Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
“Analyse the involvement of Fidel Castro in creating a Revolutionary Cuba”
Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926, near his father‘s farm in Biran, in southeast Cuba. Castro’s father was an immigrant from Spain, who had provided for the family through sugarcane farming. Castro spent most of his younger years on his family farm, but spent most of his childhood in catholic boarding schools.
In 1950, Castro graduated from law school and began practicing law. Keeping a strong interest in politics, Castro became a candidate for a seat in Cuba’s House of Representatives during the election of June 1952. However before the election was held, Batista toppled the previous government, cancelling the election. From the start of Batista’s rule, Castro fought against him in any means possible. To start, he took Batista to the courts and tried to out-do him legally. However, when that failed, he began to organize an underground group of rebels.
On the 26th of July in 1953, Fidel Castro launched an attack on the Moncada army barracks. Castro, his brother Raul, and a group of about 160 armed men attacked the second largest military base in Cuba. They were confronted with hundreds of trained soldiers and there was little chance that the attack could have succeeded. Sixty of Castros men were killed, Castro and Raul were captured and given a trial.
At this trial Castro delivered his famous speech “History Will Absolve Me”. His speech ended: “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me,” Castro was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment. He was releases two years later in May 1955.
He then went into exile in Mexico for a year, where he trained and assembled the 26th of July Movement. He gained support from Che Guevara, a Marxist Militant from Argentinia. On December 2nd, 1956, Castro and his men returned to Cuba with the intention of starting a revolution. They were met by heavy Batista defenses and nearly everyone on the movement was killed,
“Analyse the involvement of Fidel Castro in creating a Revolutionary Cuba”
Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926, near his father‘s farm in Biran, in southeast Cuba. Castro’s father was an immigrant from Spain, who had provided for the family through sugarcane farming. Castro spent most of his younger years on his family farm, but spent most of his childhood in catholic boarding schools.
In 1950, Castro graduated from law school and began practicing law. Keeping a strong interest in politics, Castro became a candidate for a seat in Cuba’s House of Representatives during the election of June 1952. However before the election was held, Batista toppled the previous government, cancelling the election. From the start of Batista’s rule, Castro fought against him in any means possible. To start, he took Batista to the courts and tried to out-do him legally. However, when that failed, he began to organize an underground group of rebels.
On the 26th of July in 1953, Fidel Castro launched an attack on the Moncada army barracks. Castro, his brother Raul, and a group of about 160 armed men attacked the second largest military base in Cuba. They were confronted with hundreds of trained soldiers and there was little chance that the attack could have succeeded. Sixty of Castros men were killed, Castro and Raul were captured and given a trial.
At this trial Castro delivered his famous speech “History Will Absolve Me”. His speech ended: “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me,” Castro was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment. He was releases two years later in May 1955.
He then went into exile in Mexico for a year, where he trained and assembled the 26th of July Movement. He gained support from Che Guevara, a Marxist Militant from Argentinia. On December 2nd, 1956, Castro and his men returned to Cuba with the intention of starting a revolution. They were met by heavy Batista defenses and nearly everyone on the movement was killed,
Bibliography: http://www2.truman.edu/~marc/webpages/revsfall99/cuba/. (Accessed 9/7/11) http://history1900s.about.com/od/people//p/castro.htm . (Accessed 9/7/11) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro. (Accessed 9/7/11) http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/fidel_castro.html. (Accessed 9/7/11) Samantha Dooling Mrs Rayward 11MHA