After almost a half century as Cuba’s leader, Fidel Castro has resigned. Castro is stepping down, effective this weekend, after a forty-nine year reigns as Cuba’s leader. The Cuban national assembly will select his successor on Sunday, February 24.
For the time being, it is expected that Fidel’s brother, Raul will get the position. Though in his resignation, Castro did not name a successor. It looks like Castro will have say in who succeeds him.
“Socialism of death” was his infamous battle cry, fighting alongside Che Guevara that outlasted ten U.S. presidential administrations, starting with President Dwight Eisenhower and including President Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and current president George W. Bush.
On July 31, 2006, Castro announced that he had undergone surgery and named his brother as interim successor. He came to power, overthrowing then-President Fulgencio Batista. Castro’s radical changes and killings of Batista supporters angered the United States.
The U.S. punished Cuba by having economic sanctions and not having any form of diplomacy. Cuba countered with taking away U.S. business and property and turning to the Soviet Union for help.
Castro according to an AP report opened up 10,000 new schools and started a universal health care system. He backed revolutions in Latin America and Africa. However, labor unions lost the right to rebel, newspapers were closed, and religious institutions were punished.
Rather than face opposition, many Cubans fled to the United States, where they sought asylum. The same AP report, said that Castro’s personal life remains a mystery. One rumor said he had five kids with a woman and they may or may not have legally married. We do know that one daughter, Alina Fernandez Revuelta, is very critical of him and now lives in the United States.
In the United States, Castro is seen as the enemy, in Cuba, he’s a hero. Both can agree that Fidel Castro for the past fifty years was known for his strong actions.
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