[Music]
he’s been called the grandfather of
Latin American revolutionaries welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’ll be
learning more about the life of Fidel
Castro revolutionary oh so no Cesar
Ramos siempre optimism tampoco no Stella
Ramos in the middle Fidel Alejandro
Castro Cruz was born August 13 1926 near
beer on Cuba to a wealthy sugarcane
farmer and a member of his household
staff as a University of Havana law
student in the 1940s Castro became
interested in politics he started to
believe in anti-imperialism and that
American influence harmed the Cuban
government after witnessing violence
against student protesters Castro began
advocating for social justice and joined
the socialist organization partido
ortodox Oh while publicly critiquing
Cuba’s social and economic inequalities
Castro revealed his particularly leftist
point of view he soon aligned himself
with Marxist ideas including the theory
that only a working class revolution
would incite political change after
graduation
Castro campaign for a Cuban
parliamentary seat however those
elections were canceled when General foo
hence EO Batista stage a military coup
in 1952 and seized power many Cubans
considered Batista’s regime a
dictatorship and Castro unsuccessfully
attempted to legally remove him in 1953
he and several dissidents attacked the
Moncada military barracks as part of a
group called the movement this botched
attempt resulted in Castro’s arrest and
a 15-year prison sentence but it also
exposed the ruthless methods of
Batista’s army and government to other
Cubans while imprisoned Castro developed
what became known as the 26th of July
Movement with fellow jailed supporters
and outside activists in 1955 he and the
other prisoners were released in a
politically based amnesty shortly
thereafter Castro met Argentine Marxist
revolutionary Ernesto
vara in Mexico and he joined the cause
in 1956 they returned to Cuba with a
group of armed radicals though most were
executed or taken prisoner
Castro his brother Raul Guevara and a
few others eluded Batista’s guards the
survivors convened at the Sierra Maestra
mountain range and spent two years
building a rebel army Castro and his
forces then executed guerrilla attacks
on Batista’s men the Cuban Revolution
grew across the country as did
international disapproval of Batista’s
regime Batista resigned at the end of
1958 and Castro was considered a hero
upon his return to Havana I don’t
envision power mony not seen only to
share my country On February 16 1959
Castro was sworn in as prime minister of
Cuba Castro then initiated several
radical policies in addition to land
reforms and the nationalization of
American businesses and private
plantations he also strengthened ties
with the Soviet Union
these actions eventually compelled the
u.s. to end
diplomatic relations and to impose a
trade embargo against Cuba there’s a
limit to what the United States and
self-respect can endure that limit has
now been reached in 1961 the United
States unsuccessfully attempted to
remove Castro from power with the Bay of
Pigs invasion that same year Castro
pronounced his Marxist Leninist beliefs
and announced Cuba would implement
communist policies 1962’s Cuban Missile
Crisis almost resulted in nuclear war it
shall be the policy of this nation to
regard any nuclear missile launched from
Cuba against any nation in the Western
Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet
Union on the United States requiring a
full retaliatory response upon the
Soviet Union to resolve the situation
the u.s. promised to avoid future Cuban
invasions and to withdraw its missiles
from Turkey
if the USSR removed its weapons from
Cuba despite this agreement the CIA
attempted to assassinate Castro multiple
times throughout his leadership
over the next year’s Castro took control
of Cuba’s communist party and promoted
anti-imperialism and revolutionary
action in various Latin American nations
despite providing benefits like free
health care and education Castro’s
regime repressed opposition of his
one-party rule and limited civil
liberties in 1976 Castro became
president of Cuba’s Council of State
throughout the next decade he championed
the Communist cause by sending troops to
assorted third-world conflicts
however Cuba lost a major source of
funding in 1991 after the Soviet Union’s
collapse Castro tried to limit the
economic impact by relaxing restrictions
promoting tourism and encouraging
outside investment
he even legalized the US dollar in the
aftermath of 2001 s hurricane Michelle
Castro accepted United States aid
nevertheless Cubans continued showing
their dissatisfaction with Castro’s
regime by protesting or leaving the
country
soon after Castro’s health deteriorated
he stepped down as president in 2008 and
resigned as secretary-general of the
Communist Party in 2011 his brother Raul
replaced him in both roles some call him
a dictator and an abuser of human rights
while others label him a socialist icon
who champions the poor either way Fidel
Castro was one of the most controversial
leaders in Latin American history
[Music]
he’s been called the grandfather of
Latin American revolutionaries welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’ll be
learning more about the life of Fidel
Castro revolutionary oh so no Cesar
Ramos siempre optimism tampoco no Stella
Ramos in the middle Fidel Alejandro
Castro Cruz was born August 13 1926 near
beer on Cuba to a wealthy sugarcane
farmer and a member of his household
staff as a University of Havana law
student in the 1940s Castro became
interested in politics he started to
believe in anti-imperialism and that
American influence harmed the Cuban
government after witnessing violence
against student protesters Castro began
advocating for social justice and joined
the socialist organization partido
ortodox Oh while publicly critiquing
Cuba’s social and economic inequalities
Castro revealed his particularly leftist
point of view he soon aligned himself
with Marxist ideas including the theory
that only a working class revolution
would incite political change after
graduation
Castro campaign for a Cuban
parliamentary seat however those
elections were canceled when General foo
hence EO Batista stage a military coup
in 1952 and seized power many Cubans
considered Batista’s regime a
dictatorship and Castro unsuccessfully
attempted to legally remove him in 1953
he and several dissidents attacked the
Moncada military barracks as part of a
group called the movement this botched
attempt resulted in Castro’s arrest and
a 15-year prison sentence but it also
exposed the ruthless methods of
Batista’s army and government to other
Cubans while imprisoned Castro developed
what became known as the 26th of July
Movement with fellow jailed supporters
and outside activists in 1955 he and the
other prisoners were released in a
politically based amnesty shortly
thereafter Castro met Argentine Marxist
revolutionary Ernesto
vara in Mexico and he joined the cause
in 1956 they returned to Cuba with a
group of armed radicals though most were
executed or taken prisoner
Castro his brother Raul Guevara and a
few others eluded Batista’s guards the
survivors convened at the Sierra Maestra
mountain range and spent two years
building a rebel army Castro and his
forces then executed guerrilla attacks
on Batista’s men the Cuban Revolution
grew across the country as did
international disapproval of Batista’s
regime Batista resigned at the end of
1958 and Castro was considered a hero
upon his return to Havana I don’t
envision power mony not seen only to
share my country On February 16 1959
Castro was sworn in as prime minister of
Cuba Castro then initiated several
radical policies in addition to land
reforms and the nationalization of
American businesses and private
plantations he also strengthened ties
with the Soviet Union
these actions eventually compelled the
u.s. to end
diplomatic relations and to impose a
trade embargo against Cuba there’s a
limit to what the United States and
self-respect can endure that limit has
now been reached in 1961 the United
States unsuccessfully attempted to
remove Castro from power with the Bay of
Pigs invasion that same year Castro
pronounced his Marxist Leninist beliefs
and announced Cuba would implement
communist policies 1962’s Cuban Missile
Crisis almost resulted in nuclear war it
shall be the policy of this nation to
regard any nuclear missile launched from
Cuba against any nation in the Western
Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet
Union on the United States requiring a
full retaliatory response upon the
Soviet Union to resolve the situation
the u.s. promised to avoid future Cuban
invasions and to withdraw its missiles
from Turkey
if the USSR removed its weapons from
Cuba despite this agreement the CIA
attempted to assassinate Castro multiple
times throughout his leadership
over the next year’s Castro took control
of Cuba’s communist party and promoted
anti-imperialism and revolutionary
action in various Latin American nations
despite providing benefits like free
health care and education Castro’s
regime repressed opposition of his
one-party rule and limited civil
liberties in 1976 Castro became
president of Cuba’s Council of State
throughout the next decade he championed
the Communist cause by sending troops to
assorted third-world conflicts
however Cuba lost a major source of
funding in 1991 after the Soviet Union’s
collapse Castro tried to limit the
economic impact by relaxing restrictions
promoting tourism and encouraging
outside investment
he even legalized the US dollar in the
aftermath of 2001 s hurricane Michelle
Castro accepted United States aid
nevertheless Cubans continued showing
their dissatisfaction with Castro’s
regime by protesting or leaving the
country
soon after Castro’s health deteriorated
he stepped down as president in 2008 and
resigned as secretary-general of the
Communist Party in 2011 his brother Raul
replaced him in both roles some call him
a dictator and an abuser of human rights
while others label him a socialist icon
who champions the poor either way Fidel
Castro was one of the most controversial
leaders in Latin American history
[Music]
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