DEATH OF A REVOLUTIONARY
Fidel Castro : August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016 : Death of a Revolutionary
I'm sure most are aware of the sad passing of Cuban Revolutionary
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz on November 25. He governed Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008 and under his administration, Cuba became a one-party socialist state; industry and business were nationalized, and state socialist reforms implemented throughout society.
Born in Birán as the son of a wealthy Spanish farmer, Castro adopted leftist anti-imperialist politics while studying law at the University of Havana. After participating in rebellions against right-wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, his first attempt to overthrow then Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, by launching an attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953 failed, landing him in Prison.
After a year's imprisonment, he traveled to Mexico where he formed a revolutionary group, the 26th of July Movement, with his brother Raúl Castro and Che Guevara. Returning to Cuba, Castro took a key role in the Cuban Revolution by leading the Movement in a guerrilla war against Batista's forces from the Sierra Maestra. After Batista's overthrow in 1959, Castro assumed military and political power as Cuba's Prime Minister.
The United States opposed Castro's government, and unsuccessfully attempted to remove him by assassination, economic blockade, and counter-revolution, including the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. Countering these threats, Castro formed an alliance with the Soviet Union. In response to U.S. nuclear missiles in Turkey, and perceived U.S. threats against Cuba, Castro allowed the Soviets to place nuclear weapons on Cuba, sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis—a defining incident of the Cold War—in 1962.
His role in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis also ensured that his name was recorded in the annals of Human History.
All in all, Castro cast a polarising figure throughout his life, but those of us in the 'Third World' owe him and the people of Cuba an immeasurable debt by virtue of Castro's willingness to lend Military and financial assistance to the African Liberation Movements across the Continent which led to the end of Colonial Rule. For this alone, we will always honour Fidel since he came to our aid in the hour of our greatest need, when no-one else would help our cause.
As a survivor of covert CIA Cold War operations to depose him such as the failed 'Bay of Pigs Invasion', Castro's leadership was marked by an iron-clad resolve. His Patriotism was best exemplified by his spontaneous fiery speeches against the US & its allies. During these speeches, Castro would literally hold Cubans in a trance as he expressed condemnation at what he rightly believed were ceaseless attempts by the US to depose him, and restore the Country to its former Slave status under the Batsista regime.
He also survived over 600 ingenious assassination attempts including one involvling a plan to poison his Cigars. Within Cuba itself, he was also a polarising figure with some believing that his hold on power had lasted too long, whilst remaining a hero to others.
In the end, I believe we can confidently state that whilst Castro certainly had his flaws, he nevertheless lived out his life to its fullest purpose, and that along the way his path coincided with ours.....We are eternally grateful for that.
Check out the links to the tribute articles below from the New York Times and Al Jazeera which clearly reveal the extent to which Castro even in death continues to polarise the World. We've also added the link to the feature we did recently on the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as the failed plots to assassinate him.
We top it off with 2 of the best Castro documentaries I had the pleasure of watching earlier on in the year...One!
#RIPFidelI'm sure most are aware of the sad passing of Cuban Revolutionary
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz on November 25. He governed Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008 and under his administration, Cuba became a one-party socialist state; industry and business were nationalized, and state socialist reforms implemented throughout society.
Born in Birán as the son of a wealthy Spanish farmer, Castro adopted leftist anti-imperialist politics while studying law at the University of Havana. After participating in rebellions against right-wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, his first attempt to overthrow then Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, by launching an attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953 failed, landing him in Prison.
After a year's imprisonment, he traveled to Mexico where he formed a revolutionary group, the 26th of July Movement, with his brother Raúl Castro and Che Guevara. Returning to Cuba, Castro took a key role in the Cuban Revolution by leading the Movement in a guerrilla war against Batista's forces from the Sierra Maestra. After Batista's overthrow in 1959, Castro assumed military and political power as Cuba's Prime Minister.
The United States opposed Castro's government, and unsuccessfully attempted to remove him by assassination, economic blockade, and counter-revolution, including the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961. Countering these threats, Castro formed an alliance with the Soviet Union. In response to U.S. nuclear missiles in Turkey, and perceived U.S. threats against Cuba, Castro allowed the Soviets to place nuclear weapons on Cuba, sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis—a defining incident of the Cold War—in 1962.
His role in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis also ensured that his name was recorded in the annals of Human History.
All in all, Castro cast a polarising figure throughout his life, but those of us in the 'Third World' owe him and the people of Cuba an immeasurable debt by virtue of Castro's willingness to lend Military and financial assistance to the African Liberation Movements across the Continent which led to the end of Colonial Rule. For this alone, we will always honour Fidel since he came to our aid in the hour of our greatest need, when no-one else would help our cause.
As a survivor of covert CIA Cold War operations to depose him such as the failed 'Bay of Pigs Invasion', Castro's leadership was marked by an iron-clad resolve. His Patriotism was best exemplified by his spontaneous fiery speeches against the US & its allies. During these speeches, Castro would literally hold Cubans in a trance as he expressed condemnation at what he rightly believed were ceaseless attempts by the US to depose him, and restore the Country to its former Slave status under the Batsista regime.
He also survived over 600 ingenious assassination attempts including one involvling a plan to poison his Cigars. Within Cuba itself, he was also a polarising figure with some believing that his hold on power had lasted too long, whilst remaining a hero to others.
In the end, I believe we can confidently state that whilst Castro certainly had his flaws, he nevertheless lived out his life to its fullest purpose, and that along the way his path coincided with ours.....We are eternally grateful for that.
Check out the links to the tribute articles below from the New York Times and Al Jazeera which clearly reveal the extent to which Castro even in death continues to polarise the World. We've also added the link to the feature we did recently on the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as the failed plots to assassinate him.
We top it off with 2 of the best Castro documentaries I had the pleasure of watching earlier on in the year...One!
New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/…/w…/americas/fidel-castro-dies.html…
Al Jazeera Article: http://www.aljazeera.com/…/cuba-leader-fidel-castro-dead-90…
Our Cuban Missile Crisis Piece: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=654567434711285&id=269167643251268&substory_index=0
No comments:
Post a Comment