Fidel Castro: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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===University and early political activism: 1945–1947===
[[File:U of Havana 1930.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The [[University of Havana]] in 1930.]]
In late 1945, Castro began studying law at the [[University of Havana]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=13}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=19}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=16}}; {{harvnb|Castro and Ramonet|2009|pp=91–92}}.</ref> Admitting he was "politically illiterate", he became embroiled in the student protest movement: under the regimes of Cuban Presidents [[Gerardo Machado]], [[Fulgencio Batista]] and [[Ramón Grau]] there had been a crackdown on protest, with student leaders being killed or terrorized by gangs.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=9–10}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=20, 22}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=16–17}}; {{harvnb|Castro and Ramonet|2009|pp=91–93}}.</ref> This led to a form of ''gangsterismo'' culture within the university, dominated by armed student groups who spent much of their time fighting and running criminal enterprises.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=34–35}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=23}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=18}}.</ref> Passionate about [[anti-imperialism]] and opposing U.S. intervention in the Caribbean, Castro joined the University Committee for the [[Puerto Rican independence movement|Independence of Puerto Rico]] and the Committee for Democracy in the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=20}}.</ref> Unsuccessfully campaigning for the presidency of the Federation of University Students (''Federación Estudiantíl Universitaria'' - FEU), he put forward a platform of "honesty, decency and justice" and emphasized his opposition to corruption, associating it with U.S. involvement in Cuba.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=32–33}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=18–19}}.</ref>
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Castro founded a legal partnership with two fellow leftists, Jorge Azpiazu and Rafael Resende, focusing on helping poor Cubans assert their rights. A financial failure, its main client was a timber merchant who paid them in timber to furnish their office.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=57–58}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=318}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=51–52}}.</ref> Caring little for money or material goods, Castro failed to pay his bills; his furniture was repossessed and electricity cut off, distressing his wife.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=31}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=52–53}}.</ref> He took part in a high-school protest in [[Cienfuegos]] in November 1950, fighting a four-hour battle with police in protest at the Education Ministry's ban on the founding of student associations. Arrested and charged for violent conduct, the magistrate dismissed the charges.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 53">{{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=53}}.</ref> He also became an active member of the Cuban Peace Committee, campaigning against western involvement in the [[Korean War]].<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 53"/> His hopes for Cuba still centered around [[Eduardo Chibás]] and the ''[[Partido Ortodoxo]]''; however Chibás had made a mistake when he accused Education Minister Aureliano Sánchez of purchasing a Guatemalan ranch with misappropriated funds, but was unable to substantiate his allegations. The government accused Chibás of being a liar, and in 1951 he shot himself during a radio broadcast, issuing a "last wake-up call" to the Cuban people. Castro was present and accompanied him to the hospital where he died.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=58–59}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=46, 53–55}}; {{harvnb|Castro and Ramonet|2009|pp=85–87}}; {{harvnb|Von Tunzelmann|2011|p=44}}.</ref>
[[File:BatistaDC1938.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|left|Castro intended to overthrow the presidency of General [[Fulgencio Batista]] (left, with [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|U.S. Army Chief of staff]] [[Malin Craig]]).]]
Seeing himself as the heir to Chibás, Castro wanted to run for Congress in the June 1952 elections. Senior ''Ortodoxo'' members feared his radical reputation and refused to nominate him; instead he was nominated as a candidate for the House of Representatives by party members in Havana's poorest districts, and began campaigning.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=56–57, 62–63}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=36}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=55–56}}.</ref> The ''Ortodoxo'' gained a considerable level of support and was predicted to do well in the election.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=33–34}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=57}}.</ref>
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Over the following days, the rebels were rounded up, with some being executed and others – including Castro – transported to a prison north of Santiago.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=86}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=86}}.</ref> Believing Castro incapable of planning the attack alone, the government accused ''Ortodoxo'' and PSP politicians of involvement, putting 122 defendants on trial on September 21 at the Palace of Justice, Santiago.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=91}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=57}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=87}}.</ref> Although censored from reporting on it, journalists were permitted to attend, which proved an embarrassment for the Batista administration. Acting as his own defense council, Castro convinced the 3 judges to overrule the army's decision to keep all defendants handcuffed in court, proceeding to argue that the charge with which they were accused – of 'organizing an uprising of armed persons against the Constitutional Powers of the State' – was incorrect, for they had risen up against Batista, who had seized power in an unconstitutional manner. When asked who was the intellectual author of the attack, Castro claimed that it was the long deceased national icon José Martí, quoting Martí's works that justified uprisings.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=91–92}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=57–59}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=88}}.</ref>
The trial revealed that the army had tortured suspects, utilizing castration and the gouging out of eyes; the judges agreed to investigate these crimes, embarrassing the army, which tried unsuccessfully to prevent Castro from testifying any further, claiming he was too ill to leave his cell.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=58}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=88–89}}.</ref> The trial ended on October 5, with the acquittal of most defendants; 55 were sentenced to prison terms of between 7 months and 13 years. Castro was sentenced separately, on October 16, during which he delivered a speech that would be printed under the title of ''[[History Will Absolve Me]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=93}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=59}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=90}}.</ref> Although the maximum penalty for leading an uprising was a 20 years, Castro was sentenced to 15, being imprisoned in the hospital wing of the Model Prison (''[[Presidio Modelo]]''), a relatively comfortable and modern institution on the [[Isla de la Juventud|Isla de Pinos]], 60 miles off of Cuba's southwest coast.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=93}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=58–60}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=91–92}}.</ref>
===Imprisonment and the 26th of July Movement: 1953–1955===
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===Mexico and guerrilla training: 1955–1956===
[[File:Raulche2.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|Fidel's brother [[Raúl Castro]] (left) and Argentine friend [[Che Guevara]] (right). As Castro would later relate: "[Che] distinguished himself in so many ways, through so many fine qualities... As a man, as an extraordinary human being. He was also a person of great culture, a person of great intelligence. And with military qualities as well. Che was a doctor who became a soldier without ceasing for a single minute to be a doctor."<ref>{{harvnb|Castro and Ramonet|2009|p=177}}.</ref>]]
In 1955, bombings and violent demonstrations led to a crackdown on dissent; Castro was placed under protective armed guard by supporters, before he and Raúl fled the country. MR-26-7 members remaining in Cuba were left to prepare cells for revolutionary action and await Castro's return.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=109–111}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=85}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=101}}.</ref> He sent a letter to the press, declaring that he was "leaving Cuba because all doors of peaceful struggle have been closed to me. Six weeks after being released from prison I am convinced more than ever of the dictatorship's intention, masked in many ways, to remain in power for twenty years, ruling as now by the use of terror and crime and ignoring the patience of the Cuban people, which has its limits. As a follower of Martí, I believe the hour has come to take our rights and not beg for them, to fight instead of pleading for them."<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=111}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=86}}.</ref> The Castros and several comrades traveled to Mexico, which had a long history of offering asylum to leftist exiles.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=112}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=88}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=102}}.</ref> Here, Raúl befriended an Argentine doctor and Marxist-Leninist named [[Che Guevara|Ernesto "Che" Guevara]], a proponent of [[guerrilla warfare]] keen to join Cuba's Revolution. Fidel liked him, later describing him as "a more advanced revolutionary than I was."<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=115–117}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=96–98}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=102–103}}; {{harvnb|Castro and Ramonet|2009|pp=172–173}}.</ref> Castro also associated with the Spaniard [[Alberto Bayo]], a [[Second Spanish Republic|Republican]] veteran of the [[Spanish Civil War]]; Bayo agreed to teach Fidel's rebels the necessary skills in guerrilla warfare, clandestinely meeting them at [[Chapultepec]] for training.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=114}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=105–106}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=104–105}}.</ref>
Requiring funding, Castro toured the U.S. in search of wealthy sympathizers; Prío contributed $100,000. Castro was monitored by Batista's agents, who allegedly orchestrated a failed assassination and bribed Mexican police to arrest the rebels; with the support of several Mexican politicians, they were soon released.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=117–118, 124}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=101–102, 108–114}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=105–110}}.</ref> Castro kept in contact with the MR-26-7 in Cuba, where they had gained a large support base in Oriente.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=111–124}};{{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=104}}.</ref> Other militant anti-Batista groups had sprung up, primarily from the student movement; most notable was the Revolutionary Directorate (DR), founded by the Federation of University Students (FEU) President [[José Antonio Echevarría]]. Antonio traveled to [[Mexico City]] to meet with Castro, but they disagreed on tactics; Castro opposed the student's policy of supporting indiscriminate assassinations.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=122, 12–130}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=102–104, 114–116}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=109}}.</ref>
Purchasing a decrepit yacht, the ''[[Granma (yacht)|Granma]]'', on 25 November 1956 Castro set sail from [[Tuxpan, Veracruz|Tuxpan]], [[Veracruz]], with 81 revolutionaries, armed with 90 rifles, 3 machine guns, around 40 pistols and 2 hand-held anti-tank guns.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=132–133}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=115}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=110–112}}.</ref> The 1,200 mile crossing to Cuba was harsh, and in the overcrowded conditions of the ship, many suffered [[seasickness]], and food supplies ran low. At some points they had to bail water caused by a leak, and at another a man fell overboard, delaying their journey.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=134}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=113}}.</ref> The plan had been for the crossing to take 5 days, and on the ''Granma''’s scheduled day of arrival, 30 November, MR-26-7 members under [[Frank Pais]] led an armed uprising against government buildings in Santiago, Manzanillo and several other towns. However, the ''Granma''’s journey ultimately lasted 7 days, and with Castro and his men unable to provide reinforcements, Pais and his militants dispersed after two days of intermittent attacks.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=134–135}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=119–126}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=113}}.</ref>
===Guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra: 1956–1958===
[[File:2012-02-Sierra Maestra Turquino Nationalpark Kuba 01 anagoria.JPG|thumb|left|The thickly forested mountain range of the [[Sierra Maestra]], from where Castro and his revolutionaries led guerrilla attacks against Batista's forces for two years. Castro biographer [[Robert E. Quirk]] noted that there was "no better place to hide" in all the island.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=126}}.</ref>]]
The ''Granma'' crash-landed in a [[mangrove swamp]] at Playa Las Coloradas, close to [[Los Cayuelos]], on 2 December 1956. Within several hours they were bombarded from a naval vessel; fleeing inland, they headed for the forested mountain range of Oriente's [[Sierra Maestra]].<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=135}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=122–125}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=114}}.</ref> At daybreak on 5 December they were attacked by a detachment of Batista's Rural Guard; the rebels scattered, making their journey to the Sierra Maestra in small groups.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=136}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=114–115}}.</ref> Upon arrival, Castro discovered that of the 82 rebels who had arrived on the ''Granma'', only 19 had made it to their destination, the rest having been killed or captured.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=125–126}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=114–117}}.</ref>
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===Soviet support and U.S. opposition: 1960===
[[File:CheLaCoubreMarch.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Castro (far left), [[Che Guevara]] (center), and other leading revolutionaries, marching through the streets in protest ofat the [[La Coubre explosion]], 5 March 1960.]]
By 1960, the [[Cold War]] raged between two superpowers: the United States, a [[capitalism|capitalist]] [[liberal democracy]], and the Soviet Union (USSR), a Marxist-Leninist socialist state ruled by the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]]. Expressing contempt for the U.S., Castro shared the ideological views of the USSR, establishing relations with several Marxist-Leninist states.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=202}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=296}}.</ref> Meeting with Soviet [[First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union|First Deputy Premier]] [[Anastas Mikoyan]], Castro agreed to provide the USSR with sugar, fruit, fibers, and hides, in return for crude oil, fertilizers, industrial goods, and a $100 million loan.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=189–190, 198–199}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=292–296}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=170–172}}.</ref> Cuba's government ordered the country's refineries – then controlled by the U.S. corporations [[Shell Oil Company|Shell]], [[Esso]] and [[Standard Oil]] – to process Soviet oil, but under pressure from the U.S. government, they refused. Castro responded by expropriating and [[nationalization|nationalizing]] the refineries. In retaliation, the U.S. cancelled its import of Cuban sugar, provoking Castro to nationalize most U.S.-owned assets on the island, including banks and sugar mills.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=205–206}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=316–319}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=173}}.</ref>
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Relations between Cuba and the U.S. were further strained following the explosion of a French vessel, the ''[[Le Coubre]]'', in Havana harbor in March 1960. Carrying weapons purchased from Belgium, the cause of the explosion was never determined, but Castro publicly insinuated that the U.S. government were guilty of sabotage. He ended this speech with "''¡Patria o Muerte!''" ("Fatherland or Death"), a proclamation that he made much use of in ensuing years.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=201–202}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=302}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=172}}.</ref> Inspired by their earlier success with the [[1954 Guatemalan coup d'état]], on 17 March 1960, U.S. President Eisenhower secretly authorized the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) to overthrow Castro's government. Providing them with a budget of $13 million, he permitted them to ally with the [[Mafia]], who were aggrieved that Castro's government closed down their businesses in Cuba.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=202, 211–213}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=272–273}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=172–173}}.</ref> On 13 October 1960, the U.S. prohibited the majority of exports to Cuba, initiating [[United States embargo against Cuba|an economic embargo]]. In retaliation, INRA took control of 383 private-run businesses on 14 October, and on 25 October a further 166 U.S. companies operating in Cuba had their premises seized and nationalized.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=214}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|p=177}}.</ref> On 16 December, the U.S. ended its import quota of Cuban sugar, the country's primary export.<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|p=215}}.</ref>
[[File:Fidel Castro - UN General Assembly 1960.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Castro at the [[United Nations General Assembly]] in 1960.]]
In September 1960, Castro flew to New York City for the [[General Assembly of the United Nations]]. Offended by the attitude of the elite Shelburne Hotel, he and his entourage stayed at the cheap, run-down [[Hotel Theresa]] in the impoverished area of [[Harlem]], meeting with journalists and anti-establishment figures like [[Malcolm X]]. Also visited by the Soviet Premier [[Nikita Khruschev]], the two leaders publicly highlighted the poverty faced by U.S. citizens in areas like Harlem; Castro described New York as a "city of persecution" against black and poor Americans. Relations between Castro and Khrushchev were warm; they led the applause to one another's speeches at the General Assembly. Although Castro publicly denied being a socialist, Khrushchev informed his entourage that the Cuban would become "a beacon of Socialism in Latin America."<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=206–209}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=333–338}}; {{harvnb|Coltman|2003|pp=174–176}}.</ref> Subsequently visited by four other socialists, Polish First Secretary [[Władysław Gomułka]], Bulgarian Chairman [[Todor Zhivkov]], Egyptian President [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] and Indian Premier [[Jawaharlal Nehru]],<ref>{{harvnb|Bourne|1986|pp=209–210}}; {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=337}}.</ref> the [[Fair Play for Cuba Committee]] organized an evening's reception for Castro, attended by [[Allen Ginsburg]], [[Langston Hughes]], [[C. Wright Mills]] and [[I.F. Stone]].<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=339}}.</ref>
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===The Bay of Pigs Invasion: 1961===
[[File:CheyFidel.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Che Guevara]] (left) and Castro, photographed by [[Alberto Korda]] in 1961.]]
By January 1961, the U.S. Embassy in Havana had 300 staff, of whom 80% were believed by Castro to be spies. He ordered the Embassy to reduce its size to match that of the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. The U.S. response was to cut all diplomatic relations with Cuba, with the CIA increasing its support for militant dissidents in exile. Such dissident groups began attacking ships trading with Cuba, and organized raiding parties to destroy Cuban factories and sugar mills in an attempt to disrupt the island's economy.<ref name="Bourne 1986. pp. 215-216">[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. pp. 215–216.</ref><ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 178.</ref> Under the Eisenhower administration, the CIA had organized a plan to invade Cuba using exiled Cuban dissidents – unified as the "Democratic Revolutionary Front" – thereby avoiding international condemnation. Following the election of Democratic Party nominee [[John F. Kennedy]] as U.S. President in 1961, the CIA gained his support for continuing with the plan, which would result in the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]] of April 1961. Brigade 2506, made up of around 1,400 Cuban dissidents, divided into five infantry and one paratrooper battalions, had assembled in [[Guatemala]], a U.S. ally, before being transported to another pro-U.S. state, [[Nicaragua]], from which they set off aboard seven ships toward Cuba on 13 April. On 15 April, eight CIA-supplied [[Douglas A-26 Invader|B-26]] bombers took off from Nicaragua and bombed three Cuban military airfields, damaging runways and fighter planes, as well as killing 7 and injuring 52. The U.S. government immediately proclaimed that the bombers had belonged to Cuba's air force and had been commandeered by dissidents who wanted to defect to the U.S.; in retaliation, Castro publicly went on state television to denounce their claims, providing evidence to expose their misinformation.<ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 217-220">[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. pp. 217–220.</ref><ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 178–179.</ref>
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===Foreign wars and NAM Presidency: 1975–1979===
[[File:Lobito Lighthouse 1995.jpg|thumb|right|Castro's image painted onto a now-destroyed lighthouse in [[Lobito]], [[Angola]], 1995.]]
On November 4, 1975, President Castro ordered the deployment of Cuban troops to the southern African state of [[Angola]], in order to aid the Marxist [[MPLA]] in the [[Angolan Civil War]]. The two opposition forces, the [[National Liberation Front of Angola|FLNA]] and [[National Union for Total Independence of Angola|UNITA]], had the backing of the United States and [[South Africa]], the latter of whom feared that a Marxist-governed Angola would threaten their rule in neighboring Namibia. Initially providing the MPLA with 230 military advisers, South Africa subsequently sent between 5,000 and 10,000 troops into Angola in support of [[UNITA]], causing Castro to respond with 18,000 Cuban troops. The Cubans played a major role in forcing the South Africans into retreat and securing [[MPLA]]'s hold over [[Luanda]].<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 281, 284–287.</ref><ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 242–243.</ref> Considering Africa to be "the weakest link in the imperialist chain", Castro celebrated his success in Angola with Angolan President [[Agostinho Neto]], Guinean President [[Sékou Touré]] and Guinea-Bissaun President [[Luís Cabral]], together agreeing to support the [[FRELIMO|communist government]] of Mozambique from the threat of the rebel army [[RENAMO]] in the [[Mozambique Civil War]].<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 243.</ref> Heading north in February, Castro visited his allies in Algeria and then Libya, where he spent ten days in the company of friend and ally Muammar Gadaffi. Moving on to talks with [[Yemeni Socialist Party|the Marxist government]] of [[South Yemen]], he then traveled to Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Angola, being greeted by crowds as a hero for Cuba's role in opposing the apartheid government of South Africa.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 243–244.</ref>
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By the start of the 1980s, the Cuban economy was again in trouble, following a decline in the price of sugar on the open market and a decimated harvest following 1979's bad weather and plant infestations.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 250.</ref><ref name="Gott 2004. p. 288">[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. p. 288.</ref> Increasing numbers of Cubans began hijacking boats and fleeing toward Florida, enticed by the wealth and consumer goods of the U.S.; Castro labelled such individuals traitorous "scum".<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 250–251.</ref> In one incident, 10,000 Cubans eager to leave had stormed the Peruvian Embassy requesting asylum, embarrassing both the Peruvian and Cuban authorities. The U.S. agreed that it would accept 3,500 Cuban refugees, with Castro conceding that those who wanted to leave could do so from the port of Mariel. Hundreds of boats arrived from the U.S., leading to a mass exodus of 120,000; Castro's government took advantage of the situation by unloading criminals and the mentally ill onto the boats destined for Florida.<ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 295">[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 295.</ref><ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 251–252.</ref> The Cuban government were desperate for money to boost the economy and fund its internationalist ambitions, in doing so turning to almost any economic transaction, however un-socialist. They began secretly selling off paintings from the national collections on the international market and illicitly traded to obtain U.S. electronic goods through Panama.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 255">[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 255.</ref> Castro became passionate in his denunciation of the Third World debt problem, arguing that the Third World would never escape the debt that the First World banks and governments had imposed upon it. In 1985 alone Havana hosted five international conferences on the world debt problem.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 255"/>
[[File:Reagan and Gorbachev hold discussions.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|[[U.S. President]] [[Reagan]] and [[Soviet Premier]] [[Gorbachev]] were the two major players on the world stage in the 1980s, and would heavily affect Castro's governance of Cuba.]]
In 1980, the Republican Party nominee [[Ronald Reagan]] was elected to the U.S. Presidency, pursuing a hard line approach against Castro,<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 296.</ref><ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 252">[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 252.</ref> and by 1981, Castro was accusing the U.S. of undertaking biological warfare against Cuba.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 252"/> Although he despised the [[National Reorganization Process|right wing military junta]] in Argentina, Castro supported them in the 1982 [[Falklands War]] against the British, whom he viewed as an imperialist aggressor, even offering military aid to the Argentinians, although British forces had won the war before this ever materialized.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 253.</ref> Castro had also been supportive of the leftist [[New Jewel Movement]] that had seized power in [[Grenada]] in 1979, sending in doctors, teachers, and technicians to aid the country's development, and befriending the Grenadine Marxist president, [[Maurice Bishop]]. When Bishop was murdered in a Soviet-backed coup by hardline Marxist [[Bernard Coard]] in October 1983, Castro cautiously continued supporting the Grenadine government, which remained Marxist. However, the U.S. and six Caribbean nations opposed the coup as a basis for [[Invasion of Grenada (1983)|invading the island and overthrowing the government]]; with Cuban soldiers dying in the fighting. Castro denounced the invasion and compared the U.S. to [[Nazi Germany]], with condemnation also coming from the Soviet Union and the U.N. General Assembly.<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 297.</ref><ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 253–254.</ref> Subsequently fearing a U.S. invasion of Nicaragua, Castro sent General Ochoa to help train the governing Sandinistas in the tactics of guerrilla warfare, but received little support from the Soviet Union.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 254–255.</ref>
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Castro recognised the need for reform if Cuban socialism was to survive in a world now dominated by capitalist free markets. In October 1991, the Fourth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party was held in Santiago, at which a number of important changes to the government were announced. Castro would step down as head of government, to be replaced by the much younger [[Carlos Lage]], although would remain the head of the Communist Party and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Many older members of government were to be retired and replaced by younger counterparts. A number of economic changes were proposed, and subsequently put to a national referendum. Free farmers' markets and small-scale private enterprises would be legalised in an attempt to stimulate economic growth, while U.S. dollars were also made legal tender. Certain restrictions on emigration were eased, allowing more discontented Cuban citizens to move to the United States. Further democratisation was to be brought in by having the National Assembly's members elected directly by the people, rather than through municipal and provincial assemblies. Castro welcomed debate between proponents and opponents of the reforms, although over time began to increasingly sympathise with the opponent's positions, arguing that such reforms must be delayed.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 276–281, 284, 287.</ref><ref>[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. pp. 291–294.</ref>
[[File:Nelson Mandela-2008 (edit).jpg|upright|thumb|right|[[South African presidentPresident]] [[Nelson Mandela]] was highly supportive of Cuba's military and humanitarian work in Africa, personally thanking Castro for his role in helping to topple [[apartheid]].]]
Castro's government decided to diversify its economy from sugar production, focusing on the development of [[biotechnology]] and also on tourism, the latter of which overtook the island's sugar industry as its primary source of revenue in 1995.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 288.</ref><ref>[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. pp. 290, 322.</ref> The arrival of thousands of tourists from Mexico and Spain led to an increasing number of young Cubans turning to prostitution; although officially illegal, Castro refrained from bringing a full crack down on these prostitutes, fearing a political backlash.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 294.</ref> Economic hardship led many Cubans to turn towards religion, both in the forms of [[Roman Catholicism]] and the syncretic faith of [[Santeria]]. Although he had long considered religious belief to be backward, Castro softened his approach to the Church and religious institutions, recognising the psychological comfort it could bring, and religious people were permitted for the first time to join the Communist Party.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 278, 294–295.</ref><ref>[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. p. 309.</ref> Although viewing the [[Roman Catholic Church]] as a reactionary, pro-capitalist institution, Castro decided to organise a visit to Cuba by [[Pope John Paul II]], which took place in January 1998; ultimately, it strengthened the position of both the Church in Cuba, and Castro's government.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 309–311.</ref><ref>[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. pp. 306–310.</ref>
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===The Pink Tide: 2000–2006===
{{Expand section|date=October 2012|Information on Cuba's increasingly good relationship with the Pink Tide and its co-founding of ALBA}}
{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|bgcolor=#ACE1AF|quote="As I have said before, the ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry but they cannot kill ignorance, illnesses, poverty or hunger."|source=— Fidel Castro's speech at the [[International Conference on Financing for Development]], 2002 <ref>[http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/discursos/2002/ing/f210302i.html Speech by Fidel Castro to the International Conference on Financing and Development, Monterrey, March 21, 2002]</ref>}}
[[File:Lula anda Castro9822.jpeg|thumb|right|Castro meeting with center-left [[Brazilian President]] [[Lula da Silva]], a significant "[[Pink Tide]]" leader.]]
At the start of the 21st century, Castro's Cuba was still mired in the economic problems of its "Special Period". However, Castro would be offered a "political godsend" in the form of Venezuelan President [[Hugo Chávez]] (1954–2013). A former army general who represented the [[Fifth Republic Movement]], Chávez was elected to the Presidency of Venezuela in 1999. A [[democratic socialism|democratic socialist]], Chavez began a program of nationalizing much of the country's lucrative oil industry and made use of fiercely anti-U.S. rhetoric.<ref name="Kozloff 2008. p. 24">[[#Koz08|Kozloff 2008]]. p. 24.</ref> First having met in 1994, Castro would later attend Chávez's presidential inauguration, before they began discussing greater economic links between the two nations. In 2000, Castro and Chávez signed an agreement through which Cuba would send 20,000 medics to Venezuela, in return receiving 53,000 barrels of oil per day at preferential rates; in 2004, this trade was stepped up, with Cuba sending 40,000 medics and Venezuela providing 90,000 barrels a day.<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. pp. 213–215.</ref><ref>[[#Koz08|Kozloff 2008]]. pp. 23–24.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last = Morris
|first = Ruth
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|url = http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sun_sentinel/access/943180711.html?dids=943180711:943180711&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+18%2C+2005&author=Ruth+Morris+Havana+Bureau&pub=South+Florida+Sun+-+Sentinel&edition=&startpage=1.A&desc=CUBA%27S+DOCTORS+RESUSCITATE+ECONOMY+AID+MISSIONS+MAKE+MONEY%2C+NOT+JUST+ALLIES
|title = Cuba's Doctors Resuscitate Economy Aid Missions Make Money, Not Just Allies
|publisher=[[Sun-Sentinel.com]]
|accessdate=December 28, 2006
}}</ref> That same year, Castro initiated ''Mision Milagro'', a joint medical project between Cuba and Venezuela which aimed to provide free eye operations on 300,000 individuals from each nation.<ref>[[#Koz08|Kozloff 2008]]. p. 21.</ref> The alliance provided a great boost to the Cuban economy, and in May 2005, Castro doubled the minimum wage for 1.6 million workers, raised pensions and delivered new kitchen appliances to the island's poorest residents.<ref name="Kozloff 2008. p. 24"/> Some economic problems did however remain; during 2004, Castro shut down 118 factories, including steel plants, sugar mills and paper processors to compensate for the crisis due to fuel shortages.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 30, 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3702784.stm |title=Cuba to shut plants to save power |publisher=[[BBC News ]] |accessdate=May 20, 2006}}</ref>
[[Evo Morales]] of [[Bolivia]] has described him as "the grandfather of all Latin American revolutionaries".<ref>{{cite news|work=Der Spiegel|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,434272,00.html|title=Spiegel interview with Bolivia's Evo Morales|date=August 28, 2006|accessdate=August 12, 2009}}</ref> In contrast to the improved relations between Cuba and a number of leftist Latin American states, in 2004 it broke off diplomatic ties with Panama after centrist President [[Mireya Moscoso]] pardoned four Cuban exiles accused of attempting to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro in 2000; diplomatic ties were reinstalled in 2005 following the election of leftist President [[Martín Torrijos]].<ref name="Cuba and Panama restore relations">{{cite news |date=August 21, 2005 |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4170374.stm|title = Cuba and Panama restore relations|publisher=BBC News |accessdate =May 21, 2006 | first=Stephen | last=Gibbs}}</ref>
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{{See also|2006 Cuban transfer of presidential duties}}
[[File:20070129-Fidelcastro-massforhealthatbogota.jpg|thumb|right|Poster advertising a mass to pray for Castro's health that was posted on a wall in [[Bogotá]], Colombia, in 2007.]]
On July 31, 2006, Castro delegated all his duties to Raúl; the transfer was described as a temporary measure while Fidel recovered from surgery for an "acute intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding".<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html Reaction Mixed to Castro's Turnover of Power]. PBS. August 1, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2011-03-22/my-shoes-are-too-tight/ |title=My Shoes Are Too Tight |author=Castro, Fidel |publisher=Juventud Rebelde |date=March 22, 2011 |accessdate=April 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-22/world/cuba.castro.party_1_raul-castro-cuban-people-cuba-plans?_s=PM:WORLD |title=Castro says he resigned as Communist Party chief 5 years ago |publisher=CNN |date=March 22, 2011 |accessdate=April 14, 2011}}</ref> In February 2007, Raúl announced that Fidel's health was improving and that he was taking part in important issues of government.<ref name="NewsMax">"[http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/2/9/220202.shtml Raul Castro Thinks Fidel Improving]". [[Associated Press]], February 10, 2007.</ref> Later that month, Fidel called into Hugo Chávez's radio show ''[[Aló Presidente]]'',<ref>{{cite news| last =Pretel | first =Enrique Andres | date =February 28, 2007 | url =http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/02/28/idUSN27428997 | title =Cuba's Castro says recovering, sounds stronger | publisher=Reuters | accessdate =April 28, 2012
}}</ref> and in April, Chávez told press that Castro was "almost totally recovered".<ref>{{cite news| last =Pearson| first =Natalie Obiko| year =2007 | month =April 13 | url =http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8OFU0O80&show_article=1 | title =Venezuela: Ally Castro Recovering | agency=Associated Press | accessdate =April 13, 2007 }}</ref> On April 21, Castro met [[Wu Guanzheng]] of the [[Chinese Communist Party]]'s [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China|Politburo]],<ref>{{cite news| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6578539.stm| title =Castro resumes official business |publisher=BBC News| accessdate =April 21, 2007 |date=April 21, 2007}}</ref> with Chávez visiting in August,<ref>[[#Mar07|Marcano and Tyszka 2007]]. p. 287.</ref> and Morales in September.<ref>[[#Siv08|Sivak 2008]]. p. 52.</ref> As a comment on Castro's recovery, U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] said: "One day the good Lord will take Fidel Castro away". Hearing about this, the atheist Castro ironically replied: "Now I understand why I survived Bush's plans and the plans of other presidents who ordered my assassination: the good Lord protected me." The quote would subsequently be picked up on by the world's media.<ref>{{cite news | year =2007 | month =June 28
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===Political ideology and religious beliefs===
{{Main|Politics of Fidel Castro|Castroism}}
[[File:Marx Engels Lenin.svg|thumb|Castro is a Marxist-Leninist, following the theories about the nature of society put forward by [[Marx]], [[Engels]] and [[Lenin]] (left to right).]]
Castro has proclaimed himself to be "a Socialist, a [[Marxism|Marxist]], and a [[Leninism|Leninist]]".<ref>[[#Cas09|Castro and Ramonet 2009]]. p. 157.</ref> Also a keen proponent of Cuban nationalism, historian [[Richard Gott]] remark that one of the keys to Castro's success was in his ability to utilize the "twin themes of socialism and nationalism" and keep them "endlessly in play."<ref name="Gott 2004. p. 149">[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. p. 149.</ref> Castro describes [[Karl Marx]] and Cuban nationalist [[José Martí]] as his main political influences,<ref>[[#Cas09|Castro and Ramonet 2009]]. pp. 101–102.</ref> although Gott believed that ultimately Martí remained more important than Marx in Castro's politics.<ref name="Gott 2004. p. 149"/> Castro described Martí's political ideas as "a philosophy of independence and an exceptional humanistic philosophy".<ref>[[#Cas09|Castro and Ramonet 2009]]. p. 147.</ref> Castro has taken a relatively [[social conservatism|socially conservative]] stance on many issues, opposing alcohol, drugs, gambling and prostitution, which he viewed as [[moral evil]]s. Instead he has advocated hard work, family values, integrity and self-discipline.<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 200.</ref>
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By his first wife [[Mirta Díaz-Balart]], whom he married on October 11, 1948, Castro has a son named Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, born on September 1, 1949. Díaz-Balart and Castro were divorced in 1955, and she remarried Emilio Núñez Blanco. After a spell in [[Madrid]], Díaz-Balart reportedly returned to Havana to live with Fidelito and his family.<ref>Ann Louise Bardach: ''Cuba Confidential''. p. 67. "One knowledgeable source claims that Mirta returned to Cuba in early 2002 and is now living with Fidelito and his family."</ref> Fidelito grew up in Cuba; for a time, he ran Cuba's atomic-energy commission before being removed from the post by his father.<ref name="anderson">Jon Lee Anderson, "Castro's Last Battle: Can the revolution outlive its leader?" The New Yorker, July 31, 2006. 51.</ref>
Fidel has five other sons by his second wife, Dalia Soto del Valle: Antonio, Alejandro, Alexis, Alexander "Alex" and Ángel Castro Soto del Valle.<ref name="anderson"/> While Fidel was married to Mirta, he had an affair with Natalia "Naty" Revuelta Clews, born in Havana in 1925 and married to Orlando Fernández, resulting in a daughter named [[Alina Fernández|Alina Fernández-Revuelta]].<ref name="anderson"/> Alina left Cuba in 1993, disguised as a Spanish tourist,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=2ef037b4-5f82-4283-b1fb-2cc9e2442977 |title=Cuba's first family not immune to political rift |accessdate=August 10, 2006 |last=Boadle |first=Anthony |date=August 8, 2006 |publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> and sought asylum in the United States. She has been critical of her father's policies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fernandez |first=Alina | authorlink = Alina Fernandez |title=Castro's Daughter, An Exile's Memoir of Cuba |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |year=1997 |isbn=031219308031224293X}}</ref> By an unnamed woman he had another son, Jorge Ángel Castro. Fidel has another daughter, Francisca Pupo (born 1953) the result of a one night affair. Pupo and her husband now live in Miami.<ref name="canf.org">Roberto Duarte [http://web.archive.org/web/20061210012059/http://www.canf.org/es/ENSAYOS/2003-dic-09-vida_secreta_del_tirano_castro.htm VIDA SECRETA DEL TIRANO CASTRO]. CANF.org. October 29, 2003
</ref><ref>''Cuba confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana'' By [[Ann Louise Bardach]]; Random House, Inc., 2002; ISBN 978-0-375-50489-1</ref> Castro often engaged in one night stands with women.<ref>[[#Qui93|Quirk 1993]]. p. 231.</ref>
His sister [[Juanita Castro]] has been living in the United States since the early 1960s. When she went into exile, she said "I cannot longer remain indifferent to what is happening in my country. My brothers Fidel and Raúl have made it an enormous prison surrounded by water. The people are nailed to a cross of torment imposed by international Communism."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871241-1,00.html| title=The Bitter Family (page 1 of 2)|work=Time[[TIME]]| date=July 10, 1964| accessdate=February 19, 2008}}</ref>
While in power, Castro's two closest male friends were the former Mayor of Havana Pepin Naranjo and his own personal physician, René Vallejo.<ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 201"/> From 1980 until his death in 1995, Naranjo headed Castro's team of advisers.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/dec/26/castro-adviser-66-dies-of-heart-attack/| title=Castro Adviser, 66, Dies Of Heart Attack| work=The Spokesman Review| date=December 26, 1995| accessdate=May 31, 2012}}</ref> He also had a deep friendship with fellow revolutionary [[Celia Sanchez]], who accompanied him almost everywhere during the 1960s, and controlled almost all access to the leader.<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. pp. 200–201.</ref> During the mid to late 1960s, Vallejo and Sanchez became his two closest companions.<ref name=vallechez>The Socialist Register 1989, NOTES ON THE CUBAN REVOLUTION, Saul Landau, pg. 296</ref> Vallejo, who served as his personal physician since 1958,<ref name=vallechez /> died in 1969.<ref name=vallechez /> Sanchez died in 1982.<ref name=vallechez /> Castro was also good friends with the Colombian poet [[Gabriel García Márquez]].<ref>[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 299.</ref>
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===Public image===
[[File:Castro sign.jpg|thumb|Cuban propaganda poster proclaiming a quote from Castro: "Luchar contra lo imposible y vencer" ("Fight against the impossible and win")]]
Unlike a number of other Soviet-era communist leaders, Castro's government did not intentionally construct a [[cult of personality]] around him, although his popularity among segments of the Cuban populace nevertheless led to one developing in the early years of his administration.<ref>[[#Qui93|Quirk 1993]]. p. 255.</ref><ref>[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. p. 325.</ref> By 2006, the [[BBC]] reported that Castro's image could frequently be found in Cuban stores, classrooms, taxicabs, and on national television.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4779529.stm |title=Americas | Ailing Castro still dominates Cuba |publisher=BBC News |date=August 11, 2006 |accessdate=January 13, 2010}}</ref> For 37 years, Castro publicly wore nothing but olive-green military fatigues, emphasizing his role as the perpetual revolutionary, but in a 1994 visit to the [[Ibero-American Conference]] in [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]], surprised assembled dignitaries by appearing in a ''[[guayabera]]''. Several months later he appeared in [[Paris]] wearing a dark civilian suit.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. pp. 303–304.</ref> This transition to business suits in later life has been attributed to the influence of his personal tailor, Merel [[Van 't Wout]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://secure-wildcat.arizona.edu//papers/old-wildcats/spring95/February/February 10, 1995/01_5_m.html |title=In brief |accessdate=August 12, 2006 |date=February 10, 1995 |publisher=[[Arizona Daily Wildcat]]}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
Throughout his administration, large throngs of supporters gathered to cheer at Castro's fiery speeches, which typically lasted for hours, being delivered without the use of written notes.<ref>[[#Qui93|Quirk 1993]]. p. 312.</ref> Within Cuba, Castro is often nicknamed "''El Caballo''", meaning "The Horse", a label that was first attributed to Cuban entertainer [[Benny Moré]], who on hearing Castro passing in the Havana night with his entourage, shouted out "Here comes the horse!" The name itself is an allusion to Castro's well known womanizing during the 1950s and early 1960s.<ref name="Coltman 1997 219"/><ref>[[#Got04|Gott 2004]]. p. 175.</ref> During this period, Castro himself was widely recognized as a [[sex symbol]] within Cuba, and a minor sensation was caused when footage was publicly broadcast showing that he had skinny legs, something widely considered an unattractive trait in Cuba.<ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 201">[[#Bou86|Bourne 1986]]. p. 201.</ref>
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Various leftist governments across the world have granted Castro awards for his work in promoting socialism and providing international humanitarian aid. The [[Juche]] government of [[North Korea]] for instance awarded him "the Golden Medal (Hammer and Sickle) and the First Class Order of the National Flag",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://granmai.co.cu/ingles/2006/diciembre/mar12/51conde.html|title=Democratic Korea decorates President Fidel Castro|publisher=[[Granma (newspaper)|Granma]]}}</ref> whilst [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s [[Arab socialism|Arab socialist]] government of Libya bestowed upon him a "Libyan human rights award".<ref>{{cite news|url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/149414.stm|title =Libyan human rights prize awarded to Fidel Castro of Cuba|publisher=BBC News |accessdate =June 13, 2006|date=August 11, 1998}}</ref>
Castro has been praised for his opposition to [[racism]] throughout the world. In [[Harlem]], Castro is seen by many as an icon because of his historic visit with [[Malcolm X]] in 1960 at the [[Hotel Theresa]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ccbh/mxp/ministermalcolm.html|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070716112121/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ccbh/mxp/ministermalcolm.html|archivedate = September 16, 2007|title = Malcolm X Chronology|publisher=[[Columbia University]]}}</ref> [[Nelson Mandela]] cited Castro as inspiration for his creation of [[Umkhonto we Sizwe]] and for the speech he gave at the [[Rivonia Trial]].<ref>[[#Sam99|Sampson 1999]]. p. 192.</ref> In Southern Africa, he has received praise for his role in opposing apartheid [[South Africa]]. On a visit to South Africa in 1998, Castro was warmly received by President Nelson Mandela,<ref>{{cite news |year = 1998|month = September 4|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/164687.stm|title = Castro's state visit to South Africa|publisher=BBC News |accessdate =May 21, 2000}}</ref> who subsequently awarded him South Africa's highest civilian award for foreigners, the [[Order of Good Hope]].<ref>{{cite news |year = 1998|month = September 6|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/165566.stm|title = Castro ends state-visit to South Africa|publisher=BBC News |accessdate =May 21, 2006}}</ref> In neighbouring [[Namibia]], the country's capital city of [[Windhoek]] renamed one its streets "Fidel Castro Street" after the Cuban revolutionary.<ref>[http://www.map-of-namibia.com/windhoek-streetrenames.html Windhoek Streets Renamed]</ref><ref>[http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/show/687895/Namibia/Windhoek-and-Central-Namibia/Windhoek/Fidel-Castro-Street ''Fidel Castro Street'' travel guide]</ref>
===Criticism===
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{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|bgcolor=#ACE1AF|quote="Within Cuba, Fidel's domination of every aspect of the government and the society remains total. His personal needs for absolute control seems to have changed little over the years. He remains committed to a disciplined society in which he is still determined to remake the Cuban national character, creating work-orientated, socially concerned individuals... He wants to increase people's standard of living, the availability of material goods, and to import the latest technology. But the economic realities, despite rapid dramatic growth in the gross national product, severely limit what Cuba can buy on the world market."|source=— [[Peter Bourne]], Castro Biographer, 1986 <ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 302"/> }}
During his administration of Cuba, Castro has been heavily criticized both domestically and abroad, but particularly in the [[Western world]]. In the United States, and particularly in the state of [[Florida]], which has a high [[Cuban-American]] population, Castro has been viewed with "passion and hatred". Although also unpopular in other parts of the west, in Canada and Western Europe, Castro was viewed no differently to other Marxist-Leninist leaders.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 290">[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 290.</ref>
Many observers refer to Castro as a [[dictator]],<ref name="Sondrol">{{cite journal|doi=10.1017/S0022216X00015868|title=Totalitarian and Authoritarian Dictators: A Comparison of Fidel Castro and Alfredo Stroessner |author=Paul C. Sondrol|journal=Journal of Latin American Studies|volume=23|issue=03|pages=599–620|year=1991|ref=harv|jstor=157386}}</ref><ref name="Mallin">{{cite book|title=Covering Castro: rise and decline of Cuba's communist dictator|author=Jay Mallin|publisher=[[Transaction Publishers]]|isbn=978-1-56000-156-0}}</ref><ref name="idiotsguide">{{cite book|title=The complete idiot's guide to Latino history and culture|author=D. H. Figueredo|isbn=0-02-864360-7}}</ref><ref name="CBS Tampa CW44 1010 SPORTS">{{cite news|url=http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/04/07/miami-marlins-manager-apologizes-for-saying-he-loves-fidel-castro|title=Miami Marlins Manager Apologizes For Saying He ‘Loves’ Fidel Castro|work=CW44 1010 SPORTS-CBS Tampa/AP|location=Tampa, FL|date=April 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="dailymail">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-516539/Farewell-Fidel-The-man-nearly-started-World-War-III.html|title=Farewell Fidel: The man who nearly started World War III|work=Daily Mail |location=London | date=February 20, 2008}}</ref><ref name="timesonline">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3399819.ece|title=Fidel Castro bows to illness and age as he quits centre stage after 50 years – Times Online|work=The Times |location=London |accessdate=April 22, 2009|last=Catan|first=Thomas| date=February 20, 2008}}
</ref><ref name="fade-out">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/feb/24/fidels-fade-out/|title=Fidel's fade-out}}</ref> and as evidence highlight the fact that his regime was the longest to-date in modern [[Latin American history]].<ref name="idiotsguide"/><ref name="dailymail"/><ref name="timesonline"/><ref name="fade-out"/> Although considering Castro to be well-intentioned, biographer [[Peter Bourne]] noted that in Cuba, political power was "completely invested" in him,<ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 263"/> and that it is very rare for "a country and a people" to have been so completely dominated by "the personality of one man."<ref name="Bourne 1986. p. 295"/> Castro publicly refuted allegations that he was a dictator and repeatedly informed foreign journalists that under his government, Cuba was more democratic than the [[liberal democracy|liberal democracies]] in the West, with greater consultation of the populace on issues of government policy. He emphasized that constitutionally, he held less political power than most heads of state, including that of the U.S. president.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 292"/> Critics have countered that while he might not have as much official power, since 1959 he has instead wielded an enormous amount of unofficial influence over the country.<ref name="Coltman 2003. p. 292">[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 292.</ref>
Castro has also been widely criticised for overseeing an administration that has committed a number of [[human rights abuses]]. The [[Human Rights Watch]] organization has suggested that Castro constructed a "repressive machinery" which deprived Cubans of their "basic rights".<ref name="HRW-Castro">{{cite web|title=Cuba: Fidel Castro's Abusive Machinery Remains Intact|publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]|url=http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/02/18/cuba-fidel-castro-s-abusive-machinery-remains-intact|date=February 18, 2008|accessdate=October 7, 2009}}</ref> Castro has publicly defended his government from such accusations, using the "standard Marxist answers" to such criticisms; that the state must limit the freedoms of individuals in order to protect the rights of the collective populace, such as the right to employment, education and health care.<ref>[[#Col03|Coltman 2003]]. p. 247.</ref>
Castro has also been criticized for allegedly ordering the execution of political prisoners.<ref>[http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/cuba Amnesty International reports regarding Cuba]</ref> Various estimates have been made to ascertain the number of political executions carried out on behalf of the Cuban government in Cuba since the revolution. Some estimates for the total number political executions range from 4,000 to 33,000.<ref>[http://www.longitudebooks.com/find/p/7230/mcms.html Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom], [[Hugh Thomas (writer)|Hugh Thomas]]</ref><ref>[http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB15.1B.GIF Power Kills], [[R.J. Rummel]]</ref> According to [[Amnesty International]], official death sentences from 1959 to 1987 numbered 237, of which all but 21 were actually carried out.<ref>''When the State Kills: the death penalty v. human rights'', Amnesty International Publications, 1989</ref> The Cuban government justifies such measures on the grounds that the application of the death penalty in Cuba against war criminals and others followed the same procedure as that seen in the trials by the Allies in the [[Nuremberg trials]].<ref>Raul Gomez Treto, "Thirty Years of Cuban Revolutionary Penal Law", ''Latin American Perspectives'', Vol. 18, No. 2, Spring, 1991, pp. 114-125</ref>
[[File:6.6.10CubanParadeUCByLuigiNovi7.jpg|thumb|left|Signs of protest in the 2010 Cuban Day Parade in [[Union City, New Jersey]], a heavily [[Cuban-American]] community.]]
Others have accused Castro of corruption; Servando Gonzalez, in ''The Secret Fidel Castro'', calls Castro a "corrupt tyrant".<ref name="secretlife"/> According to Gonzalez, Castro established "Fidel's checking account" in 1959, from which he could draw funds as he pleased. The "Comandante's reserves" were created in 1970, from which Castro allegedly "provided gifts to many of his cronies, both home and abroad". Gonzalez asserts that Comandante's reserves have been linked to [[counterfeit]]ing business empires and [[money laundering]].<ref name="secretlife">{{cite book|title=The Secret Fidel Castro|author=Servando Gonzalez|isbn=0-9711391-0-5}}</ref> Gonzalez wrote that Cuba's paucity of trade with Switzerland contrasts oddly with the National Office of Cuba's relatively large office in Zurich.<ref name="secretlife"/> Castro has denied having a bank account abroad with even a dollar in it.<ref name="BBC wealth"/> In their book, ''Corruption in Cuba'', Sergio Diaz-Briquets and Jorge F. Pérez-López Servando state that Castro "institutionalized" corruption and that "Castro's [[state corporatism|state-run monopolies]], [[cronyism]], and lack of accountability have made Cuba one of the world's most corrupt states".<ref name="corruption">{{cite book|title=Corruption in Cuba|author=Sergio Diaz-Briquets, Jorge F. Pérez-López}}</ref>
In 2005, American business and financial magazine ''[[Forbes]]'' listed Castro among the world's richest people, with an estimated net worth of US$550 million. The estimates, which the magazine admitted were "more art than science",<ref name="CBS wealth">[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/16/world/main1622957.shtml Castro: I am not rich.] [[CBS News]]. Assessed April 24, 2007.</ref> claimed that the Cuban leader's personal wealth was nearly double that of Britain's Queen [[Elizabeth II]], despite anecdotal evidence from diplomats and businessmen that the Cuban leader's personal life was notably austere.<ref name="BBC wealth">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4985510.stm Castro denies huge fortune claim]. BBC News.</ref> This assessment was drawn by making economic estimates of the net worth of Cuba's [[state-owned company|state-owned companies]], and used the assumption that Castro had personal economic control.<ref name="wealth">[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12807201/ Castro blasts Forbes over wealth report.], [[Associated Press]]. Retrieved December 13. 2006.</ref> ''Forbes'' later increased the estimates to US$900 million, adding rumors of large cash stashes in Switzerland.<ref name="BBC wealth"/> The magazine offered no proof of this information,<ref name="CBS wealth"/> and according to [[CBS News]], Castro's entry on the rich list was notably brief compared to the amount of information provided on other figures.<ref name="CBS wealth"/> Castro, who had considered suing the magazine, responded that the claims were "lies and [[slander]]", and that they were part of a US campaign to discredit him.<ref name="BBC wealth"/> He declared: "If they can prove that I have a bank account abroad, with US$900m, with US$1m, US$500,000, US$100,000 or US$1 in it, I will resign."<ref name="BBC wealth"/> President of [[Central Bank of Cuba|Cuba's Central Bank]], Francisco Soberón, called the claims a "grotesque slander", asserting that money made from various state owned companies is pumped back into the island's economy, "in sectors including health, education, science, internal security, national defense and solidarity projects with other countries."<ref name="wealth"/>
{{Portal|Cuba|Biography|Communism|Politics}}
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===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |title=The United States and the Origins of the Cuban Revolution: An Empire of Liberty in an Age of National Liberation |last=Benjamin |first=Jules R. |year=1992 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=978-0691025360 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=The Castro Obsession: U.S. Covert Operations Against Cuba, 1959–1965 |last= Bohning |first= Don |year=2005 |publisher=Potomac Books, Inc |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-1574886764 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=Fidel: A Biography of Fidel Castro |last=Bourne |first= Peter G. |authorlink=Peter Bourne |year= 1986 |publisher=[[Dodd, Mead & Company]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0396085188 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=The Real Fidel Castro |last=Coltman |first= Leycester |authorlink=Arthur Leycester Scott Coltman |year= 2003 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |location=New Haven and London |isbn=978-0300107609 |ref=harv}}
* Franqui, Carlos 1984 (foreword by G. Cabrera Infante and translated by Alfred MacAdam from Spanish 1981 version). ''Family portrait with Fidel'', [[Random House]] First Vintage Books, New York. ISBN 0-394-72620-0 .
* {{cite book |title=Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro |last=Geyer |first=Georgie Anne |year=1991 |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0316308939 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=Cuba: A New History |last=Gott |first=Richard |authorlink=Richard Gott |year=2004 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven and London |isbn=978-0300104110 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title= Hugo Chávez: The Definitive Biography of Venezuela's Controversial President |last1=Marcano |first1=Christina |last2=Barrera Tyszka |first2=Alberto |year= 2007 |publisher= Random House |location=New York |isbn=978-0679456667 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=Fidel Castro |last=Quirk |first=Robert E. |authorlink=Robert E. Quirk |year=1993 |publisher=[[W.W. Norton & Company]] |location=New York and London |isbn=978-0393034851 |ref=harv}}
*{{Cite book|last=Sampson |first=Anthony |authorlink=Anthony Sampson |title=[[Mandela: The Authorised Biography]] |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |location= |year=1999 |isbn=978-0006388450 |ref=Sam99}}
* {{cite book |title=Fidel Castro: A Biography |last=Skierka |first=Volka |year=2006 |publisher=Polity |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0745640815 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder, and the Cold War in the Caribbean |last= Von Tunzelmann |first= Alex |year= 2011 |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0805090673 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title= Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chávez Government |last=Wilpert |first=Gregory |year=2007 |publisher=[[Verso Books]] |location=London and New York |isbn=978-1844675524 |ref=harv}}
{{refend}}
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*''Che: A Memoir'', Ocean Press, 2005, ISBN 1-920888-25-X
*''Cuba at the Crossroads'', Ocean Press, 1997, ISBN 1-875284-94-X
* {{cite book |title=Nothing Can Stop the Course of History |last= Castro |first= Fidel |coauthors=Elliot, Jeffrey M. and [[Mervyn M. Dymally|Dymally, Mervyn M.]] (interviewers) |year=1986 |publisher=[[Pathfinder Press]] |location=New York |isbn=0-873486617 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |title=My Life: A Spoken Autobiography |last=Castro |first= Fidel |coauthors=[[Ramonet, Ignacio]] (interviewer) |year=2009 |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons|Scribner]] |location=New York |isbn=978-1416562337 |ref=harv}}
*''Fidel Castro Reader'', Ocean Press, 2007, ISBN 1-920888-88-8
*''Fidel My Early Years'', Ocean Press, 2004, ISBN 1-920888-09-8
*''Fidel & Religion: Conversations with [[Frei Betto]] on Marxism & [[Liberation Theology]]'', Ocean Press, 2006, ISBN 1-920888-45-4
*''How Far We Slaves Have Come! South Africa and Cuba in Today's World'', by [[Nelson Mandela]] & Fidel Castro, Pathfinder Press, 1991, ISBN 0-87348-729-X
*''Playa Giron: Bay of Pigs: Washington's First Military Defeat in the Americas'', Pathfinder Press, 2001, ISBN 0-87348-925-X
*''Political Portraits: Fidel Castro reflects on famous figures in history'', Ocean Press, 2008, ISBN 1-920888-94-2
*''The Declarations of Havana'', Verso, 2008, ISBN 1-84467-156-9
*''The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro'', [[Nation Books]], 2007, ISBN 1-56025-983-3
*''The Strategic Victory: The War Against Batista in the Sierra Maestra'' ''[(La contraofensiva estratégica: De la Sierra Maestra a Santiago de Cuba])'', Ocean Press, 2012 [2011], ISBN 0-9870779-0-2
*''Time Warrior'' ''[(Guerrillero del Tiempo])'', by Fidel Castro Ruz and Katiuska Blanco, Abril, 2012
*''War, Racism and Economic Justice: The Global Ravages of Capitalism'', Ocean Press, 2002, ISBN 1-876175-47-8