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Fidel Alejandro Castro Rúz (born August 13, 1926) has ruled Cuba since 1959, when, as part of the 26th of July Movement, he helped overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista and turn Cuba into the first socialist state in the Western Hemisphere. He held the title of premier until 1976, when he became president of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. He has been the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba since its inception in 1965. His brother RaúlRaul Castro Ruz (born June 3, 1931) is a Cuban politician and revolutionary, the brother of Fidel Castro. He has been the Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba since 1965 and First Vice-president of the Councils of State, is the number two official in the country. As of October 20042004 : January February March April May June July August September October November December See also: October 2004 in sports October 31, 2004 Tabare Vazquez is elected the next president of Uruguay. Two days before the 2004 United States presidential ele, Fidel Castro stated that Raúl would assume authority over Cuba should he become ill [1]1 Early life and rise to power
University student Fidel Castro (3rd from the left, standing) talking to fellow students during a protest on November 11November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. Events 1215 The fourth lateran council meets, adopting the doctrine of transubstantiation, meaning that bread and wine are transformed into t, 1947Events January January 1 British mines nationalized January 1 Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. January 10 United Na
Born in Birán , near Mayarí , in the modern-day province of HolguínStatistics Capital: Holguin Area:9,300 km² Inhabitants:1,013,600 Population Density:109 per km² Map Holguin is one of the provinces of Cuba, the second most populous after Ciudad de la Habana. Major cities include Holguin (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Ma (then a part of the now-defunct Oriente provinceProvinces of Cuba Cuba consists of 14 provinces, plus one special municipality. Isla de la Juventud # Pinar del Rio # La Habana # Ciudad de La Habana # Matanzas # Cienfuegos # Villa Clara # Sancti Spiritus Ciego de Avila Camaguey Las Tunas Granma Holguin), Fidel spent his early years with his wealthy farming family. The son of Ángel Castro y Argiz, an immigrant from Galicia, Spain, and his cook Lina Ruz González, Castro was educated at Jesuit schools, including the preparatory school Colegio Belén in Havana. In 1945, he went to the University of Havana to study law, from where he graduated in 1950.
Castro practiced law in a small partnership between 1950 and 1952. He intended to stand for parliament in 1952 for the "Orthodox Party" but a coup d'état led by General Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government of Carlos Prío Socarrás, after which the elections were cancelled. Castro charged Batista with violating the constitution in court, but his petition was refused. In response, Castro organized a disastrous armed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Oriente province on July 26, 1953. Over eighty of the attackers were killed, and Castro was taken prisoner, tried, and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. (Castro used the closing arguments in the case to deliver "History Will Absolve Me" [2], a passionate speech defending his actions and explaining his political views.) He was released in a general amnesty in May 1955 and went into exile in Mexico and the United States.
He returned to Cuba with a number of other exiles, clandestinely sailing from Mexico to Cuba on the 60-ft pleasure yacht Granma. They were called the 26th of July Movement. At this point, Castro described himself and his movement as believing in " Jeffersonian philosophy" and adhering to the " Lincoln formula" of cooperation between capital and labor. As late as 1959, Castro told U.S. News and World Report that he had "no intention of nationalizing any industries." Some people (both critics and supporters of Castro) contend that the revolution never had anything to do with Jeffersonian philosophy, and that Castro was concealing his true aims.
The 26th of July Movement's first action was in Oriente province on December 2, 1956. Only twelve of the original eighty men survived to retreat into the Sierra Maestra Mountains and from there wage a guerrilla war against the Batista government. The survivors included Che Guevara, Raúl Castro, and Camilo Cienfuegos. Castro's movement gained popular support and grew to over 800 men. On May 24, 1958, Batista launched seventeen battalions against Castro in Operación Verano . Despite being outnumbered, Castro's forces scored a series of stunning victories, aided by massive desertion and surrenders from Batista's army. On New Year's Day 1959 Batista and president-elect Carlos Rivero Agüero fled the country, and the 26th of July forces took Havana.
