Biography of Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 in the Bíran, Cuba. (See Figure 5) Fidel grew up in wealthier circumstances than most Cubans at the time, amid the massive and growing poverty. His father, Ángel Castro y Argiz, was originally an immigrant from Spain. During Fidel’s childhood, Ángel was a fairly prosperous sugarcane farmer on a farm that had been dominated by United States owned United Fruit Company. His mother, Lina Ruz Gonzalez, was a maid to Angel's first wife, during Fidel’s infancy. By the time Fidel was fifteen, his father disbanded his first marriage and wed Lina, who is seen by Fidel to be his true mother. Fidel was educated in private Jesuit boarding schools. By 1945, he entered the law school at the University of Havana. Here, Fidel began his radical actions and became more interested in politics, namely, the politics of Cuba. In 1950, Castro graduated from Havana Law School and began practicing law through small local governments, advancing in political importance and knowledge.

After his graduation in 1950, Castro continued to practice politics and study law. He decided to become a member of the reformist Cuban People’s Party, called Ortodoxos. The Ortodoxos called for economic independence from the United States, political liberty, social justice, and an end to government corruption. Throughout these years, Castro stayed true to his interests, and political capabilities, and became a candidate for a seat in Cuba’s House of Representatives during the election of June 1952. However, right before the election was held, Fulgencio Batista disbanded the previous government and cancelled the election. This incident is what really pushed Castro into fighting this corrupted government and restoring justice to Cuba. Th...

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...Cold War. His status as dictator is opposed by many nations because of the violations against the human rights of his people and his actions under a Communist government. In 2006, Fidel’s health began to deteriorate after he had abdominal surgery and he temporarily stepped out of office by giving control of the government to his brother, Raúl. Finally in 2008, Fidel Castro announces his retirement and Raúl takes over as president of Cuba, still allowing the Castro family to have prime control over Cuba. Many to this day believe that Castro was a force for good in Cuba, yet these are met by the people who suffered and tried to escape Cuba. Although the distrust and resentment among the United States and Cuba stays intact with the embargo around the island, Fidel Castro is still seen as an incredibly significant historical figure during the post World War II era.