Name: _____________________________________________________ Period: ________________

FIDEL CASTRO
& CUBA
Fidel Castro was a political leader in the country of Cuba, an island located south of the
United States just below the state of Florida. The country is situated in the northern Caribbean
where the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea meet. Fidel was born in 1926 to
a wealthy farmer from Spain, Angel Castro y Argiz, and Lina Ruz Gonzalez, a mistress from his first
marriage and later his wife.

AN INTEREST IN POLITICS
In 1945, Fidel attended the University of Havana where he
studied law. This is where Fidel became very interested in politics.
Student activism became a high priority for him and he participated
in many demonstrations, some of which turned violent. Fidel
6th Gradevery
became English Language
committed to his Arts
ideas, most of which were anti-
capitalist. This meant that Fidel believed capitalism needed to be
replaced with what was, in his opinion, a better system. Fidel
believed that the state should handle trade and industry instead of
leaving it up to private owners who were working for profit.
Fidel Castro, 1979

THE RISE TO POWER

Che Guevara, Guerrilla leader;
A guerrilla is an unofficial army.
Castro graduated from the University of Havana in 1950
and joined the Cuban People’s Party to begin his career in
politics. As Fidel was running for a seat in the House of
Representatives in Havana, a political coup led by General
Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government before Fidel had a
chance to run. Batista’s new government was unpopular with
many, including Castro, and he organized a rebel force to try to
take down Batista’s government. He was unsuccessful and he
and his brother, Raul, were sent to prison. After being released,
the brothers went to Mexico to organize a new group called the
26th of July Movement. Castro and his brother assembled a small
army of guerrilla fighters and successfully overtook Batista’s
government. On January 1, 1959, Batista fled the country and
Fidel Castro’s movement would create a new government.

© Natayle Brown
 A DETERIORATING RELATIONSHIP
Castro’s new radical government would incorporate sweeping changes which were
much different than the promises of his campaign. Cuba became a one-party state which
means that Fidel Castro’s party was the only reigning political power. Many of Castro’s policies
were anti-American and created a strained relationship between the two countries. In 1960, all
ties between Cuba and the United States were broken. This led to a turbulent period between
the two in which the Bay of Pigs attack waged by the United States was met and defeated by
Castro’s army. Later that year, another situation would arise involving Russia, Cuba’s ally.
Nuclear missiles from Russia were pointed at the United States from Cuba in a standoff that
would later be called the Cuban Missile Crisis. This incredibly tense, 13-day ordeal left many
around the world on edge. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but this action only intensified
Castro’s sour feelings towards America.

CUBA UNDER FIDEL CASTRO

Cuba under Fidel Castro was unlike anything the
Cubans had ever seen. He immediately controlled all
aspects of Cuba’s economic, political, and cultural life.
People who spoke out against this new way of life were
automatically silenced by means that many considered
unlawful. Many believed this new government was
dangerous and therefore began to flee. Some believed
6th
thatGrade English
Castro’s Language
new policies were Arts
favorable as he tried to
implement free education and health services for all
Cubans. Castro also attempted to give every Cuban a
job. Unfortunately, this plan never came fully into fruition A photo of Cuban sugar cane fields
workers from the early 1900’s.
as Cuba’s main export, cane sugar, was not selling
properly. Many people lived in extremely poor conditions and also began to seek shelter in
other countries, including the United States. Castro’s own daughter sought asylum in the United
States in the 1990s and spoke out about her father’s rule. This led to widespread uprisings in
Cuba. Castro answered by lifting restrictions on immigration to the United States and thousands
left Cuba to seek a new life.

STEPPING DOWN
Castro’s relationship with his people and with the United States remained strained up to
the year 2006 when he passed power to his brother, Raul, due to health complications. On
November 25, 2016, Fidel Castro died at the age of 90.