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Fidel Castro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13,
1926) is the outgoing President of Cuba. He came to power in 1959 in an armed
revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, and was shortly
thereafter sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba.[1] In 1965 he became First
Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and led the transformation of Cuba into
a one-party socialist republic.
In 1976 he became president of the Council of State
as well as of the Council of Ministers. He also held the supreme military rank
of Comandante en Jefe ("Commander in Chief") of the Cuban armed forces.
On July 31, 2006, after undergoing intestinal surgery for diverticulitis,[2] he
transferred his responsibilities to the First Vice-President, his younger
brother Raúl Castro. On February 19, 2008, five days before his current mandate
expired, he announced he would neither seek nor accept a new term as either
president or commander-in-chief.
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Fidel Castro in 2003 |
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President of the Council of
State
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 2, 1976
Vice President Raúl Castro
Preceded by Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado
Succeeded by To be determined
President of Cuba
Prime Minister of Cuba
In office
February 16, 1959 – December 2, 1976
Preceded by José Miró Cardona
Succeeded by Office abolished
Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 16, 2006
Preceded by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Born August 13, 1926 (1926-08-13) (age 81)
Birán, Holguín Province, Cuba
Nationality Cuban
Political party Communist Party of Cuba
Spouse (1) Mirta Díaz-Balart (divorced 1955)
(2) Dalia Soto del Valle
Religion None (Atheist) |
Castro first attracted attention in Cuban political life through nationalist
critiques of Batista and the United States political and corporate influence in
Cuba. He gained an ardent, but limited, following and also drew the attention of
the authorities.[3] He eventually led the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada
Barracks, after which he was captured, tried, incarcerated and later released.
He then travelled to Mexico[4][5] to organize and train for the guerrilla
invasion of Cuba that took place in December 1956. Since his
assumption of power in 1959 he has evoked both praise and
condemnation (at home and internationally). Castro is
described by opponents as a dictator while supporters see
Castro as a charismatic liberator.
Outside of Cuba, Castro has been defined by his relationship with the United
States and the former Soviet Union, both of whom courted Cuban attentions as
part of their own global political game. After the failed Bay of Pigs invasion
of Cuba in 1961 by U.S. backed forces, the Castro-led government has had an
openly antagonistic relationship with the U.S., which encouraged a closeness
with the Soviet bloc. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 forced Castro to
seek alliances regionally to counter U.S. and find like-minded partners in
regional nationalist figures such as Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in
Bolivia. Over time he has become a world icon.
At home, Fidel Castro has overseen the implementation of various economic
policies, leading to the rapid centralization of Cuba's economy, land reform,
collectivization and mechanization of agriculture, and the nationalization of
leading Cuban industries. The expansion of publicly funded health care and
education has been a cornerstone of Castro's domestic social agenda. Cuba ranks
better than many countries, including the United States, among world countries
on the United Nations' List of countries by infant mortality rate, which is
claimed by Castro's supporters as a success of his regime. Castro and his
policies are cited by some as being responsible for Cuba's economic problems,
whilst others blame the U.S. embargo.
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