A Cuban Hero and God: Fidel Castro

A Cuban Hero and God: Fidel Castro
Jessica Marie

         Though Fidel Castro’s actions are portrayed as menacing to American eyes, the Cuban people view him as a hero because Castro changed many aspects of life for his people. Castro, learned from his mistakes of the sugar cane and crop disasters and made life much better for his people by hiring workers for agriculture, an economic boom that led to a working class and some industrialization, and many rights for citizens including the right to vote. Castro provided his people with an agrarian revolution that led to a better constitution that provided a better life expectancy, education, and living conditions.

         Fidel Castro’s agrarian reform was one of the accomplishments that he made. Without the reform, Cuba would not have went through an industrial revolution that provided economic success from the different class structures and later a constitution. On February 13, 1959, Castro became Prime Minister after he changed the 1940 constitution that would not have allowed him to take direct policy (Foss 54). Castro’s actions led the Rebel Army to make many changes. One of the most important changes was a communist government that differed from Batista’s capitalist government that relied on the United States for goods. Castro’s decisions led to an eight-point program of agrarian reform that made the economy boom again for many reasons. Castro’s theory about agrarian reform, indebted to China’s Mao Tse-tung, included a four-class block that provided a perfect formula for the economy (Draper 79). The program also regulated cooperatives that provided facility and state aid (Draper 83). These cooperatives became the official cornerstone of Castro’s reforms. Castro’s theory also worked because in the mid-1960s, industries surpassed the revolution that paved way for the “first historical stage of the revolution” and caused the proletariat to join the revolution (Draper 71). Later, the agrarian reform party made all citizens in Cuba harvest sugarcane for exporting purposes as well as trading with the Soviet Union. However, each year until the 1970s, the harvests were not as successful as Castro hoped. Castro’s agrarian reform led the way for industry and a class structure. The reform also made Cuba a bit richer in industry because before the Castro regime, the citizens of Cuba relied only on the United States for goods. However, there were many struggles that made Castro realize he needed a better constitution.

         Another one of Fidel Castro’s accomplishments, that was really significant, was writing a constitution to strengthen Cuba. After the disastrous “ten million ton” sugar harvest in 1970, and the failure of the farmers to cultivate ten million tons of sugar for the government to export, Fidel Castro took blame for this result and made many changes to the program and turned this into a victory. Many Cubans were unhappy about the economy and relations with Russia; many fled and were exiled to Miami, Florida. In changing the constitution and program, it would make the citizens happier. One of these changes was the decline in Castro’s autonomy, which led to Castro writing a constitution that was signed into the law in 1976 (Ceteno). According to the constitution, Cuba was a unitary socialist republic, meaning the Communist Party was the leading force and was responsible for organization and direction of economic life along with a central social and development plan. Under the constitution, power did not only reside with Castro. Legislative power resided in the National Assembly, composed of six hundred deputies. Citizens were allowed to vote at age sixteen. Castro also set up agencies to take care of agriculture (“Fidel Castro, President of Cuba”). With the new constitution, the citizens were happier, they enjoyed new freedoms such as voting, and they did not have to worry about the economy since they had special programs to take care of agriculture and domestic policies that led to equality.

         Fidel Castro’s constitution paved way for successful economic and domestic policies that led to even more equality, especially in Havana. Castro changed the economy that relied on the United States, to a socialist economy that depended mostly on itself. This change had been successful in addressing many problems such as life expectancy, health, and living. When Batista was still in power, he ran a hateful, corrupted government that made social inequalities possible. Castro sought to address the inequalities. For example, Havana was a first world city, but the gulfs between race, wealth, and region were huge (Draper 75). Castro hated Havana for its wealth and corruption of the United States; Castro made efforts to redistribute the land. In the end it all worked out; 200,000 sharecroppers, tenants, and squatters were given deeds to the lands they worked that were confiscated from the Cuban and American holdings (Foss 56). The programs that aimed to equalize opportunities for the poor were successful (“Castro’s Cuba, Cuba’s Fidel”). March 1960, also paved way for another success; the first homes of the cooperatives were built. The homes had three rooms, and were centuries better than the traditional huts the peasants lived in. As Theodore Draper argues, “For poor, illiterate, landless, outcast guajiros, the cooperatives represented a jump of centuries in living standards” (74). Castro’s revolution also helped the “middle” class mainly because the “middle” class had a chance to own more luxurious items, such as cars. Castro fully believed the poor should get the most opportunities since they received the most neglect throughout history. Castro’s improvements in education eliminated illiteracy almost entirely. In 1961, when Castro was first in office, he made the students use Venceremos to learn how to spell the most important words such as Cuba, Fidel, and Raul. Next the children learned phrases such as “ ‘La Reforma Agraria’ and the first sentence ‘the peasants work in the cooperative’” (Foss 66). These changes proved Castro to be a skillful politician that consolidated his power, despite many international powers including the United States and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and won the respect of many Americans as well (Biography Resource Center). If Castro had not taken over Cuba from the Revolution, Cuba most likely would not have education and still would be relying on farming, and many issues Cuba faced centuries ago.

         When Castro first took office, the economy was a mess. Soviet Union relations were shaky. Castro blamed them for selling him faulty equipment when in turn the peasants had no idea how to use the equipment, so it just rotted away (Draper 182). Castro, however, turned this into a victory and the peasants learned how to use the machines that helped the Soviet Union industrialize. Castro even had the problem of the workers relying too much on the imported raw materials, which cost a lot of money that the government did not have especially when the sugar crops kept failing. Castro tried instating the Institute for Agrarian Reform, which made the peasants overjoyed despite the fact that they could not sell their land. The INRA was excellent at first, but they became obsessed in controlling the economy and building an army (Foss 57). Fidel put a stop to the INRA and realized he was not planning correctly causing other institutions plans to fail. Castro created industry in Cuba that allowed for proletariat and many people to have jobs, especially to recent university graduates. Many graduate students took the job in the agricultural development field (“Fidel Castro”). If Castro had not asked the Soviet Union for help, the country would still be relying on many other countries for help, and many people would be without a job.

         Fidel Castro has always been considered a godly figure in Cuba. In 1959, when Castro first arrived in Havana, white doves were released while he greeted and addressed the crowds. A white dove, which symbolized peace, landed on Fidel’s shoulder. After the dove landed on his shoulder, many citizens believed he was more than human (Foss 53).

         Though, Fidel Castro is considered a menace by most of the United States government, he did a lot of good for his people. Castro’s first decade in office was shaky, but after realizing he planned too much he instated other companies that led to a constitution and voting rights. This overjoyed the people even more because it led to better health care, living conditions, and education. His constitution also ensured voting rights for citizens over the age of sixteen. Castro’s rule was not so autocratic anymore. Castro also proved he cared about everyone, especially the poor since he created equal opportunities for minorities and the poor. Fidel Castro even maintained his popularity through the 1990s despite the collapse of the Soviet Union, but he made even more economic reforms such as the fight of terrorism to protect his country. People cannot argue that Castro’s influence over the Cuban population and economy was disastrous, because without Castro, the country would not have made such progress.

WORKS CITED

"Castro’s Cuba, Cuba’s Fidel." The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy. ABC-CLIO. <http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com>.

Centeno, Miguel A. “Revolution—Cuba.” Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, 2005, Vol. 4. N.p.: N.d. p1599. History Reference Center. EBSCOhost.

Draper, Theodore. Castroism: Theory and Practice. New York: Fredrick A. Prager. 1965.

“Fidel Castro, President of Cuba.” Current Leaders of Nations. Gale Research, 1998. Biography Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 2006.16 Feb. 2006 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/>.

Foss, Clive. Fidel Castro. United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing Limited. 2000.

Word Count: 1555