Fidel Castro, the ultimate ruler of Cuba held a government with a high esteem even though its citizens live in utmost poverty. Castro was a power-hungry man and only wanted to boost his political career. He abolishing all political parties was simply a recipe for disaster.
Before Castro came into power, Cuba had one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Many people were literate and barely had any rural areas. Unfortunately Cuba got into a mass of corruption by a greedy and cruel dictator named Batista. Fidel Castro who was a little guerrilla leader came to rescue of the Cuban people when he overthrew Batista. He made many promises that would get Cuban people to be in favour of him but he never lived up to his promises in reference to Source D. One of Castro’s friends described him as “power-hungry person, completely unprincipled, who
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would throw in his lot with any group he felt could help his political career”. Castro himself claimed that his “vacation is being a revolutionary”. He came into power in 1959 and the Cuban military and policemen refused to fight against because they believed his promises would better their lives. Shortly after taking over Cuba, Castro visited the United States. He said all the right things, that he hated dictators, he loved free press and he promised not to expropriate (take property from its owner for public use or benefit) property in Cuba that was owned and developed by Americans. In which he lied about in reference to Source I. He charmed everybody but former U.S President Richard Nixon. Nixon asked him why he had not held elections as he promised and Castro said the Cuban people did not want elections. Nixon asked why he was executing people left and right without a trial and Castro said the Cuban people did not want trials. Thousands of political prisoners were behind bars and torture became routine and those who broke no laws were executed for daring to criticize Fidel. Castro said that Cubans would have political freedom but gave them nothing but oppression. He prohibited free press and expression of speech. The Cuban people were now restricted from any movement, the economy suffered and so did the Cubans. Castro was simply poSource B Origin: http://james-a-watkins.hubpages.com Purpose: In this source it clearly shows that the living standards in Cuba had diminished tremendously while Castro was in power. The Cuban people could have starved to death if it wasn’t for the Soviet Union giving Castro millions of Dollars worth of food. Value: This source helps to prove that Castro was not the best leader because the people of Cuba were not a priority to him and many wanted to flee to the United States. Limitation: This source is a limitation in a way that it doesn’t prove that many people suffered because it only shows one person in the image. Source F Origin:www.walterlippmann.com/long-live-castro. Purpose: In this source it states that as much as Cuban people were against Castro’s rule, they would rather have him than be ruled by Americans. Value: This source helps to prove that even if America could bring democracy to Cuba, they would rather be ruled by Castro because maybe they felt that the Americans could not be trusted. Limitation: This source is a limitation in a way that it doesn’t prove that Castro was a loved by his people. Source C Origin: http://james-a-watkins.hubpages.com Purpose: In this source it states how Castro was tortured a writer because he didn’t like his book which made people turn against him. Value: This source helps to prove that Castro was a ruthless man who would do anything to destroy those who were against his rule, making it seem that he was a very disliked man. Limitation: This source is a limitation in a way that it could be biased because the man who wrote this was an American Source G Origin:www.commonsesnseevaluation.com/cuba. Purpose: In this source it states that Castro said how Cuba’s medical facilities were very advanced and was available to all citizens of Cuba. Value: This sources proves that Castro helped the Cuban people by giving them free medical services and education, which helped the people better themselves. Limitation: This source is a limitation in a way that it only shows how majority of the people in Cuba got medical attention in a shorter time frame than the Americans but not all the other successes or issues in Cuba. Reflection The reason why I chose Cuba as a topic and specifically Fidel Castro is because he freed his country from a dictator( Batista) supported by America.
After the civil war, American-owned companies in Cuba refused to cooperate with the government, so Castro nationalised these companies. In return the Americans blocked the island, which is why the Cubans cannot export any goods. However, under Castro, Cuba became self-sustainable, and its economy even grew. This is why Americans hate him. Because he stood up against their tyranny and had success at it. Castro also gave all Cuban land to the people, starting with his family land and house. However, the Cuban Revolution did not end with Cuba, as Castro helped many other countries fight off oppressors. In South Africa, Castro sent troops to help Mandela fight off the racist British, again supported by Americans. One of the negative aspects of Castro is that he is exactly what he had set out to destroy, a dictator. This topic really fascinated me because after all that a small country like Cuba has been through, today it is one of the economic leading Latin American
countries. wer-hungry and never made his people a priority.
Fidel Castro entered Havana, Cuba and took his place as Prime Minister in January of 1959, just after the fall of the Batista regime. Within days, many of the Cuban upper class began exiting the island, wary of losing their socioeconomic status and possibly their lives (Leonard 13). Castro’s radical new policies appealed to most of the suppressed lower class seeking change, but the middle sector “became disillusioned with their new leader” and soon comprised the majority of the Cuban refugees in Miami, Florida (Leonard 3). Beginning in December 1960 and ending with the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, over 14,000 of those refugees wou...
Many factors led to the rise of Castro’s power but finally after popular up-rises and other communistic approaches like the overthrowing the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, led to him being sworn in as Cuba’s prime minister and took power in the winter of 1958 (source A & F). He turned the country of Cuba into a one-party dictatorship with a gulag which evoked fear in the hearts of his fellow
The United States was interested in attaining Cuba for economic purposes and eventually they did. This created chaos between Cuban elites/whites and Americans. Americans brought back the Cubans that had been in exile in .America to rule the country. Their policies discriminated against the Afro-Cubans. In a way all Cubans were discriminated against by the Americans.
In the 1950s, a ruthless tyrant took over the power of a once free nation in Cuba. This tyrant is called Fidel Castro. Castro separated families, destroyed Cuba’s economic prosperity, and denounced religion and the religious rights of his people. He imprisoned, tortured, and killed thousands of Cubans that stood up against him. However, those that weren’t killed were forced to leave the country and to never return. Due to the vicious and savage actions performed by Fidel Castro, mankind is inherently evil.
“What light is to the eyes - what air is to the lungs - what love is to the heart, freedom is to the soul of man” (Brainy Quotes). Light is essential to the eyes, love is what makes the heart beat, and freedom is the hope of man kind; all of which are essential to the happiness of humanity. Having to live without these rights is a difficult way of living. For example, Cubans have suffered time after time in pursuit of their freedom, but sadly they never accomplish their goal. They live in fear of their broken government, but never stop fighting for freedom. In the early 20th century, Cuba was a democracy. From 1940 to 1944 Fulgencio Batista, a Cuban politician, was Cuba’s president. In 1952 he decided to run again, but when it was apparent he’d lose, Batista seized power before the election took place. The citizens were outraged causing them to turn against their flawed democracy that was brought upon by the election. As a result, Fidel Castro, a communist revolutionary political man, began to plot Batista’s downfall. The Cuban Revolution, also known as Castro’s Revolution, began on July 26, 1952, and ended January, 1, 1959. After Batista, Cuba’s former president, fled the country, Castro took complete control and turned Cuba into a communist country. The Revolution brought upon: many deaths, censored news and publicity, and no freedom of speech. Throughout the years Castro stayed in power, but due to health issues originating on July 31, 2006, he had to step down. After Castro returned, he took control of Cuba up until February 19, 2008. He then abdicated his place as dictator and handed down his position to his brother, Raul Castro.
Cuba's political history carries a pattern: when the masses are disillusioned by the current ruler, they turn to a young, strong-willed leader-of-the-people as their new ruler, only to become disillusioned to that ruler when he becomes too oppressive. It has seemed a never- ending cycle. Batista and Castro were both well-regarded leaders initially who appealed strongly to the masses and common citizen. Later, both established dictatorships and lost the support of many of those that they governed. Castro and Batista are each guilt of repression and corruption within their governments. For example, at some point under each regime, the constitution was either suspended or not followed at all. Castro did, though, make one very important contribution to Cuba's political system: Socialism. For the first time, Castro and Che Guevara a socialist plan called the New Man theory which called for developing an ideology amongst citizens that would call for working not for personal enrichment, but for social betterment.
There may be some question over Fidel Castro’s achievements in providing economic success, or democracy to Cuba in the last forty five years or so. However Cuba’s record on providing egalitarian health care and education to the masses have generally been agreed as a success story, even by Castro’s old enemy the United States. “To be educated is to be free,” (Marti in Marshall, 1987, p146) has become one of the more popular revolutionary slogans and has been greatly adhered to by Castro’s government. While health care is articulated in the 1975 Cuban constitution as being “the right of all and the responsibility of the state” (Feinsilver, 1993, p26). The social political stance of Castro’s government has been the driving force behind the success in health care and education. Issues such as housing, employment, health care and education are viewed as a basic human right and are in theory guaranteed by the state to all. In Cuba, health care indicators are also seen as a measure of the government’s efficiency and performance. Other socialist states that have come and gone over the last century have also professed to put these issues at the forefront of priority. States such as Russia and China have to a lesser or greater degree failed to provide the standard of services provided in Cuba. “Until 1969 China’s health care system served only the urban population, which represented about 15 percent of the total population” (Feinsilver, 1993, p2). There are certainly factors that make this comparison unfair but Cuba’s achievements in providing these social services are still quite remarkable given its economic position. By truly placing education and healthcare as one of the fundamental priorities of the revolution, and developing specific programs and initiatives to deal with these two social issues, Cuba managed to succeeded where others more wealthy nations failed. The use of popular participation and central government control also were powerful tools in implementing these social policies. It would now be useful to look at some of these initiatives that have been taken by the Cuban government that enabled it to equal if no surpass education and health standards in many developed countries.
For the rest of the people still in Cuba, life was and still is not easy. The everyday necessities are not always available and their technology is not that advanced. in fact, it is
Fidel Castro has most certainly been a controversial dictator during his reign in Cuba. His regime has made quite the infamous name for itself during the sixties. When news spread of his, for some, long anticipated death, some were riddled with joy and took to the streets with celebration. Others were solemn for the fall of an impactful leader. However, no one could deny that he left a legacy. Majority of what we hear about Fidel Castro in the United States is negative, seeing that Fidel ousted United States backed dictator Batista and positioned himself against the United States throughout much of his time in power. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Fidel has done pretty indefensible things while in charge but he also is not totally devoid of
Cuban Dictator was overthrown by Fidel Castor. The main problem was that the United States
Fidel Castro was a man who had a target on his head. Lots of people from all over the world wanted him dead. Fidel Castro wasn’t a capitalist person, he was a Communist.
... the majority of which sought refuge in the United States. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba now stands at a crossroads. The battle cry has changed from “ Socialism or death to Resist, struggle and win” (Castro’s Cuba II). Hopefully, Castro and/or Cuba will not be forced into a market-based economy and all the materialistic commodities that go along with capitalism. In my opinion, Castro should hold out for as long as possible griping to the former battle cry “Socialism or death”. Only time will tell what the fate of Castro’s Cuba will be. Trade might once again flourish the economy, tourism might open up new economic opportunities and foreign investments from Italy, France and Spain could possibly dig Cuba out the current economic hole it’s in. Until then however, the battle against capitalism must not lose any of its vigor.
...tals.Cuba’s exporting dropped substantially due to the global economic downturn. Having low exporting rates called for huge losses in infrastructure and economy. Cuba’s previous investments in human development through past decisions have made for a great workforce. The problem is the economy’s insufficiency hasn’t been able to make good use of the this great work force. Because of Cuba’s commitment to education, health and a stable government, they have the potential for future growth as a country.
However, the US played a much larger role in Cuba’s past and present than the building of casinos and the introduction of the first taints of corruption. In the past, even before Batista, Americans were resented by Cubans because the Americans made a lot of Cuba’s decisions. Under Batista, 80% of Cuban imports came from the US, and the US controlled at least 50% of sugar, utilities, phones and railroads. If Cuba was a business in the stock markets, then the US would have been close to owning 50% of its shares. When combined with a long history of US-backed leaders, and US involvement, it is understandable that Cubans begrudged the Americans....
Among those leaders, Fidel Castro is the most influential one. Fidel Castro as the former revolutionary leader, in 1959, he took his brother Raul Castro and Che Guevara, led the people in Cuba overturn the Batistuta dictatorship that supported by United States. In many decades, United States was unhappy about Cuba, which lead by Castro, and set the blockade and embargo towards Cuba. Fidel Castro was so insist about revolution and never give in. He always wears the khaki military uniform in public to represent his determination as a revolutionary. In 1960s, the central intelligence agency (CIA) of America organized Cuban mercenaries several times to armed landing and tried to assassinate Castro, in order to change the revolutionary regime under Castro’s power. Castro once said that in his life, he has bee. Few years ago, the U.S former president Mr. Clinton mock ups him in a speech. He said that, “he is president of Cuba when I was in kindergarten, he is president when I was in elementary school, he is president when I was in high school, he is present when I was in college, he is president when I was campaign for America president, and he is still present when I no longer be the president of America”. Fidel Castro is such a leader who never afraid of being assassinating and so determine about revolution in