FIDEL CASTRO

By lasilviii

  • FIDEL CASTRO

    Fidel Castro was born in Biran, Cuba. He was born into a family run by Lina Ruz Gonzalez and Angel Castro.He was a lawyer, politician and Marxist guerrilla.

  • UNSUCCESSFUL UPRISING

    Castro and his brother Raúl lead an unsuccessful attack against military barracks on July 26, 1953. Castro is sentenced to 15 years in prison, but he and Raúl are released in a political amnesty in 1955. They flee to Mexico, where they organize Cuban exiles in a revolutionary group known as the 26th of July Movement.

  • GUERRILLA AND BATISTA

    The Castro brothers, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and nine men evade capture, and they launch a guerilla war against the Batista government. Over the next few years, Castro's forces attract more volunteers, they begin to defeat Batista's army, and political support for Batista's government decreases.

  • BATISTA'S DEFEATS

    Castro's guerilla army of 800 men defeats Batista's 30,000-man professional army, and Batista is forced to flee the country on January 1, 1959. Castro enters Havana and is named commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Castro begins to accumulate political power.

  • CASTRO BECOMES PRIME MINISTER OF CUBA

    Castro becomes prime minister of Cuba ,effectively becoming the head of the government. Manuel Urrutia formally resigns as president in July of that year. Despite his position as prime minister, Castro rules essentially as a dictator and ruthlessly suppresses the opposition.

  • THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION FAILS

    After imposing economic sanctions on Cuba to discourage its growing relationship with the Soviet Union, the U.S. sponsors a disastrous invasion of the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961 in an attempt to overthrow Castro. Relations subsequently deteriorate between Cuba and the U.S., and Castro invites the Soviet Union to secretly build sites for nuclear missiles in his country.

  • FIDEL IS ELECTED PRESIDENT

    On December 3, 1976, the Cuban National Assembly elects him president of the State Council, a new position that replaces that of president and prime minister. Castro continues to exercise complete control over the government, retaining his brother Raúl as second in command.

  • CUBAN ECONOMIC CRISIS

    From the 1960s to the 1980s, Cuba benefits from Soviet aid, especially as Castro's economic programs prove to be disastrous. As a result, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 sends Cuba into an economic crisis. Castro reluctantly allows foreign investment, particularly in tourism and some free-market activity, while retaining tight control over the economy.

  • Castro passes the presidency to his brother Raúl.

    After years of failing health, Castro formally resigns from the presidency on February 19, 2008. He passes power to his brother Raúl.

  • Castro resigns as secretary-general of the Communist Party of Cuba

    After resigning as president, Castro continues to serve as secretary-general of the Communist Party of Cuba. However, on March 22, 2011, he reveals that he has stepped down as secretary-general, putting Raúl in charge.

  • CASTRO'S DEATH

    He died in Cuba at the age of 90