Biography of Fidel Castro

Faithful to the line

August 13, 1926 Born
in Mayarí on August 13, 1926
and the son of a Spanish immigrant who became a landowner, Castro became a symbol of the Communist revolution but also, in the eyes of his critics, a dictator who does not grant freedom of expression. Enrolled at the University of Havana in 1945, he participated in first in political life of the University, in the ranks of the more orthodox wing of the party of the Cuban people. The student militancy was often through struggle for gangs, in clashes between "action groups" of opposite sign which often escalate into shootings: between 1944 and 1952, for example, there were a hundred terrorist attacks. However, Castro in 1950, he graduated in law and, after Fulgencio Batista's 1952 coup, enlisted in a move intended to give the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba. In short it becomes the head and then, on July 26, 1953, organizes the plan.
The action failed, due to the lack of coordination between the various groups that made up the commandos, is imprisoned by the regime. His companions, some fell fighting but most was executed after being taken prisoner and only the intervention of prominent figures, including the Archbishop of Santiago, prevented that in the days following the massacre continues. At trial, he defended themselves, notably through an attachment in which he denounced the evils that plagued the Cuban society. His plea was a real attack on the power that transformed him from accused to accuser.
This document became famous with the title "history will absolve me", also due to the fact that inside there is basically outlined his political program, the same who would later developed (if failed), in the forty years that saw him protagonist before the revolution then the exercise of power. But what he foresaw, in concrete terms, this program? You spoke, among other things, the distribution of the lands of the landlords behind indemnity, confiscation of assets illegally obtained by the members of past governments, the nationalization of electricity and phones, measures for industrialization, agricultural cooperatives and halving of urban rents and so on. In short, a perfect Communist program. At that time, however, Castro suffered prison and then in exile (but prepared the armed uprising). In fact, in May 1955 Batista decided, also for image problems with the Government in Washington to grant amnesty to insurgents, many of whom accompanied him, less than six months later, Castro in exile in Mexico. On 9 July of the same year Fidel Castro meets pm Ernesto Guevara, and all night arguing over the South American continent exploited by yankee. The December 2, 1956, back in Cuba with 82 men, determined to overthrow the dictatorship, which occurred after an interminable sequence of infighting.
The rebel army finally took power in 1959. The initial decisions, taken by the new Government of Fidel, were initially by ethical component: closing of casinos and tolerance, fight against drug trafficking, liberalisation of access to local hotels, beaches, until then reserved to exclusive clubs. All this appealed to the majority of the population and the new Government had broad consensus. In March of 1959 was imposed a reduction of 30-50% of rents, accompanied by a reduction in the price of medicines, school books, urban transport, telephone and electricity tariffs. After reducing the rents, he launched a reform which aimed to turn tenants into real owners through the payment of accommodation with monthly installments proportionate to income. But internal protests began after the adoption, in May 1959, the first agrarian reform, which set for farms is limited to a maximum of 402 acres. The arable land was given to cooperatives or distributed to individual properties to a minimum of 27 acres. The Government, in order to prevent minifondo, prohibited the sale of land sales receipts and their fractionation. With the new reform was instituted the INRA (National Institute of agrarian reform).
Land reform stirred up strong reactions in the countryside but also at the upper classes and the urban middle classes. The most glaring manifestations of dissent in the United States were represented by the escape, the Commander of the armed forces Pedro Diaz Lanz, and by the arrest of Huber Matos, Governor of Camarguey, accused of conspiracy for his opposition to land reform. Today Cuba and its supreme symbol, namely Castro, is committed to face the United States, in a struggle that opposes the economic blockade which has lasted for more than four decades. From December of 2006 are increasingly present health problems. On February 19, 2008, in power for nearly 50 years, Fidel announced his retirement from the presidential offices leaving all power to his brother Raul Castro Ruz. "Not bid you farewell. I hope to fight as a soldier of ideas"said lider maximo cubano, hinting that there will continue to be expressed by the official press columns.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.