Castro, Fidel (1926–)

Fidel Castro Ruz has indelibly marked the political history of Cuba, Latin America, and the Third World in the second half of the 20th century. The leader of the Cuban revolutionary process and founder of the first socialist state in the Americas, Castro has distinguished himself in defending the rights of his people and opposing the imperialistic policies of the U.S. government. A leader of the Non-Aligned Movement and at the forefront of the Cuban Revolution, he has contributed substantially to the development of national liberation in Latin America, solidarity with the people of Vietnam and Indochina, the struggle for the decolonization of Africa, the defense of progressive political processes in the Americas, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

He was born on August 13, 1926, on a farm called Birán, part of the township of Mayarí (in the old province of Oriente, today known as Holguín). He is the third of seven children from the second marriage of Angel Castro Argiz, an emigrant from the peninsula, who was a well-established sugarcane farmer.

Known as a brilliant student, an enthusiastic athlete, and a gifted and original orator who loved to debate in the lecture halls and who radiated leadership potential, Fidel was, by the late 1940s, the guiding force of the Federation of University Students. Later, as a young politician in the vanguard of the nationalist group Pueblo Cubano, he fought Cuban administrative government corruption.

During this time, Fidel was an avid reader of the work of José Martí where he found the political elements necessary to inspire him to fight for the unfinished goal that the Cuban national hero had sought: a democratic and revolutionary republic. Also at this [Page 297]time, he began reading socialist literature and was exposed to Marxist writings. As a proponent of Martí's philosophy, he was a nationalist and ardent anti-imperialist who viewed the neocolonial domination of the United States in Cuba and Latin America as an insult. As a result, he actively participated in solidarity work, the Puerto Rican independence movement, and a group he served as president for, Pro Independencia Dominicana. Between July and September 1947, Fidel was part of a failed expedition to the Dominican Republic to destroy the dictatorship of Rafael Ieónida Trujillo. Later he helped organize an anti-imperialist continental student congress. In 1950, Fidel Castro received a law degree and opened a law office, but his professional activities were aimed at defending laborers and the poor.

During the disturbances of May 10, Castro was able to recruit a contingent of young patriots to capture the Moncada Barracks, the second most important military installation in the country. The spectacular attack on the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953, failed for unforeseeable reasons, but in spite of this military failure, the movement led by Castro achieved a huge following among the masses and demonstrated the very real possibility of organizing a struggle to reestablish the constitutional mandate. The dictatorship, for its part, tortured and killed many of the captured combatants. Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison; his argument in self-defense was “History will absolve me.” This was to become the rallying cry, an anti-Batista political force that resulted in amnesty for Castro in 1955 and his exile to Mexico. In Mexico, he organized an armed expedition with which he returned to Cuba on December 2, 1956.

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