Zurab Lomidze
FYS – Cuba and the Superpowers
2018, October 14th
                                       The metamorphosis of the revolutionary leader
 	There have been a lot of leaders who had a big impact on the world, and Fidel Castro is one of them. The man who has survived over 600 assassination attempts(CNN) must have been valuable and dangerous for some powers which were trying to shape Cuba in their own way. One might wonder how the man could survive 600 assassination attempts, Castro answers that as Vladimir Putin asks him the question: “Because I was always the one to deal with my security personally” (Castro). So who is Fidel Castro and why would powers such as CIA try to get him killed? Fidel Castro was a Cuban revolutionary leader who acquired power by force during the US backed Batista’s tyranny. Fidel Castro temporarily gave Cuban people voice they lacked of during Batista’s contemporary slavery, until he declared himself a Marxist-Leninist till death (Castro, My Life).
	Castro was educated at the University of Havana in law, while also studying politics. His political ideas were formed while studying. He has joined couple of groups made by students which were devoted to helping poor workers. As time passed, ideas of Castro became more complicated and mature. In 1947, he joined the Party of the Cuban people and actually became the leader. As Castro became the presidential candidate, Fulgencio Batista staged a coup, establishing dictatorship in Cuba. Under dictatorship of Fulgencio, Cuban people were poor and illiterate. Life expectancy was low and mortality rate was high. This is when people needed someone like Castro the most, and he knew it pretty well. He realized that he couldn’t deal with Batista legitimately, so he launched an attack on Moncada army barracks in 1953, with only 100 men. This is the time when Castro was sentenced to 15 years, and when he gave “History will absolve me” speech, which criticized Batista’s rule. The speech was the thing people needed to hear. Castro understood issues in theoretical terms and therefore he knows the steps necessary for solution. But he doesn’t explain issues and solutions in a theoretical language to common people. Castro explains in concrete language that connects to the world-view of the Cuban people. That is why he got admired got the attention of superpowers around the world. He was the voice of the people, and as Che Guevara said, it was worth dying for a man with such ideals. The support Castro got from people from in and outside Cuba was huge. This support was necessary to fight Batista. People started forming armed groups to aid Castro. It all created the image through media as the legitimate leader of Anti-Batista forces, leader who promised land reforms and the implementation of the democratic constitution.  Everyone who was tired of greed and constant corruption took Castro’s side. Castro finally overthrew Batista when he started the 26th July of movement. “This revolution belongs to people, and the people are in the command, when they don’t want us we will leave” (Castro), these were the words out of Fidel’s mouth as he entered Havana and celebrated the victory. In the course of guerilla warfare, Castro delivered another speech where he distances himself from communism: “What right does Senor Batista have to speak of Communism? After all, in the elections of 1940 he was the candidate of the Communist party…” (Raids and Reconstructions, p200). Castro wasn’t a saint, he said he doesn’t want any power or position while he was also requesting for support from The United States as “caudillio”.
Fidel “converted” to a communist after the US has rejected his request for the support. Being the communist was the only way for Castro to stay in power. He adapted the ways Stalin used to repress and govern. His hatred towards the USA affected his decisions and it also affected Cuban people, in a very bad way. Castro wanted to be seen as a one of the world leaders and embracing socialism was the only way for him to gain influence. The Escambray rebellion was one of the main reasons why Castro sided with the communists. He needed money and military equipment to suppress any upcoming rebellions. After Bay of Pigs invasion, he declared that he’s Marxist-Leninist and will always be. School system started training children and communist indoctrination. To escape communism, parents began sending their children abroad, to The United States.
At this point, it was obvious that Fidel was making a lot of mistakes. If he wasn’t, half a million people wouldn’t leave Cuba. Castro never “rose” Cuba as a lot of people say. For example, he has destroyed the production of more stable food, rice. For example: “In 1960, the year after Castro came to power, the Cuban rice harvest was 400,000 metric tons, making Cuba for the first time self-sufficient in rice”, “By 1962, with Cuban agriculture socialized, the rice yield was reduced by 50 percent. The same year, the rationing of foodstuffs was introduced, with the rice ration set at 6 pounds per person per month” (Return to Havana, P.49-50). The reason why Castro did it was because of the deal he made with China he couldn’t deliver. (Taming of Fidel Castro, p. 195-207). Another reason why he reduced rice production was to grow more sugar to reach his foolish goal of ten million tons of sugar by 1970. During Fidel’s dictatorship, by 1980, estimates say that up to 140,000 people were executed and neglected (Genocide in Cuba). Before Castro came to power, Cuba was the third developed country in the region. It even beat France, Belgium and Spain in health indicators. Now, it is a food-deficient country that imports 80 percent of food from the other countries. The way Cuba earns money is by renting out doctors. The communism system failed like everywhere else, victimizing common people like always. There would be no Cuban Missile crisis if Fidel Castro had not destroyed Anti-Batista revolution, installing new and worse dictatorship. Also if the USA aided Castro, he would never look at communists. In short: no Castro, no missile crisis. Fidel has failed both as a leader and as a man. He has achieved nothing and his “achievements” were paid for by communist subsidies and loans from lots of countries. He destroyed Cuban economic wealth, nothing he did was sustainable, he was an utter failure.
Now, because of Castro, Cuba isn’t “a nice country” to live in for the Cubans. With low salaries ranging from 20-25$ and $10 pensions, shortages of medicine, bad conditions in hospitals and shortages of doctors (rented out to other countries), Cuba is far from being nice.