at a fishing tournament in Cuba.

• Sport & Clubs

  Fidel Castro was a football fan, he was in fact an Arsenal supporter.

• Music & Bands

  Fidel Castro was uninterested in music.

Connections

On October 11, 1948, Fidel Castro married Mirta Díaz-Balart, and together they had a son, Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart. In 1955 Castro and Díaz-Balart divorced.

While Fidel was married to Mirta, he had an affair with Natalia "Naty" Revuelta Clews, who gave birth to his daughter, Alina Fernández Revuelta.

By an unnamed woman he had another son, Jorge Ángel Castro.

Fidel had another daughter, Francisca Pupo, the result of a one-night affair.

Fidel had five other sons by his second wife, Dalia Soto del Valle - Antonio, Alejandro, Alexis, Alexander "Alex", and Ángel Castro Soto del Valle.

Father:

Ángel María Bautista Castro y Argiz

Ángel María Bautista Castro y Argiz was a wealthy sugar plantation owner originally from Spain who did most of his business with the American-owned United Fruit Company.

Mother:

Lina Ruz González

Lina Ruz González was of Canarian origin.

Sister:

Enma de la Concepción Castro Ruz

Sister:

Juana de la Caridad (Juanita) Castro Ruz

Juana de la Caridad (Juanita) Castro Ruz is a Cuban activist.

Sister:

Agustina del Carmen Castro Ruz

Sister:

Ángelita María Castro Ruz

half-sister:

Georgina de la Caridad Castro Argota

half-sister:

Antonia María Dolores Castro Argota

half-sister:

María Lila Perfidia (Lidia) Castro Argota

Half-brother:

Martin Castro

Half-brother:

Manuel Castro Argota

Half-brother:

Pedro Emilio Castro Argota

Wife:

Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez

Mirta Francisca de la Caridad Díaz-Balart y Gutiérrez was the daughter of Rafael José Díaz-Balart, a prominent Cuban politician and mayor of the town of Banes, and his wife América Gutiérrez.

Wife:

Dalia Soto del Valle

Daughter:

Alina Fernández Revuelta

Daughter:

Francisca Pupo

Son:

Ángel Castro Soto del Valle

Son:

Alejandro Castro Soto del Valle

Son:

Jorge Ángel Castro

Son:

Alexander "Alex" Castro Soto del Valle

Son:

Antonio Castro Soto del Valle

Son:

Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart

Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart is a Scientific Advisor of the State Council of the Republic of Cuba, Vice-President of the Cuban Academy of Sciences.

Son:

Alexis Castro Soto del Valle

Brother:

Ramón Eusebio Castro Ruz

Brother:

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz

Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban communist politician who has been President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008.

ally:

Ernesto Guevara

References

• Latin American giant: the legendary Fidel Castro Ruz (paperback)
• Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder, and the Cold War in the Caribbean
• The Double Life of Fidel Castro: My 17 Years as Personal Bodyguard to El Lider Maximo
• Fidel Castro: A Biography
• Brothers in Arms: The Kennedys, the Castros, and the Politics of Murder
• Raul and Fidel sister that helped the CIA tell - truth of Castro home (2012) ISBN: 4120043428 Japanese Import
• Fidel Castro
• Fidel: A Critical Portrait
• Fidel Castro - Biography of a Cuban President and Leader