How Did Fidel Castro Influence The Cuban Revolution

“Men do not shape destiny. Destiny produces the man for the hour” (“Fidel Castro Quotes”). Fidel Castro, former Prime Minister and President of Cuba, certainly felt that the fate of his country had led him to become one of the most influential figures to ever live, especially during the 1960s. During this era, he defiantly became the youngest leader in the Western Hemisphere, and, whether viewed as beneficial or negligent, he unquestionably altered and impacted Cuba’s politics, economics, and social status. He was able to transform and forever change the nation’s relationships with the United States, Soviet Union, and other distant countries. The late and exceedingly controversial Cuban revolutionist and politician, Fidel Castro, left a lasting

Dreadful conditions in the country became widespread and existent during this era when, “Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973), an oppressive dictator, a leader who uses force and terror to maintain control, ruled Cuba” (“Castro, Fidel” 82-91). As stated by professor Marjorie Cohn, Batista came to power illegally in 1952 through a sudden and violent takeover of the Cuban government known as a “coup d'état.” Under his rule, unemployment skyrocketed, government corruption became prevalent, and Cuban citizens felt oppressed. However, even though most citizens of his own country despised him, Batista held and maintained a friendly relationship with the U.S. due to Cuba’s economic reliance on the U.S. and their influence over Cuba’s sugar and oil industries. Due to Cuba’s dependent economy, it suffered from a substantial maldistribution of wealth (“Castro, Fidel” 82-91). This means that the majority of Cuban citizens were terribly poor and impecunious. Only one year after experiencing Batista’s ruthless and tyrannical rule, Cubans and the country of Cuba itself were ready for a change, and not just a small change, but a

In one of his final efforts to hold off Castro and his rebels, Batista tried to end the revolution for good through the use of massive air bombings and naval attacks, but the guerillas countered the attacks, took over the capital of Havana, and established a provisional government on January 1, 1959. In the early morning of that same day, Batista fled the country to the Dominican Republic (“Fidel Castro” History). Castro and his rag-tag group of soldiers overcame insurmountable odds by defeating and seizing control over Cuba, and, as a matter of fact, the article “Fidel Castro” states, “Castro’s force of 800 guerrillas had defeated the Cuban government’s 30,000-man professional army.” After the rebellious defeat and overthrow of Batista, Castro was instantly named commander in chief of armed forces, and, in February of 1959, Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister. He found himself mostly supported by the Cuban population as he envisioned a reformed Cuba, where he would guarantee his people that he would restore a pre-Batista constitution, implement an honest government, pass common reforms, and restore civil and political rights. In addition, Castro wanted to limit Cuba’s dependence on the U.S. (“Fidel Castro”). The question, however, was if Castro would come through on these promises, which is something Cubans would discover in