Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) has ruled Cuba since 1959, when, leading the 26th of July Movement, he overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista and transformed Cuba into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere.

Recent years

Religion

Castro is an atheist and has not been a practicing Roman Catholic since his childhood. Pope John XXIII excommunicated Castro on January 3, 1962 on the basis of a 1949 decree by Pope Pius XII forbidding Catholics from supporting communist governments. For Castro, who had previously renounced his Catholic faith, this was an event of very little consequence, nor was it expected to be otherwise. It was primarily aimed at undermining support for Castro among Catholics.

Related Topics:
Atheist - Roman Catholic - Pope John XXIII - Excommunicated - January 3 - 1962 - 1949 - Pope Pius XII

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the early 1990s, Castro agreed to loosen restrictions on religion and even permitted church-going Catholics to join the Cuban Communist Party. After Pope John Paul II denounced the U.S. embargo on Cuba as "unjust and ethically unacceptable", the relationship between the Vatican and Castro improved. John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998, the first visit by a ruling pontiff to the island. Castro and the Pope appeared side by side in public on several occasions during the visit; the Pope generally stayed away from overt political themes, instead emphasizing that his trip was designed to strengthen the Catholic Church in Cuba. However, he criticized the widespread practice of abortion in Cuban hospitals as well as urged Castro to end the government's monopoly on education, in order to allow the return of Catholic schools. http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9801/22/pope/ Following the visit, Cubans were again allowed to mark Christmas as a holiday and to openly hold religious processions.

Related Topics:
1990s - Pope John Paul II - Vatican - 1998 - Abortion - Christmas

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After the Pope's death in April 2005, Castro attended a mass in his honor in Havana's cathedral. He had last visited the cathedral in 1959, 46 years earlier, for the wedding of one of his sisters. Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who led the mass, welcomed Castro, who was dressed in a dark suit, and expressed his gratitude for the "heartfelt way the death of our Holy Father John Paul II was received (in Cuba)." http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/04/05/mourns.shtml

Related Topics:
Mass - 1959

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Remaining as President

Castro's leadership of Cuba has remained largely unchallenged. His supporters claim this is because the population believes Castro is responsible for improved living conditions. Castro's opponents believe his continued leadership is due to the coercion, repression and jailing of dissidents.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2005, Forbes magazine listed Castro among the world's richest people, with an estimated net worth of $550 million. As a result Castro is considering filing a lawsuit against the magazine, saying the accusations are false and the article was meant to defame him.

Related Topics:
Forbes - Lawsuit

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Human Rights in Cuba

:Main article: Human rights in Cuba

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tens of thousands of political opponents and dissidents have been reported killed during Castro's decades-long rule. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB15.1B.GIF Some Cubans who have been labeled "counterrevolutionaries", "fascists", or "CIA operatives" have been imprisoned in extremely poor conditions without trial; some have been summarily executed. Military Units to Aid Production, or UMAP's were labor camps established in 1965, according to Castro, for "people who have committed crimes against revolutionary morals" in order to work counter-revolutionary influences out of certain segments of the population.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Citing previous U.S. hostility, supporters of Castro thus portray opposition to his rule as illegitimate, and the result of an ongoing conspiracy fostered by Cuban exiles with ties to the United States or the CIA. Many Castro supporters say Castro's measures are justified to prevent the United States from installing a puppet leader in Cuba. Castro's opposition say he uses the United States as an excuse to justify his continuing political control.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Popular image

Since Fidel Castro came to power, he and his government have exhibited many traits of personalist rule commonly attributed to a cult of personality, despite attempts to discourage it. In contrast to many of the world's modern strongmen, Castro has only twice been personally featured on a Cuban stamp. In 1974 he appeared on a stamp to commemorate the visit of Leonid Brezhnev, and in 1999 he appeared on a stamp commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Revolution. There has been a strong tendency to encourage reverence for other Cuban figures such as José Martí, Che Guevara, and the "martyrs" of the Cuban revolution such as Camilo Cienfuegos.

Related Topics:
1974 - Leonid Brezhnev - 1999 - José Martí - Che Guevara - Martyr - Camilo Cienfuegos

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Cuban government saturates the population with "revolutionary" slogans and propaganda, in the form of such items as billboards and posters. Castro features prominently in much of this, his own persona being intertwined with the Cuban flag and identity, and the revolution itself. Fidel rarely appears in public without his military fatigues, and is famous for giving speeches which often last several hours. Large throngs of people gather to cheer at these fiery speeches; some believe this affection to be genuine. A BBC article focusing on the longevity of Castro's rule concludes that, ", everything about Castro is Cuban and everything Cuban is Castro." {{NamedRef|BBC|1}} This style of leadership has led to a common characterization of Castro as being a subject of a personality cult, especially by critics. Sam Dolgoff, in an anarchist critique of Castro's government, wrote that Castro attempts to justify oppressive rule by projecting a messianic image:

Related Topics:
BBC - Sam Dolgoff

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The way he treats his friends and collaborators convincingly reveals this condition. He goes to extremes in persecuting those who dare question his orders or dissociate themselves from him; he insults collaborators in public; is enraptured to the point of hysteria by public ovations; basks in the adulation and servility of his subordinates. His ideology is, in effect, "the cult of personality."...Castro projected a godlike image of himself, as a sort of earthly Messiah. He encouraged the illusion that only HE and his select group of "disciples" and the "heroes of the Revolution" have earned the right to wield unlimited power over the people of Cuba. {{NamedRef|Anarchist|2}}

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, in contrast to most personality cults, the details of Castro's private life, particularly those concerning his family members, are scarce. He is also not the only individual that figures prominently in official propaganda, as fellow Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara appears not only on billboards and posters, but on the sides of buildings and especially on various trinkets sold to tourists. This sort of posthumous imposition of a personality cult is similar to the usage of Vladimir Lenin's persona during the era of Stalin in the Soviet Union, in that a deceased leader is invoked in support of government policies and the state itself. Castro, however, has always maintained that there exists no such thing:

Related Topics:
Che Guevara - Vladimir Lenin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

e have never preached cult of personality. You will not see a statue of me anywhere, nor a school with my name, nor a street, nor a little town, nor any type of personality cult because we have not taught our people to believe, but to think, to reason out. {{NamedRef|PBS|3}}

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Health issues

There has been speculation about Castro's health since he apparently fainted during a seven-hour speech under the Caribbean sun in June 2001. His doctors say his health is improving.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During 2004, there was further speculation about the state of Castro's health. In January 2004, Luis Eduardo Garzón, the mayor of Bogotá, said that Castro "seemed very sick to me" following a meeting with him during a vacation in Cuba. (url) In May 2004, Castro's physician denied that his health was failing, and speculated that he would live to be 140 years old. Dr. Eugenio Selman Housein said that the "press is always speculating about something, that he had a heart attack once, that he had cancer, some neurological problem", but maintained that Castro was in good health. (url)

Related Topics:
2004 - Bogotá - Dr. Eugenio Selman Housein

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On 20 October 2004, Castro fell off a stage following a speech he gave at a rally. The fall fractured his knee and arm. He underwent three hours and 15 minutes of surgery to repair his left kneecap, which was fractured into eight pieces. http://tania.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20041018/007935.html

Related Topics:
20 October - 2004 - Surgery

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following his fall, Castro wrote a letter that was read on Cuban television and published in newspapers. In it, he assured the public that he was fine and would "not lose contact with you." (url) A government statement added: "His general health is good, and spirits are excellent."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By November, Castro surprised many when he suddenly stood up from his wheelchair during a state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao, leaning on a metal cane with an arm support. The following month, he stood unassisted for several minutes during a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Related Topics:
Hu Jintao - Hugo Chávez

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finally, cheered by hundreds of lawmakers, a smiling Castro walked in public for the first time since shattering his kneecap in the fall after only two months. Legislators looked stunned, then smiled and applauded, when Cuba's 78-year-old president entered the main auditorium of the Convention Palace on the arm of a uniformed schoolgirl to attend a year-end National Assembly meeting.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because of his large role in Cuba, his well-being has become a continual source of speculation, both on and off the island, as he has grown older. Castro's quick recovery from breaking his left kneecap into eight pieces was likely to dampen the latest round of rumors questioning his health.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~