Fidel Castro Ruz was born August 13, 1926, on a sugar plantation in eastern Cuba, the son of a Spanish immigrant landholder and a household servant. A powerful and charismatic speaker, he soon emerged as one of the leaders in the growing movement against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Fidel Castro spent his youngest years on his father's farm, but spent most of his youth in Catholic boarding schools, excelling at sports.
Castro Cuba’s Revolutioner
In 1945, Castro began law school at the University of Havana and quickly became involved in politics. In 1947, Castro joined the Caribbean Legion, a group of political exiles from Caribbean countries who planned to rid the Caribbean of dictator-led governments. When Castro joined, the Legion was planning to overthrow Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic but the plan was later canceled because of international pressure.
In 1948, Castro traveled to Bototá, Colombia with plans to disrupt the Pan-American Union Conference, when country-wide riots broke out in response to the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitán. Castro grabbed a rifle and joined the rioters. While handing out anti-U.S. pamphlets to the crowds, Castro gained first-hand experience of popular uprisings.
After returning to Cuba, Castro married co-student Mirta Diaz-Balart in October 1948. Castro and Mirta had one child together. In the morning of July 26, 1953, Castro, his brother Raúl, and a group of about 160 armed men attacked the second-largest military base in Cuba - the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Confronted with hundreds of trained soldiers at the base, there was little chance that the attack could have succeeded. Although 60 of Castro's rebels were killed, Castro and Raúl were captured and then given a trial.
After delivering a speech at his trial which ended with, "Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me," Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released two years later, in May 1955. Upon his release, Castro went to Mexico where he spent the next year organizing the "26th of July Movement" (based on the date of the failed Moncada Barracks attack).
On December 2, 1956, Castro and the rest of the 26th of July Movement rebels landed on Cuban soil with the intention of starting a revolution. Met by heavy Batista defenses, nearly everyone in the Movement was killed, with merely a handful escaping, including Castro, Raúl, and Che Guevara.
For the next two years, Castro continued guerrilla attacks and succeeded in gaining large numbers of volunteers.
Using guerrilla warfare tactics, Castro and his supporters attacked Batista's forces, overtaking town after town.
Batista quickly lost popular support and suffered numerous defeats. On January 1, 1959, Batista fled Cuba.
In his later years, Mr. Castro cultivated a strong friendship and alliance with Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chavez. Together, the two men worked to counter U.S. influence in Latin America - and met some success in mobilizing anti-American sentiment in the hemisphere.
Another Cuba specialist, Thomas Paterson of the University of Connecticut, compares Mr. Castro to Chinese leader Mao Zedong, and believes he will be remembered this way.
"I think he will be remembered much as Mao Zedong is remembered in China as one who overthrew a corrupt, dictatorial system, who embodied the identity of his nation, who pushed out foreigners," said Paterson. "At the same time, as is the case of the Chinese critique of Mao today, there will be a criticism of him as authoritarian, repressive and having imposed incredible sacrifices on the Cuban people."
Fidel Castro spent his youngest years on his father's farm, but spent most of his youth in Catholic boarding schools, excelling at sports.
Castro Cuba’s Revolutioner
In 1945, Castro began law school at the University of Havana and quickly became involved in politics. In 1947, Castro joined the Caribbean Legion, a group of political exiles from Caribbean countries who planned to rid the Caribbean of dictator-led governments. When Castro joined, the Legion was planning to overthrow Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic but the plan was later canceled because of international pressure.
In 1948, Castro traveled to Bototá, Colombia with plans to disrupt the Pan-American Union Conference, when country-wide riots broke out in response to the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitán. Castro grabbed a rifle and joined the rioters. While handing out anti-U.S. pamphlets to the crowds, Castro gained first-hand experience of popular uprisings.
After returning to Cuba, Castro married co-student Mirta Diaz-Balart in October 1948. Castro and Mirta had one child together. In the morning of July 26, 1953, Castro, his brother Raúl, and a group of about 160 armed men attacked the second-largest military base in Cuba - the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Confronted with hundreds of trained soldiers at the base, there was little chance that the attack could have succeeded. Although 60 of Castro's rebels were killed, Castro and Raúl were captured and then given a trial.
After delivering a speech at his trial which ended with, "Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me," Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released two years later, in May 1955. Upon his release, Castro went to Mexico where he spent the next year organizing the "26th of July Movement" (based on the date of the failed Moncada Barracks attack).
On December 2, 1956, Castro and the rest of the 26th of July Movement rebels landed on Cuban soil with the intention of starting a revolution. Met by heavy Batista defenses, nearly everyone in the Movement was killed, with merely a handful escaping, including Castro, Raúl, and Che Guevara.
For the next two years, Castro continued guerrilla attacks and succeeded in gaining large numbers of volunteers.
Using guerrilla warfare tactics, Castro and his supporters attacked Batista's forces, overtaking town after town.
Batista quickly lost popular support and suffered numerous defeats. On January 1, 1959, Batista fled Cuba.
In his later years, Mr. Castro cultivated a strong friendship and alliance with Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chavez. Together, the two men worked to counter U.S. influence in Latin America - and met some success in mobilizing anti-American sentiment in the hemisphere.
Another Cuba specialist, Thomas Paterson of the University of Connecticut, compares Mr. Castro to Chinese leader Mao Zedong, and believes he will be remembered this way.
"I think he will be remembered much as Mao Zedong is remembered in China as one who overthrew a corrupt, dictatorial system, who embodied the identity of his nation, who pushed out foreigners," said Paterson. "At the same time, as is the case of the Chinese critique of Mao today, there will be a criticism of him as authoritarian, repressive and having imposed incredible sacrifices on the Cuban people."
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