FIDEL CASTRO

THE CONTROVERSIAL LEADER OF THE REVOLUTION AGAINST FULGENCIO BATISTA WHO WON A GUERRILLA WAR AND TOOK POWER AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS 1926-2016, 26 JULY MOVEMENT

Through his integral role in the Cuban Revolution, Castro became an unlikely international figure whose force of personality overthrew a regime. This led to Cuba becoming a key battleground of the Cold War where the United States and Soviet Union fought for geopolitical dominance over Castro. It was a role Castro both encouraged and vigorously fought against.

Born to a Spanish land-owning father and Cuban mother, Castro trained as a lawyer and was soon noted for his oratorical abilities. He was involved in plots to overthrow governments in both Cuba and the Dominican Republic but his real ascent to prominence occurred after Fulgencio Batista came to power in 1952. A committed socialist, Castro vowed to overthrow the proamerican Batista regime and formed the 26 July Movement. After a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in July 1953, he was captured and imprisoned for 19 months.

Castro was further radicalised by Marxist ideology in prison and joined forces with Che Guevara in Mexico in 1955. Leading a small band of revolutionaries, he sailed to Cuba in 1956 to start a guerrilla campaign against Batista. Operating from the Sierra Maestra Mountains, Castro spent 195758 spearheading a remarkable campaign where the greatly outnumbered guerrillas survived and eventually began winning against government forces.

He developed an improvised war infrastructure in Sierra Maestra by controlling key utilities and played to the international press to make it appear that he led a large army in the mountains. Although he was a Marxist-leninist, Castro publicly appeared less radical to appeal to more revolutionaries.

During Operation Verano in June-august 1958, Castro defeated Cuban Army forces much larger than his own by using land mines and ambushes. He also won the Battles of La Plata and Las Mercedes before launching his own offensive out of the mountains. After gaining control of Oriente and Villa Clara provinces, Castro was able to enter Havana on 8 January 1959. From that time he effectively ruled Cuba, first as prime minister and then president, until his retirement in 2008.

On 2 January 1959, The Guardian newspaper described Castro as having “a magnetic personality, is a good speaker and always fights in the front line with his men”