Fulgencio Batista was the U.S. backed brutal dictator in Cuba for four years. Under Batista rule, he jailed, murdered and censored political and human rights for the people of Cuba. Also, watching the Untold Stories of American History, being a U.S. puppet, Batista allowed the U.S. to control 80% of Cuba’s resources. The brutal, murderous, evil dictator was not Fidel Castro but Fulegenico Batista-what you do not study or read in America history. Castro’s rise to power was overthrowing Batista along with his regime and putting an end to western imperialism in Cuba.
“His legacy in Cuba and elsewhere has been a mixed record of social progress and abject poverty, of racial equality and political persecution, of medical advances and a degree of misery comparable to the conditions that existed in Cuba when he entered Havana as a victorious guerrilla commander in 1959”. DePlama
Defying the U.S. and fighting for the people, Fidel Castro goal was to uplift Cuba and the citizens, to demonstrate they have a place in the world and to have dignity. Mr. Castro ensured the Cuban people for five decades of his fight for the common man and he made it happen. Although he will have a mixed legacy of good and bad, the Cuban people should be proud of having a leader who fought for the people and provided the basic necessities many Americans do not have. When many revolutionaries come to power or are put in power by the U.S. they forget about the people, Castro did not.
Of course, the U.S. does not see Castro in this view because of his defiance for 50 years. He was not going to be a puppet like Batista and many other third world leaders. Castro was not going to allow the west to come and impose their ways on Cuba and the Cuban people. Due to Castro’s defiance, his relationship with the Soviet Union almost causing a nuclear war, America imposed a 55-year trade embargo and attempted 66 times to assassinate the Cuban leader and was unsuccessful. The U.S. will paint Fidel Castro as a tyrant, an ineffective leader, a brutal and murderous dictator, which they do when leaders like Castro oppose the west.
With the death of Castro and the dictatorship remaining, what is next for the people and Cuba? If Trump can handle foreign affairs, continuing to restore a relationship with Cuba and working on policies that will benefit both countries should be the next step. Furthermore, what is next is for the Cuban people to come together to build their country, create a thriving economy and continue to provide the basic necessities for every citizen. Even with a mixed legacy, there is no doubt that Fidel Castro was a leader for the people.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-danaher/things-you-wont-find-in-cuba_b_7073190.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/world/americas/fidel-castro-dies.html?_r=1
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2016/11/cuba-leader-fidel-castro-dead-90-161126053354637.html