Raúl Castro

In “Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause” (New York: Penguin, 2008), Tom Gjelten highlights the importance of the story of Bacardi family which helped explain the evolution of Cuba as a nation. Gjelten focused on the entire family from the beginning and described certain Bacardi family members who played a vital role in the Cuban Wars of independence. There is also focus on the fifty year period between 1902 and 1952 and the actions of the family members. Gjelten’s…

Che Guevara had the confidence that communism would save the disadvantaged people of Latin America in the Cuban Revolution in 1956-1959, and continued to be a guerrilla leader in South America. Since his execution by the Bolivian army in 1967, he has been considered a legendary political figure and an icon of radicalism and anti-imperialism because he exemplifies the core characteristics of what it takes to be a leader (Besancenot, Lowy, & Membrez). According to Warren Bennis, an American…

Cuba. However, after a US U2 plane was shot down by USSR Commander Issa Pliyev, the crisis teetered on the brink of disaster. At this time, Kennedy and Khrushchev began negotiating indirectly to end the crisis peacefully. Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro was left out of these negotiations. At nearly the same time, US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson was bringing the world up to speed on the USSR’s actions, revealing the deception of his Soviet counterpart Valerion Zorin. Due to…

embassy. Cuban officials announced that anyone who had not entered the embassy grounds by force would be allowed to emigrate. Thus, on April 14th, President Jimmy Carter announced the U.S. would accept 3,500 refugees. In response, Cuban President Fidel Castro announced that the port of Mariel would be opened to anyone wishing to leave Cuba, only if they had someone to pick them up. In all, 125,00 Cubans fled to the U.S. Many of them had been released from jails and mental asylums, others…

Over the last several weeks, the death of the controversial figure of Fidel Castro have quite a few concerned and curious. Many, whether they are Cuban or not, are left questioning the current state of Cuba, and especially its future. As a country that played a large role in bringing two superpowers to the brink of World War III, Cuba has evolved from being a vacation hotspot for United States citizens, to a prominent symbol of a leftist, socialist government within the Western Hemisphere.…

Gladiatorial Journal 3/21/37 - My first day at the gladiatorial school in Rome was unpleasant to say the least. I was a prisoner of war, and my name was Caiu. I was born in Sicily and was captured during the Sicilian Revolt. First, I was assessed by the Lanista, which was the owner of the gladiatorial school. They referred me as ‘novicius,’ which was what all the new recruits were called. After being assessed by the Lanista, I was checked by the doctor or Medici. They checked my physical…

The Spanish-American War was the conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. It was one of only eleven US wars to have been formally declared by Congress. The Spanish–American War began in 1898 between Spain and the United States, the result of U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. U.S. attacks on Spain's Pacific possessions led to involvement…

Fidel Castro was the leader of Cuba he was just a child like everyone else. Fidel Castro led a very interesting childhood. Fidel was known as the type of kid that would be known as a very rambunctious, disobedient kid. Fidel grew up as a very spoiled child. He did what he wanted when he wanted. Fidel Castro, as a child, has been distinguished to be serious, hateful and mean, but he was really just a boy who was trying to find out who he really is. On August 13, 1926 Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz…

Fidel Castro, resembles Shakespearean character, Macbeth. Fidel is widely known for bringing a communist government to Cuba, his use of guerilla warfare tactics, and the Bay of Pigs invasion. His way of running Cuba shaped the country into the power force it is today. The two share similar traits when it comes to leading their countries and living their day to day life. Greed, family, and corruption often lead many people to do behaviors that are outside of the norm. Both Fidel Castro and…

Nominated for an oscar in the Academic Awards USA in 1995, Fresa y Chocolate ‘a hard-core political film, brimming with explicit dialogue about censorship, Marxism-Leninism, nationalism, aesthetics, and not least, sexuality’. Chanan (2004: 464). Based on a novel by Senel Paz and directed mainly by the legendary Cuban director Tomas Gutierrez Alea, I believe that this masterpiece succeeds to mirror Cuba to the audience. David (Vladimir Cruz) is a communist student with a peasant background,…