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Essay / Fidel Castro's rise to governance and its impact on the uprising in Cuba Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba and assess the role of his ideology in establishing a one-party state in the country. This article will also provide an understanding of the circumstances that led to the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and assess the role of the previous dictatorship in Castro's rise to power. To effectively arrive at our conclusion, an overview of Fidel Castro's education will be observed to determine the development of his ideology. A chronological analysis of Castro's life will also be carried out. By looking at Castro's origins, we will assess the importance of their role in the Cuban Revolution of 1959. We will also assess the state of Cuba before Castro took power, including the reign of Castro's predecessor, Fulgencio Batista. The resources used for this investigation will consist of first-hand accounts from Cuban citizens who knew Fidel Castro personally, as well as scholarly articles detailing events in Castro's life and his revolution. Through the analysis of our evidence, we will conclude that Castro's ideology played a very important role in the Cuban revolution, as did the circumstances of the nation that led to the revolution. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionOn August 13, 1926, Fidel Castro, the illegitimate son of a successful Cuban farmer, was born in Birán, Cuba (Bosch & Chistofalo, 2005). His mother and father, adamant about Fidel's education, gave him and his brother Raul an elite Cuban education at a prestigious Cuban boarding school. Although ambitious, he would be known for opposing the status quo. Often displaying violent tendencies, Castro grew into a frustrated young man who demonstrated enormous intelligence (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). This would prove true as he continued to grow and seek to change the course of history. As he read more communist literature and explored Marxist ideology, he began to resent the administration of Cuba, led by dictator Fulgencio Batista. He would participate in demonstrations against the regime, including an attack on the Moncada barracks, which would lead to his imprisonment, with his brother Raul (Pettina, 2011). After being released, he would leave Cuba and travel to Mexico, where he began planning a skillful elimination of Battista. After years of training, Castro, with the help of other rebels, would stage a guerrilla attack against Battista and effectively take control of Cuba. After a thorough chronological analysis of the life of Fidel Castro, we find that the conditions that created the one-party state in Cuba were Castro's ideology that he formed over several years, as well as the situation in the country before Castro's revolution. Origins of Fidel Castro: Ideology, State of Cuba and RevolutionFidel Alejandro Castro was born on August 13, 1926 to a wealthy Cuban farmer and his mistress. Castro showed from a young age that he was an intelligent child, as recalled by his siblings, but often caused him to throw numerous tantrums (President of Cuba, 2003). These two descriptors would foreshadow Castro's life work. Because of his natural intellect, he was sent to Cuba's first boarding school, where he excelled in all of his classes (Bosch and Christofalo, 2005). However, due to several outbreaks of violence, Castro and hisbrother were expelled from school for an indefinite period. Fidel insisted on returning to continue his studies, going so far as to threaten to "...burn the house if you don't hand me over." according to CIA analyst Brian Latell (Bosch & Chistofalo, 2005). This demonstrates Castro's determination from a young age. It also demonstrates his dedication to learning and his willingness to use violence to achieve his ends; something that could eerily foreshadow the Cuban Revolution of 1959. Castro would finish his education and go on to study law at the University of Havana, Cuba's top university. His rural upbringing clashed with that of his classmates, but he adjusted well to many of his peers and excelled in his studies. He was singled out and described as a man who would "undoubtedly fill the book of his life with brilliant pages." (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). It was during his university studies that Castro began to form his own worldview and ideologies. He studied Cuban history carefully and saw many serious injustices within the political system. Since the Cuban War of Independence of 1898, many Cuban leaders have become corrupt (President of Cuba, 2003). Through the Platt Amendment of 1901, the United States government was able to take control of Cuban matters with little or no oversight (Fidel Castro, 2002). Castro, who was strongly influenced by Cuban nationalist professors, contested all of these things (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). After graduating from the University of Havana in 1945, Castro was determined to change the structure of government to a less corrupt system, over which the United States would have no control. Fidel Castro started a small law practice in Havana, Cuba, while maintaining political connections. aspirations (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). The free elections of 1952 in Cuba gave Fidel a momentary glimpse of his political future. He chose to run for a seat in Congress and called for responsible government and an end to corruption (Fidel Castro, 2002). But in March 1952, Castro's political dream came to an abrupt end following a military coup in Cuba led by former President Fulgencio Battista (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). After the military coup against Cuba and the enlistment of Batista as Cuban dictator, Castro, in 1953, made a decision that would change his life: attack the Moncada barracks. A year of planning began and Fidel led a small group of 129 men and 2 women, all Cuban revolutionaries, to attack the military barracks on July 26, the date Castro would use to describe the revolutionary movement. (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). Castro commented on the attacks saying: “Even if it fails, it will be heroic and will have symbolic value…” (President of Cuba, 2003). Castro was right on both counts: the attack did indeed fail, and it had important symbolic value for the Cuban people. As a result of the attack, “…8 revolutionaries were killed, 12 were injured and 60 were captured, imprisoned and then executed…” (Bosch and Chistofalo, 2005). But Fidel would be seen as a hero within the nation, as the leader of a revolt against a corrupt and apparently evil government. Fidel would be captured seven days after the assault and would serve as his own lawyer during his trial. Following him, Fidel uttered these words which would become legendary: “Condemn me! It doesn't matter, History will absolve me. Words which only reinforced his image as a hero among the Cuban people. Fidel and his brother Raul will be sentenced to 15 years in prison. It was during his first months of imprisonment that Castro began reading Marxist literature (Bosch and.
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