Fidel Castro's Confession On The Cuban System

During the 1950’s, Cuba was on the brink of revolution. The nation, which had suffered numerous corrupt and oppressive governmental regimes, fell victim to yet another when Fulgencio Batista seized power under a military coup in March of 1952. A cry for a just Cuba, that was economically, politically, and socially free continued to echo throughout the island. In 1959, a group of radical revolutionaries, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, overthrew the Batista dictatorship and put in place the political and social structures that exist in Cuba to this day.

Many of these factors had either been introduced or improved by Castro and just the idea of having a country that is third world having these factors so long ago is an indication of how beneficial Fidel Castro was to Cuba. The extent to which the US — a superpower — felt threatened by a third world country like Cuba is also an indication of how beneficial Fidel Castro was to Cuba. This source further explains how under Castro there were food shortages, increased rationing and growing scarcities. The introduction of sanctions under Castro’s rule is said to have been damaging because the source these sanctions upset and disadvantaged the middle-class and therefore were a social disadvantage. This source also explores how the suspension of US exports under Castro was damaging as these badly affected people like retail merchants, manufacturers and industrialists and many of them found it difficult to remain in Cuba. Therefore, this particular policy under Fidel Castro proved to be both socially and economically

Secondly, Cubaneeds to repair its corrupt, failing state-run economy. The reality of thisstruggling economy is that Cuba’s resources are plenty, and its

These facts that are displayed in the Article show that Fidel Castro was a poor leader. He did what he wanted and didn’t seek the people’s ideas. He held prisoners, thousands of people fled the country even his family. All of these effects of his rule show that Fidel Castro was an ineffective

On January 8th, 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army marched triumphantly into Havana, Cuba, having overthrown corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista the week earlier. It was the fruition of the Cuban Revolution, and the dramatic shift in power was about to radically alter the country’s political, social and economic course forever. The positive and negative effects of the revolution on the Cuban people, however, as well as the condition of Cuba’s economy pre and post-revolution, is subject to heated debate. Castro’s iron-fisted regime was the introduction of communism into the western hemisphere, and now, over fifty years later, the Cuban Revolution continues to be one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century. Despite the criticism levelled at Fidel Castro and his communist regime, however, the Cuban Revolution was necessary in improving the quality of life for the majority of Cuban citizens. The four fundamental categories on which to assess this are healthcare, education, economy and governance. By comparing the country’s overall performance under Fulgencio Batista versus under Fidel Castro in these areas crucial to a fully-functioning nation, it can be shown that the Cuban Revolution was a necessary and positive change in Cuban society which benefitted the majority of citizens.

On the island, the standard of living progressively deteriorated to the point where it can now be politely described as dismal. Cuba was an economic failure and survived only because of massive Soviet assistance that effectively ended with the demise of the Soviet Union, which only accelerated the economic deterioration; Cuba has essentially been in a state of economic stasis since these events, now over five decades ago (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017). Fidel Castro remained solidly in control until a combination of age and infirmity forced him to relinquish his position to his brother Raúl, who does remain in power at present. While there was some recent softening in the official American attitude toward Cuba, including admission to the Organization of American States and the resumption of diplomatic relations with the United States, the economic blockade and strict currency restrictions do remain in place (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017). At present, the relationship between the United States and Cuba is currently in a state of flux as the Trump administration determines its course of action toward Cuba (Davis,

For many Cubans the Batista government was simply a puppet regime with the puppet masters being wealthy Americans. This was because his economic policies favoured foreign investors and did little for the development of domestic industries, which resulted in the wealth of the country being concentrated in the hands of a wealthy whtite minority. Consequently, in the 1950s, this harsh regime caused political resistance to reach to its boiling point. In response to these high levels of frustration, Fidel Castro and a small rebel group led a successful revolutionary army into Havana in 1959. This was the first step on the road to a new era in the lives of many Cubans.

No country can escape the knocking of globalization, especially a small island nation that just recently opened the door to invite back in the world’s sole surviving superpower. The recent revival of United States-Cuba relations has put Cuba in a precarious situation, whereby the next few years will be extremely crucial in defining their new place in the global world system. However, with the implementation of much-needed economic reforms, advancement strategies, and the normalization of US-Cuba diplomatic ties, Cuba has the potential to thrive .

Castro passed a reform act, which limited private land ownership, confiscated all foreign-owned investments, and established what would be a relationship with the Soviet Union. In April, CIA-trained Cuban exiles staged the Bay of Pigs invasion, a failed attempt to topple the Castro regime. Later that year, Castro proclaimed Cuba a socialist country. The following year, the Cuban Missile Crisis started when the United States discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba. The crisis ended when the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles and, in exchange, the United States promised never to invade Cuba. By the end of the 1970s, the economy began to slip and, aggravated by political oppression, life on the island became intolerable for many. Since then, numerous Cubans have sought to exile themselves from the island. Today, Cuba remains the only communist government in the Western hemisphere. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, an already struggling Cuban economy took a turn for the worse. Facing civil unrest in the wake of an all-but-collapsed economy, the Cuban government has been forced to dabble in capitalism and reverse its position on tourism. In February 2008 Fidel Castro announced he was stepping down as president in favor of his brother Raúl. It was the end of an era. (Gall, 170)

Castro’s half century run as Cuba’s first czar turned a once successful national economy into a shambles where everything is provided “free” by the government. The only problem is the government has nothing that isn’t already Castro’s personal fortune of one billion that in retrospect isn’t doing him much good now.

Some of their main exports are cigars, thyroid extract, nickel, cement, and sugar canes. However, the economy has not been looking good for Cuba lately, “Raul Castro told Cubans to prepare for tough times ahead, as the Communist country must cut spending and energy supply as it delt with a cash crunch and reduced oil imports from ally Venezuela” (Castro, Raul 2015). The country is also controlled by state run businesses, and most of its employment comes from the state. The government encourages self-employment, which has made many people become entrepreneurs. Another big factor that affects Cuba's economy is tourism. From the start of the 21st century, there has been a growth in tourism and it be an important part of its economy, and it is now easier to visit the country. Just a few months back the first commercial flight from the United States made a journey to Cuba, which has not happened in over 50 years, so this was monumental. In 2010, “Fidel Castro, in agreement with Raúl Castro's reformist sentiment, admitted that the Cuban model based on the old Soviet model of centralized planning was no longer sustainable” (World Heritage Encyclopedia). This meant that the state would not be so heavily involved in the economy of the country and also in the creation of enterprises that started from

Fidel Castro claims to have survived 634 attempts on his life. He claims the attacks were mostly masterminded by the CIA(“Factbox”). Fidel Castro was a revolutionary who became the leader of Cuba by overthrowing the current government and turned the country into a communist nation that got a close relation with Soviet Union, which led to a separation of support with the United States.

On August13, 1926, in south-east Cuba, a successful sugar planter and his wife welcomed a son into the world. They named him Fidel Castro. After studying law at the University of Havana, Castro intended to run in the elections of 1952. Instead, the government was overthrown. Fidel and his brother Raul became insurgents and tried to uproot the new government, but failed and Castro spent time in prison. After a few years of exile, Castro snuck back into Cuba and with the help of another rebel, overtook the government and set himself up as Cuba’s prime minister. This is a position he held for around 50 years before advancement

Before Castro, Fulgencio Batista lead the country and, while he displayed himself as a corrupt and repressive dictator, he allowed American corporations and wealthy individuals to make their businesses in Cuba. While he ruled, Americans owned nearly half of Cuba’s sugar plantations and most of the cattle ranches, mines, and utilities. Batista was also reliably anti-communist, therefore, when Castro forcibly overthrew him in 1959, American officials began to worry. “Cuba Sí, Yanquis No” (yes Cuba, no Yankees) became Castro’s mantra as he looked to rid the island of American influence. Furthermore, he began to nationalize the sugar and mining industries as well as introducing land reform schemes to help boost Cuba’s industry. In response, President Eisenhower banned imported Cuban sugar in 1960, which, unfortunately, pushed Cuba to form a diplomatic relationship with Russia, a whole new problem. In addition to ridding Cuba of American influence, Castro began encouraging other Latin American countries to limit U.S. influence in their own countries. All in all, Castro’s acts to weaken America’s leverage and authority in Latin America gave him a sour reputation to American eyes and gave them reason to

In 1940 to 1944, communist Fulgencio Batista withheld power as the president of Cuba and then from 1952 to 1959, United States backed dictator until fleeing Cuba because of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement. Socialist Fidel Castro governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Fidel Castro’s intent was to provide Cuba with an honest democratic government by diminishing the corrupt way in which the country was run, the large role the United States played in the running of Cuba as well as the poor treatment & the living conditions of the lower class.