Fidel Castro Legacy

The Cuban Revolution was touchy topic for the United States and Cuba. America’s alienation of Cuba didn’t help when communism from the USSR was brewing over the revolution. When the revolution gained Castro as its leader, the worry and hatred from the United States was unbearable, especially when the Soviet Union landed in Cuba to interest Castro in its aid. The US’s fear of communism, Fidel Castro, and aid from the Soviet Union was significant because it changed the US’s political role in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution.

During the Cold War, relations between Cuba and the United States were icy. Cuba was allied with the USSR, America’s enemy, and was well within their sphere of influence. With events like the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis happening on their soil, Cuba was at the center of the Cold War. Between ideological differences and their alliance with Russia, Cuba became an enemy of America as well. It took the efforts of ten American presidents, six Popes, and countless other actors, but Cuba and America are finally in the process of normalizing relations. There is still work to be done, but the path is clear and the time is right. However, one cannot simply ignore the last fifty years. In that time, millions of lives were affected by the lack of social, economic, and political ties between the U.S. and Cuba. In this paper, I will analyze the last fifty years of U.S. - Cuban relations by looking at the involved actors, their means, and their values and interests through the lenses of two paradigms, realism and constructivism.

Cuba’s government is a totalitarian-socialist regime from a communist state. Fidel Castro is Cuba’s leader by default, but many Cuban’s dislike Castro’s ruling and cannot wait till the end of Castro’s rein. Castro also has his own army, which help him keep everything in order in and around the country. Fidel’s army is also known for brutal attacks on its citizens. Cuba’s religion is 85% Roman Catholic and many take their religion seriously.

After the revolution, health care and education improved enormously. While before the revolution only 30% of rural children had teachers, primary education became compulsory under Castro. However the education was often biased, and information which would undermine Castro’s regime was not taught, and was also kept out of the media, books and newspapers. Half a million Cubans fled Cuba to work in America, and appeared to enjoy a much better life there. The

On January 8th, 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army marched triumphantly into Havana, Cuba, having overthrown corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista the week earlier. It was the fruition of the Cuban Revolution, and the dramatic shift in power was about to radically alter the country’s political, social and economic course forever. The positive and negative effects of the revolution on the Cuban people, however, as well as the condition of Cuba’s economy pre and post-revolution, is subject to heated debate. Castro’s iron-fisted regime was the introduction of communism into the western hemisphere, and now, over fifty years later, the Cuban Revolution continues to be one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century. Despite the criticism levelled at Fidel Castro and his communist regime, however, the Cuban Revolution was necessary in improving the quality of life for the majority of Cuban citizens. The four fundamental categories on which to assess this are healthcare, education, economy and governance. By comparing the country’s overall performance under Fulgencio Batista versus under Fidel Castro in these areas crucial to a fully-functioning nation, it can be shown that the Cuban Revolution was a necessary and positive change in Cuban society which benefitted the majority of citizens.

“Castro was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, a small town in eastern Cuba. His father was a wealthy Spanish sugarcane farmer who first came to the island during the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898); his mother was a domestic servant for his father’s family who bore him out of wedlock. After attending a couple of Jesuit schools–including the Colegio de Belén, where he excelled at baseball–Castro enrolled as a law student at the University of Havana. While there, he became interested in politics, joining the anti-corruption Orthodox Party and participating in an aborted coup attempt against the brutal Dominican Republic dictator 1950, Castro graduated from the University of Havana and opened a law office. Two years later, he ran for election to the Cuban

It may seem that they don't make much money. Their prices in Cuba for things are far less than what we have here in the U.S. Like a bottle of coke is a dollar and twenty-two cents in Cuba and in the United States it is a dollar and seventy-five cents. Womens life expectancy in Cuba is 80 years old. Men's life expectancy in Cuba is 70 years old. Kids are required to go to school at least till high school. Uniforms are required at every school and they were different colors for each grade. The literacy rate in Cuba was 99% .Education is free to anyone all the way through the university level. They want everyone to have a chance to learn because most of them would not be able to afford to go to school or college.

Cuba’s early history is characterized by colonization, agricultural capitalism, the introduction of African slave labor, and a class system that divided the island (Mintz, 1971). Beginning in the 1800’s the Catholic Church ideology saturated Cuban society, which was the standard of Spanish-speaking Latin America at that time. Education at this time was an opportunity experienced by elite, white, males and centered on rigid Catholic tenets of philosophy. The base economy was agriculture, and African slaves

Education is important in Cuba. The ratio between the teacher and student are twelve to one. The illiteracy rate of the youth is close to zero. The Cuban government has a strong commitment to the education sector. Teacher in Cuba hold strong relationship with the student, with the parents, and families. Education is free in all levels including university and

On August13, 1926, in south-east Cuba, a successful sugar planter and his wife welcomed a son into the world. They named him Fidel Castro. After studying law at the University of Havana, Castro intended to run in the elections of 1952. Instead, the government was overthrown. Fidel and his brother Raul became insurgents and tried to uproot the new government, but failed and Castro spent time in prison. After a few years of exile, Castro snuck back into Cuba and with the help of another rebel, overtook the government and set himself up as Cuba’s prime minister. This is a position he held for around 50 years before advancement

Cuba’s revolution expands access to education to previously underserved communities, respectively, “remote areas of the country, the economically disadvantaged, non-whites, and women” (Lindahl, 1999:45). Fidel Castro selected education as his major issue during the revolution. After Castro succeeded as the prime minister in 1959, the Cuba government took education to the next phase. Education in Cuba prior to the

Many people welcomed Castro into their country with a relief that someone was finally going to save them from their previous dictator but they were wrong. Not knowing what the result was going to be they adored him from saving cubans from the corrupt dictator that U.S. backed up. Castro turned out to be their most corrupt dictator they ever had. Cubans believed that Castro was going to be a lifesaver from Batista but they were all wrong. Castro ended up being the total opposite. At first Castro did support his people by providing some education by providing tutors and teachers to teach the people that didn’t have much to read and write. This campaign was very successful. The literacy rate was at 60% and rose to 96%. He had programs that Castro converted Cuba into a communist state which left it with many problems.

In 1940 to 1944, communist Fulgencio Batista withheld power as the president of Cuba and then from 1952 to 1959, United States backed dictator until fleeing Cuba because of Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement. Socialist Fidel Castro governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Fidel Castro’s intent was to provide Cuba with an honest democratic government by diminishing the corrupt way in which the country was run, the large role the United States played in the running of Cuba as well as the poor treatment & the living conditions of the lower class.

So, for example, all 8th graders would wear green or blue etc; and all 9th graders would wear white, red, purple, etc. Even though it may seem hard to believe, in 1959, most Cubans that lived in rural areas didn’t have more than a third grade education. Some even had less than that, until the Cuban Revolution. After the Cuban Revolution, the government wanted to reconstruct the education system. In fact, it was their top priority. With the new government, elementary school was more important and more available for children. Once they were done with that, they set out to teach Cubans how to read. The whole country faced that problem. Over 800 literacy centers were opened by 1959 according to Wikipedia. Also, children living in poverty could now get a free education because of the government’s actions.

The main central argument that Castro composes within her essays is about how the higher education system is influenced by outside sources. Through the use of story-telling of multiple life events she explains how certain aspects of life such as race and social class intertwine and essentially influence the education system. Due to her family background and Jehovah Witness views, Castro’s parents did not believe college was really a part of her plan, but Castro still wished to pursue this dream of higher education. On the other hand, her peers at the university didn’t even question if college was an option, since they had the expenses and support system at home. Due to the difference in race and social class she felt a disconnect to her peers