This year has been full of surprises, some better than others. But on November 25, 2016, Fidel Castro’s death left the world in shock. Castro was a known “dictator” to some, but others viewed him as a revolutionary leader. From a young age, Castro was passionate about social justice. Castro and his group, the 26th of July Movement, started a guerrilla war to overthrow the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista. By 1959, Fidel Castro had disposed of Batista and became Cuba’s prime minister.

Castro did not like the United States having so much economic control over the island- leading to him nationalizing industries and plantations. This caused a strain between U.S. and Cuban relations- something the U.S. was not happy about especially because Cuba began to build relations with the Soviet Union.

With the rising power of communism, the U.S. made many attempts to take Castro down but were ultimately unsuccessful. In 1961, an operation led by the CIA attempted to overthrow the Castro regime. It was one of many assassination attempts on his life, and it ended like all the rest, with him surviving, thriving, and leading his people.Throughout his political career, Fidel Castro survived over 600 assassination attempts and each helped grow his image as a fighter and conqueror.

With his power, Castro introduced social reform to Cuba. He improved healthcare and education significantly, thus equalizing all of Cuba’s social classes. Even though Castro equalized Cuba, he was heavily criticized for abusing human rights. Castro imprisoned anyone who opposed him or did not agree with him. This resulted in many Cubans fleeing the country and settling in Miami.

When news broke out that Fidel Castro had passed reactions varied, Cuban’s living in Miami celebrated and waved flags through the streets while others around the globe were mourning the death of their great leader. Castro helped other countries and overthrew Cuba’s previous corrupt leader, but he also had a harsh way of running his country for many years. So was Castro truly a dictator or was he a revolutionary leader for Cuba?

– Jaqueline Almaraz