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Fidel Castro biography years of life year of death. Biography of the revolutionary Fidel Castro

On November 25, 2016, Fidel Castro, an outstanding Cuban politician and revolutionary, died. Over the course of his unusually long political career, the man became a prominent international figure whose importance and influence exceeded what could be expected from the head of a small island state in the Caribbean.

Supporters of Fidel Castro glorify him as a fighter for socialism and anti-imperialism, whose revolutionary regime ensured Cuba's independence from American imperialism.

Critics, on the other hand, see him as a dictator whose rule saw human rights violations, mass emigration of large numbers of Cubans, and the country's economy weakened significantly.

Regardless of whether you consider him a hero or a villain, we invite you to learn 25 interesting facts about Fidel Castro that you might not know about him!

25. Fidel Castro is the author of the longest speech ever given to the United Nations (UN). At the 872nd plenary meeting of the General Assembly on September 26, 1960, he delivered a speech that lasted 269 minutes (4 hours 29 minutes). This record is officially included in the Guinness Book of Records.


24. The Comandante was known for his busy work schedule. Often he went to bed only at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning. He even preferred to meet with foreign diplomats at such early hours, believing that they would be tired and he would be able to gain the upper hand in the negotiations.


23. Fidel Castro claims to have escaped 634 assassination attempts, mostly by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and exile organizations based in the United States. These include poison pills, poisonous cigars, an exploding seashell, a diving suit treated with bacteria, a gold-plated fountain pen with a super-thin syringe of poison, and much more.


22. Fidel Castro's favorite author was the American novelist Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway lived in Cuba for several years, where he wrote several of his famous novels, including For Whom The Bell Tolls. Castro and Hemingway met in 1960 during a fishing tournament in Cuba.


21. In 1955, after serving two years in prison, Castro went to Mexico, where he organized a revolutionary group, the 26th of July Movement, along with his brother Raúl Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara, an Argentine Marxist guerrilla revolutionary. leader, diplomat and military theorist.


20. Fidel Castro was the third longest-reigning head of state after Queen Elizabeth II of England and the King of Thailand, ruling the country for almost five decades.


19. During his extremely long political career, Fidel Castro also outlasted as many as 9 US presidents - from Eisenhower to Clinton. Throughout most of his reign, he faced numerous economic and financial sanctions that were imposed by these presidents.


18. Fidel Castro was not interested in music, but was a devoted sports fan, and for most of his life he tried to keep himself in good physical shape by doing regular exercise.


17. Fidel Castro's personal life remains largely shrouded in secrecy, but it is known that the Cuban leader had 5 wives, with whom he had a total of 11 children.


16. Time magazine included Fidel Castro in its list of the 100 most influential personalities of all time.


15. Fidel Castro's full name is Fidel Alejandro Castro Rus(Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz). He was named Castro after his father, Ángel Castro y Argiz, who was a Spanish immigrant. His middle name, Ruz, was given to him in honor of his mother, Lina Ruz González, the daughter of immigrants from the Canary Islands.


14. Fidel Castro was known for his love of Cuban cigars until he quit smoking in 1985, saying: “The best thing you can do with a box of cigars is give it to your enemy.”


13. Fidel Castro began wearing his famous beard as a young revolutionary. It was not so much a symbol of the partisan movement as a desire to save precious time. The Comandante had very practical reasons for wearing it, explaining: “If you spend 15 minutes shaving every day, you will accumulate 50,000 minutes in a year.” He added that he would prefer to use this time for more important things.


12. In the summer of 1947, at the age of 21, while a student at the University of Havana, he traveled to the Dominican Republic to take part in the overthrow of military dictator Rafael Trujillo, during which he developed a taste for armed uprisings.


11. One of the cows that was on Castro’s farm, known as “Ubre Blanca” (which translates as “White Udder”), entered the Guinness Book of Records for the largest milk yield in a day - 110 liters.

In his speeches, Fidel Castro cited this cow's extraordinary performance as evidence of Communism's superior breeding skills. In addition, the cow's achievements were often published in government-controlled newspapers.


10. American historian Theodore Draper coined the term “Castroism”, defining it as a combination of European socialism with the Latin American revolutionary tradition.


9. Fidel Castro showed great interest in cooking, as well as wine and whiskey. The Cuban leader was known for often coming into his kitchen to talk cooking with his chefs.


8. In the mid-1960s, Fidel Castro entered into a military and economic alliance with the USSR and, in response to the deployment of nuclear missiles by the United States in Turkey, allowed the Soviet Union to place nuclear weapons in Turkey, which led to the development of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which predetermined the beginning of " Cold War."


7. Fidel Castro was fluent in English, but usually refused to speak it (even during public or private interviews) because he considered it “the language of his enemies.”


6. In June 1961, Fidel Castro met in Havana with Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut who was the first person to fly into space. The photo of the comandante and the legendary cosmonaut hugging became one of the most famous photographs of Fidel Castro.


5. Fidel Castro had many fans even among the most popular American celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Robert Redford, Chevy Chase, Oliver Stone and Kevin Costner.


4. Fidel Castro is the author of many sayings. Some of his most famous statements are “Revolution is not a path strewn with roses. Revolution is a life-and-death struggle between the future and the past” and “People do not shape fate. It is fate that shapes a person in an hour.”


3. Fidel Castro changed his mind about LGBT rights in Cuba. In the 1960s, the country's government suppressed and persecuted homosexuals and other members of sexual minorities, imprisoning them and "re-educating" them.

However, in 2010 the Comandante expressed regret over this policy. His niece Mariela Castro is an LGBT activist and currently fights for lesbian rights in Cuba.


2. For most of his life, Fidel Castro favored military-style clothing and a combative look over anything else, but in recent years he has adopted a much more comfortable style. In particular, he fell in love with Adidas sportswear, wearing sports jackets from the famous brand even to important political meetings.


1. Fidel Castro's best friend and closest political ally was Hugo Chavez, a Venezuelan politician who served as the 64th president of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013. Hugo Chavez died in March 2013.

The leader of the Cuban revolution was 90 years old

Fidel Castro at a rally in Havana, 1961

Moscow. November 26. website - Longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, BBC News reported on Saturday, citing Cuban state television.

Fidel's death was announced by his brother, Chairman of the Council of State of Cuba, Raul Castro on state television. Castro Sr. died at 19:00 Friday local time (3:00 Saturday Moscow time). Details have not yet been announced.

Later, the American television channel NBC News, citing Raul Castro, reported that the body of the leader of the Cuban revolution would be cremated on Saturday morning.

Fidel Castro was born in 1926 in Cuba in the province of Oriente. Trained as a lawyer. In 1953, a group of rebels led by Castro attacked barracks in two Cuban cities. This event marked the beginning of the guerrilla struggle against the regime of Fulgencio Batista, and Fidel Castro himself was imprisoned.

Two years later he was released under an amnesty.

In 1956, Castro began a war against the Batista government together with the Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara. Three years later, Cuban revolutionaries achieved success and seized power in the country. From then on, Castro ruled the country continuously for almost 50 years.

The most tense moment in Cuba's recent history was the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the USSR tried to place missiles with nuclear warheads on the island aimed at the United States. According to historians, this situation could have turned into World War III.

In the last years of his life he experienced health problems. In 2008, he was forced to transfer power to his younger brother. He later admitted that he did this because of a stomach illness, since in 2006 doctors diagnosed him with a fatal diagnosis. Last May, at a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, Castro spoke about his health: problems with his knee and how difficult it was for him to stand. At the same time, the French delegation noted the mental acuity of the former leader and said that he uses the Internet to learn about world problems.

In April, Castro gave a speech at the final day of the Cuban Communist Party convention. At the time, he mentioned his old age, but said that he believed in communist ideals and the victory of the Cuban people.

The leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, died at the age of 91. The official announcement of his death has already been broadcast by local television channels. This information was also confirmed by the relatives of the deceased.

Fidel Castro ruled Cuba from 1959 for more than fifty years. In 2006, due to deteriorating health, he transferred authority to govern the country to his brother, Raul Castro.

It is reported that the Cuban leader died in hospital at three o'clock in the morning Moscow time.


In the last years of his life, Fidel Castro was often ill, but nevertheless continued to appear on television, write articles and hold meetings. Fidel Castro's body will be cremated on Saturday, November 26.

The press secretary of the Cuban Embassy in Moscow, Oscar Rodondo, refused to give any comments to the VM correspondent.

DIRECT SPEECH

Mikhail Markovich Makaruk, vice-president of the Russian Society for Friendship with Cuba, major general of aviation:

After the departure of the legendary Fidel Castro, nothing will change in our relations with Cuba - everything will remain in the genes that grew up after the Cuban revolution for centuries. None of Washington's calculations that Cuba will again become a colony of America will come true. The slogan of the victorious revolutionaries “We will win!” - it will remain relevant today. Our friendship with the Cuban people is already established, and nothing can change it.


HELP "VM"

Fidel Castro in the village of Biran, Oriente province. In 1950, he graduated from the University of Havana with a degree in law. After graduating from university, he began practicing law, taking on the cases of the poor without demanding payment from them. In the early 1950s, he joined the Party of the Cuban People ("Orthodox").

In March 1952, a military coup took place in Cuba, as a result of which power passed to General Fulgencio Batista. Fidel Castro was at the forefront of the fight against dictatorship.

On July 26, 1953, members of the group attacked the Moncada barracks in the city of Santiago de Cuba. The speech was brutally suppressed. Fidel Castro was tried by a military tribunal, which sentenced him to fifteen years in prison. However, in May 1955, under pressure from public opinion, he was amnestied. That same year, Castro emigrated to Mexico.

In Mexico, Fidel founded the 26th of July Movement and began preparing an uprising. He managed to gather an army of allies and in 1959 they won a victory over the dictatorial regime. Batista was overthrown, in January 1959 Castro took command of the Cuban army, and in February 1959 he took over as head of government.

From the beginning of his reign, Fidel Castro announced the country's transition to a socialist path of development.

Fidel Castro is a world-famous commandant and permanent Cuban leader who ruled Cuba for more than half a century. There are many legends about his activities and life, which often contradict each other. It is difficult to give a definite description of the “great and terrible” political figure, since one part of the world community considers him a people’s ruler, and the other – the most brutal dictator of humanity.

The biography of Fidel Castro is full of various events, he survived more than 600 attempts on his life, became the leader of the Cuban revolution and was the most terrible enemy of the United States, who entered into a nuclear and economic alliance with the USSR.

Childhood and youth

Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 in the small provincial town of Biran in Cuba in the family of a small landowner and a cook. The parents of the future ruler were uneducated people, so they tried to give their children the most worthy education possible. Taking into account the fact that Fidel had a phenomenal memory since childhood, he became the best student at the school. In addition to his ability to learn, Castro was distinguished by an ambitious and purposeful character, displaying a revolutionary disposition. Already at the age of 13, he took part in the workers' uprising on his father's plantation, in which he occupied a leadership position.


In 1941, the future Cuban leader graduated from school with honors and entered a privileged college, where he is remembered as a vain student and participant in all the fights. After college, Fidel Castro became a law student at the University of Havana. During his student years, he was especially fond of revolutionary books, which engendered the spirit of a revolutionary in his soul. At that time, he had little sympathy for the communists, but was ready to join their ranks if they “made” him.

In 1950, Fidel Castro received a law degree and opened a private practice, whose activities were based on helping solve the legal problems of poor people. The future commandant became the people's lawyer and provided free legal assistance to the population, which won considerable support in society.

Policy

The beginning of Fidel Castro's political career was revolutionary in nature. First, he becomes a member of the Party of the Cuban People, from whose ranks he tries to get into parliament. But the first attempt was unsuccessful - his candidacy for deputy was not approved due to radicalism. Then he decides to take more desperate steps and becomes the leader of the fighters against the dictatorship, with whom in 1953 he conspires against the then-current Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista.


This attempt to get to the top of the country’s power also turns out to be a failure, since as a result of the conspiracy, many of Fidel Castro’s associates died, and the revolutionary himself was imprisoned for 15 years.

Two years later, the future head of Cuba came under a general amnesty and was released from prison, where he spent 22 months. The released prisoner immediately left the country and moved to Mexico, where he organized the revolutionary “26th of July Movement” in memory of the rebellion against Batista. The ranks of the movement included many famous revolutionaries of the time, such as the brother of the future Cuban ruler Raul Castro.


Fidel Castro's return to his homeland was fateful both for him and for the entire Cuban people - he and the rebel army were able to capture Havana and overthrow the Batista regime, which allowed him to first become the commander-in-chief of the Cuban troops, and later take the post of prime minister of the country.

For almost 20 years as head of the government of Cuba, Fidel Castro completely transformed the state - the country in a very short time came to prosperity and experienced an unprecedented economic recovery. The new head of Cuba took special care of the social sphere, making medicine free for the population and increasing the level of education to 98%. At the same time, the nationalization of private companies was carried out and a “friendship” with the USSR began.


In 1962, Soviet nuclear missiles were stationed on the island, worsening relations between the United States and Cuba. Hostility with the West provoked the Cuban missile crisis on the island, due to which many of Castro's associates fled the country and took the side of the Americans. Despite this, the Cuban leader continued to act towards the overthrow of world capitalism, supporting foreign revolutionary movements in Angola, Afghanistan, South Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria, Algeria, Nicaragua, Libya and other third world countries.


Economic growth and stability in Cuba stopped in the early 1980s when the USSR stopped providing financial support to the country. This led to an economic crisis that made Cuba the poorest country in the world. Against this background, people began to try by any means to leave their homeland and move to the United States, and in Cuba, oppositionists began to organize a movement to overthrow the Castro regime.


In 2006, for health reasons, the Cuban leader was forced to transfer powers to his brother Raul, who in 2008 became the rightful ruler of Cuba, since Fidel Castro was physically no longer able to govern the country and lead the Cuban army.

Assassinations and health

The attempts on Fidel Castro's life are the most widely discussed chapter of his biography. There is information that during the reign of Cuba and cooperation with the USSR, the American CIA made about 600 attempts to destroy the Cuban leader. All of them, for unknown reasons, were canceled at the last moment and completely stopped by the island’s special agents. They tried to kill Castro while spearfishing, shoot him with a miniature pistol built into a reporter's camera, and poison him with a deadly poison that was soaked in Castro's cigars.


In 2006, Fidel Castro's health deteriorated significantly and fell into the category of state secret of the peninsula. Despite this, some of the Cuban leader’s illnesses became public knowledge and were made public after the declassification of one of the American CIA reports.

It is known that since 1998, Castro began to suffer from Parkinson's disease, which made him a paranoid jealous of all the people's favorites. Also, a local doctor who fled from Cuba said that the politician had rectal cancer and was operated on because of a cerebral hemorrhage back in 1989. Against the backdrop of such data, the famous Cuban commandant was “buried” several times in the media, but he always suddenly appeared in public and denied widespread rumors about his death.

In 2014, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry met with Fidel Castro. After a meeting with the Cuban leader, the Russian Foreign Minister said that he is certainly weak, but his eyes are burning with life and readiness for new revolutionary achievements.

Personal life

The personal life of Fidel Castro, like his health, is a closed and secret topic in society. It is known that in his life there were three truly beloved women who bore him seven children, of which only one son is legitimate. Fidel Castro's first wife, Mirta Diaz Balart, was the daughter of Cuban government minister Batista. She gave birth to the Cuban leader's only official heir, Fidelito, who was at one time married to a Russian woman.


Fidel Castro's second wife was the legendary Havana beauty of the 50s, Nati Revuelta, who gave birth to his daughter Alina. The daughter of the Cuban leader fled from Cuba to the United States in her youth using a fake Spanish passport. According to Alina’s recollections, in addition to Castro, he has at least five more children, whom his beloved woman named Deliv Soto gave birth to. The third wife of the Cuban revolutionary, Celia Sanchez, was Castro's assistant for many years, but in 1985 she committed suicide.

Death

Fidel Castro's fortune as of 2005 reached $550 million, and a year later it increased to almost a billion. In this regard, according to Forbes magazine, he became one of the richest people on the planet. At the same time, the Cuban ruler himself denies his income from state-owned enterprises, but is very fond of luxury, as evidenced by his numerous yachts, residences and thousands of security guards. The extravagant politician does not indulge his children with special attention - he only provided them with food rations and security.


At 22.29 on November 25, 2016 (06.29 Moscow time on November 26). The Cuban revolutionary passed away after a long illness. After his death, Fidel Castro's body was cremated, according to his will.

The leader of the Cuban revolution passed away at the age of 91.

Fidel's death was announced by his brother, Chairman of the Council of State of Cuba, Raul Castro on state television. Castro died at 19:00 Friday local time (3:00 Saturday Moscow time).

Raul Casto also announced that Fidel's body would be cremated on the morning of November 26: "According to the will expressed by Comrade Fidel, his body will be cremated in the early hours of Saturday."

For 30 years, Fidel Castro was the Chairman of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, he was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Chairman of the National Defense Council of the country. He was also Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and was First Secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba from 1961-2011.

Under his leadership, Cuba was transformed into a one-party socialist state, industry and private property were nationalized, and large-scale reforms were carried out throughout society.

In the last years of his life he experienced health problems. In 2008, he was forced to transfer power to his younger brother. He later admitted that he did this because of a stomach illness, since in 2006 doctors diagnosed him with a fatal diagnosis. Last May, at a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, Castro spoke about his health: problems with his knee and how difficult it was for him to stand. At the same time, the French delegation noted the mental acuity of the former leader and said that he uses the Internet to learn about world problems.

In April 2016, Castro gave a speech at the final day of the Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba. At the time, he mentioned his advanced age, but said that he believed in communist ideals and the victory of the Cuban people.

Due to deteriorating health, on July 31, 2006, Fidel Castro transferred the responsibilities and powers of the head of the State Council and the Council of Ministers to his brother Raul Castro, and on April 19, 2011, he resigned from the post of head of the ruling party.

It all started in December 1956, when a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro landed from the small yacht Granma in the province of Oriente. The group, which eventually became the Rebel Army, launched a guerrilla struggle against the dictatorial regime.

After the victory of the revolution and the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship on January 1, 1959, democratic forces came to power in Cuba, rallying around the Rebel Army led by Fidel Castro.

During Fidel Castro's years in power, more than 600 assassination attempts were made on his life, including poison in cigars and a bomb in a baseball.

In the photo below: Chairman of the State Council of Cuba Fidel Castro, President of the Republic of Cuba Osvaldo Torrado, Ernesto Che Guevara at the head of the funeral procession at the farewell to the victims of the explosion of the La Couvre motor ship.

The cargo ship La Coubre exploded on March 4, 1960 while unloading in the port of Havana. The death toll was 101 people, 209 people were injured. The main version of events, according to a statement by the Cuban authorities, was a terrorist attack organized by the CIA.

Fidel Castro entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most fiery speaker - his speech to the UN on September 29, 1960 lasted 4 hours 29 minutes.

According to Reuters, Castro's longest speech was given at the Third Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in 1986 and lasted 7 hours and 10 minutes. According to AN Cuba-vision, this speech lasted 27 hours.

And one day Castro gave a three-hour lecture to American congressmen on the problem of raising especially milk-producing cows.

Fidel Castro visited the USSR several times. Castro's first visit to the USSR lasted almost a month and a half, as Fidel set himself the task of thoroughly acquainting himself with the life of the “country of victorious socialism.” He visited Siberia and Ukraine, the Urals and Central Asia, Leningrad and Volgograd, Murmansk and Tbilisi.

When he first arrived in the Soviet Union, Muscovites gave him an unprecedented enthusiastic reception at a crowded rally on Red Square on April 28, 1963. Fidel Castro visited the Bolshoi Theater for the ballet "Swan Lake". After the performance, he met the ballet dancers and the theater's prima Maya Plisetskaya.

Fidel Castro was a voracious smoker - his image with an invariable Havana cigar in his mouth has become a classic. However, at the end of 1986

Fidel quit smoking due to deteriorating health

Fidel Castro was an excellent athlete. Played good baseball.

Castro was a devotee of Rolex watches. In many pictures he can be seen with two Rolex Submariners on his wrist.

He was an avid fisherman.

In May 1960, Fidel Castro took second place in the Ernest Hemingway fishing tournament, catching a blue marlin weighing about 25 kg.

In 1962, Castro was excommunicated by Pope John XXIII on the basis of the Decree against Communism of Pope Pius XII for organizing the communist revolution in Cuba.

Fidel Castro played in at least two American films, including the quite famous one at the time, “School for Mermaids.”

The NBO company, which ordered Stone's film Comandante, considered it a propaganda film praising Cuba and its leader. The film was banned from showing in the United States, and Oliver Stone again went to Cuba to investigate the situation with human rights on Liberty Island. Ironically, in 2006, American authorities fined the Finding Fidel film crew for “violating the economic embargo” against Cuba.

At the end of April 2010, Fidel started a microblog on Twitter.

At the beginning of August 2010, the first part of Fidel's memoirs, La Victoria Estratégica, was published for the first time in Cuba.

Fidel Castro has been an Arsenal football fan since the Gunners' double title in the 1970/71 season.

In the computer games "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and "The Godfather 2" there is an operation to eliminate Castro. Both operations end in failure.