After the 1950s, Fidel Castro was arguably the most prominent figure in Cuban politics, as he was the instigator of the Cuban Revolution, of which we still see the long-lasting outcomes in Cuba today. Along with Che Guevara and his brother, Raúl Castro, Fidel Castro went on to become a principal contender in the armed uprising against the US-backed authoritarian government run by Fulgencio Batista. As a revolutionary leader, Castro’s competence as a liberator, and the future of Cuba has been reflected in his quote, “A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.” Through means such as his attempted coup d’état, we can envisage the extent to which Fidel Castro’s legacy has been determined through his actions in the
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Castro’s legacy is debated through the political views of the extreme right-wing and left-wing perspectives. On the left, he has eliminated illiteracy and made it a role model for developing nations. On the right, Castro has made life for Cubans miserable by executing, torturing and exiling his opponents. Fidel Castro’s legacy was shaped mainly through the eyes of the US, one of the two superpowers at the time, who viewed him as a terrorist because he had opposed the authoritarian government the US had carefully established in Cuba before the Revolution. Also, Castro had formed political connections with the Soviet Union, through their shared ideology of communism, with whom the US was in the middle of the Cold War with. This detest from the United States for communism and Fidel Castro’s ideals was demonstrated through the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the following year, …show more content…
Some, the Russian, Chinese and the Cubans themselves, saw him as a stern but effective ruler, whereas the US-orientated part of the world believed that he was a terrorist. Under his lead, Cuba has advanced, economically and politically. Without his drastic methods and leadership during the crucial turning point in Cuban history that was the Cuban Revolution, Cuba would not be what it is today: a successful country with exceptional health care, low infant mortality rates, universal primary education and almost no racial discrimination. Although Castro’s legacy has been defined in a negative light according to the US, a more balanced view might be that having Castro as the future of Cuba is better than having Batista’s authoritarian government as a ruling power, for at least Castro provided universal health care and a higher standard of living. Despite past hostility, the political tension between the US and Cuba have been recently alleviating, as we see the US restoring diplomatic relations and the Senate voting to ease Cuban travel restrictions. Overall, whether or not a revolution really is a struggle to the death between the metaphorical future and the past, or whether Fidel Castro was a saviour of impoverished Cuba (and the future of Cuba) or an oppressor of the Cuban population is open to individual
Castro’s legacy is debated through the political views of the extreme right-wing and left-wing perspectives. On the left, he has eliminated illiteracy and made it a role model for developing nations. On the right, Castro has made life for Cubans miserable by executing, torturing and exiling his opponents. Fidel Castro’s legacy was shaped mainly through the eyes of the US, one of the two superpowers at the time, who viewed him as a terrorist because he had opposed the authoritarian government the US had carefully established in Cuba before the Revolution. Also, Castro had formed political connections with the Soviet Union, through their shared ideology of communism, with whom the US was in the middle of the Cold War with. This detest from the United States for communism and Fidel Castro’s ideals was demonstrated through the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the following year, …show more content…
Some, the Russian, Chinese and the Cubans themselves, saw him as a stern but effective ruler, whereas the US-orientated part of the world believed that he was a terrorist. Under his lead, Cuba has advanced, economically and politically. Without his drastic methods and leadership during the crucial turning point in Cuban history that was the Cuban Revolution, Cuba would not be what it is today: a successful country with exceptional health care, low infant mortality rates, universal primary education and almost no racial discrimination. Although Castro’s legacy has been defined in a negative light according to the US, a more balanced view might be that having Castro as the future of Cuba is better than having Batista’s authoritarian government as a ruling power, for at least Castro provided universal health care and a higher standard of living. Despite past hostility, the political tension between the US and Cuba have been recently alleviating, as we see the US restoring diplomatic relations and the Senate voting to ease Cuban travel restrictions. Overall, whether or not a revolution really is a struggle to the death between the metaphorical future and the past, or whether Fidel Castro was a saviour of impoverished Cuba (and the future of Cuba) or an oppressor of the Cuban population is open to individual