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Fidel Castro After The Cuban Revolution

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Focus Question: Critically evaluate the impact of social policies implemented by Fidel Castro, following the Cuban Revolution

Cuban leader, Fidel Castro (1926-) established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere after he and his forces began a campaign of guerrilla warfare to successfully overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Following this Castro became the country's new leader. He ruled over Cuba for nearly five decades, until recently handing over power to his younger brother Raúl in 2008. During Castro’s political rule several reforms took place, policies were formulated and implemented that have had significant impact on the social structure of the nation of Cuba. Impact; still felt today that has been both …show more content…

In September 1960, Fidel Castro, prime minister of the fledgling government, stood before the United Nations assembly in New York and promised to wipe out illiteracy by the end of the following year – of its total seven million population at the time, more than a million adults were illiterate and less than half of all children had access to school. "Cuba will be the first country of America which will be able to say it does not have one person who remains illiterate," he declared. By 1962 there had been an increase of 6213 public primary schools, 19, 258 teachers and 489, 869 students. (p. 185, MacEwan, 1981). This expansion of the education system meant that by the mid 1960s the literacy rate had risen from 70 to 90 percent. This was significantly higher than any other Latin-American nation at the time. Under Fidel Castro, education became universal however he also ensured that anyone who received this education would actively promote government policies both during and after their schooling. They would also be required to take government-approved courses that didn’t tolerate any criticism of socialism as a way of life. Creating a literate population was a way for Castro to take control and ensure the Cuban people remained loyal to the government. Whilst Castro implementing his education reform drastically improved literacy rates, the ulterior motive behind all this was …show more content…

Castro made health care free to all Cubans, assigning significant government funding to improving the system. "In the early 1960's the budget was increased by more than four-fold in amount... compared to the 1958 health budget" (Maria, de Gordon, 2002). This assisted in eradicating the class and race discrimination that was a previous barrier under the Batista regime. Further supporting the success of the health system’s transformation can be found in comparing statistics from before and after Castro taking power. In 1958 the Cuban infant mortality rate was 13th highest globally (US Department of State, 2008). This is compared to statistics gathered in 2009, which measured the Cuban infant mortality rate to be 6 per 1000 live births, one of the lowest in the world (World Health Organization). Castro made healthcare for all a national priority. This is reflected in the Cuban Constitution, which states “Health care is a human right rather than a product for economic profit. Therefore, all Cubans have equal access to health services, and all services are free” (Iatridis, 1990, p.

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