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Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926 in Biran, a former Cuban province in the eastern part of the island. He was the son of Ángel Castro Argiz and Lina Ruz González. His father was a Galician migrant; when he arrived in Cuba he had obtained some property and, as a peasant farmer, he dedicated himself to sugar cane production. His mother came from a peasant family in the province of Pinar del Río. Fidel Castro is one of the great protagonists of 20th century history and politics, and one of the most relevant figures in Cuban and Latin American history. He is considered the father of the Cuban Revolution.

His first studies were in the rural public school of Biran, where he learned to read and write, continuing the following educational levels in private catholic schools in the city of Santiago de Cuba. In 1945 he graduated as a bachelor of arts at the Colegio de Belen in Havana, belonging to the Society of Jesus. He then entered the University of Havana to study social sciences and national and international law.

Restless, observant, sharp in his reflections and outstanding in all learning, in the university environment he joined the socio-political struggles of his time, occupying various positions in the University Student Federation. With an ideology favorable to just, libertarian and popular causes, he soon became involved in revolutionary activities, such as those of the Committee for the Independence of Puerto Rico.

Fidel Castro was 25 years old when he was designated by the party as candidate for Congress in the elections scheduled for June 1952, but on March 10 of that year the coup d'état of Colonel Fulgencio Batista Zaldívar took place, being Fidel Castro one of the first to denounce the reactionary and illegitimate character of the de facto regime and to call for its overthrow.

On July 26, 1953 he commanded the assault on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba, a plan that included also taking the Bayamo barracks, in an action conceived as a detonator of the armed struggle against the Batista regime. Unfortunately, his tactics failed and he was taken prisoner by the repressive forces of the tyranny a few days after the military setback. He was held incommunicado for 76 days. He was put on trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, the popular reaction in his support and that of the rest of the Moncadistas succeeded in pressuring the government, and they were released in May 1955. Weeks later he founded the 26th of July Movement to continue the revolutionary struggle. In the name of revolutionary power, he proclaimed on April 16, 1961 the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution. He led the Cuban people in the days of the dramatic October Crisis of 1962.

After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, he was elected deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power -created in 1976-, representing the municipality of Santiago de Cuba. From then until 2008, he served as President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers. Fidel Castro received a large number of foreign and Cuban decorations, as well as numerous academic and honorary distinctions from centers of higher education in Cuba, Latin America and Europe.

On January 3, 1961, at that time, the President of the United States of America (USA), Dwight D. Eisenhower, broke diplomatic relations with Cuba due to political and ideological differences, and ordered the closure of the US embassy in Havana. Subsequently, on February 3, 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy officially ordered the economic and commercial blockade of Cuba.

He promoted on a worldwide scale the battle of the Third World against the current international economic order, particularly against the foreign debt, the waste of resources as a result of military spending and neoliberal globalization, as well as the efforts for the unity and integration of Latin America and the Caribbean. He was the main promoter of the Non-Aligned Movement.

He led the determined action of the Cuban people to confront the effects of the economic blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States for more than sixty years and the economic consequences of the collapse of the European socialist community, and promoted the tenacious effort of Cubans to overcome the serious difficulties resulting from these factors, their resistance during the so-called Special Period and the resumption of the country's economic growth and development.

For almost fifty years, he promoted and directed the struggle of the Cuban people for the consolidation of the revolutionary process, its advance towards socialism, the unity of the revolutionary forces and of all the people, the economic and social transformations of the country, the development of education , health, sports, culture and science, defense, confronting external aggressions, conducting an active foreign policy of principles, solidarity actions with the peoples who fight for independence and progress, and the deepening of the revolutionary, internationalist and communist consciousness of the people.

On July 31, 2006, he resigned from his official positions due to health problems. From then on, he wrote about the problems of the contemporary world in numerous reflections and articles published in the Cuban media during his convalescent period. He dedicated enormous efforts in his last years to projects related to agriculture and human and animal nutrition. Due to his moral authority, he influenced important and strategic decisions of the Revolution.

He passed away on November 25, 2016, in Havana, Cuba at 10:29 p.m., at the age of 90. In compliance with his will, his remains were cremated. His ashes were deposited in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, in a solemn ceremony, on December 4, 2016.

The president was a symbol of resistance on the continent, before the advance of the US imperial forces. The figure of Fidel Castro was not only a symbol in Cuba but also in the world, thanks to his actions in defense of the welfare and sovereignty of the island and its inhabitants. Despite being subjected to the US blockade, Cuba managed to maintain its sovereignty and Fidel and the Cuban revolution became a figure of impact and inspiration in the Latin American context of the 20th century, his challenge to the most powerful power, he turned the revolution into a model of the Latin American resistance and elsewhere, and the image of Fidel with his beard, cigar and green military clothing as universal symbols of rebellion.

Among the actions he carried out to maintain sovereignty and transform Cuban society, the following can be mentioned:

  • The Literacy Campaign of 1961 and the redesign of the education system to improve the levels of education among a large part of the Cuban population that was illiterate in 1959. Carried out with volunteers and at a low cost, in a short time it reflected an improvement in the rates of literacy, made education universally accessible, leading Cuba to be the first place in Latin America in 2007 in literacy.

  • The provision of Cuban medical assistance to Latin America and other countries. The large number of highly trained medical personnel travel to various countries and the Latin American School of Medicine is expanded on the outskirts of Havana

  • Establishment of the "Scientific Pole" and development of the biotechnological sector, which led the island to achieve important exports of pharmaceutical products for 296.8 million pesos compared to 233.4 million for sugar exports. In addition, Cuba's investment in the "Polo Científico" has built a professional and institutional foundation for future success in the pharmaceutical and other scientific fields.

Fidel Castro Interview (1985) - castro-stuff

Fidel Castro History Archive fidel-freethrow

Fidel Castro in Guadalajara [w/ subtitles] (1991) fidel-salute-big

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[-] thelastaxolotl@hexbear.net 37 points 1 year ago

"He freed Cuba from the yoke of the american empire is what he did, He was a brave cuban revolutionary, And in this Instance Fidel Castro is a Hero. End of Story."

[-] Aryuproudomenowdaddy@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago

In this instance we respect the flag 🇨🇺 🇨🇺 🇨🇺 fidel-salute

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[-] ZapataCadabra@hexbear.net 37 points 1 year ago

Liberals: chicanery You really think Cuba has a more democratic government than the US or Western Europe?

fidel-si Si

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[-] thelastaxolotl@hexbear.net 36 points 1 year ago

New Megathread Nerds!!!

PCC fidel-peace

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Remember nerds just like in the old site, no current struggle session discussion here on the new general megathread, i will ban you from the comm and remove your comment, have a good day/night :meow-coffee:

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[-] milistanaccount09@hexbear.net 34 points 1 year ago

Yknow it's funny when I made this account I put on any pronouns for opsec but I think I'm actually just doing any pronouns now trans-specter

[-] Washburn@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago
[-] PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago

I put they/them for grammar pervert reasons and then realized I'm NB

[-] TerminalEncounter@hexbear.net 20 points 1 year ago

The "my gender is a joke" to enby pipeline lol

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[-] Frank@hexbear.net 33 points 1 year ago

All my anthro professors were weird anti-imperialist commies. everyone on /r/askanthropology works for oil companies and shit. It's been a really shocking revelation that a sense of responsibility to humanity and basic morals and ethics are not actually part of the standard Anthropologist's toolkit.

[-] Frank@hexbear.net 34 points 1 year ago

It's so fucking weird living in this culture and believing people are actually responsible for what they do, or that your actions have consequences or fit in to a larger picture of great historical trends and movements.

You say something like "Yeah actually if you participate in the oil extraction industry you're the enemy" and people look at you like you're insane and it's like bro. sibling. Friend, how do you think the carbon gets in to the atmosphere?

Or when people start telling me I have "black and white thinking". Like no shit, most of these things are clear black and white issues where there is a clear right and wrong. Like yea, I have some amount of sympathy if you're in a situation where you need to do the wrong thing to feed your kids, but that doesn't make it any less wrong or introduce any shades of grey to the situation. I don't give a fuck about your morals, they don't change the impact of your actions.

[-] Frank@hexbear.net 28 points 1 year ago

Either way, decided to stop holding my tongue and just tell people they're fucking wrong to be complicit in enabling further carbon extraction at this point in the game, which I'm sure will be deeply unpopular given that "mercenaries for empire" is literally the only job Anthropologists are allowed to have that uses their skills.

Like fucks sake you know how to make an atlatl, disappear in to the brush and wage a guerilla war against the state like your professors taught you.

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[-] PM_ME_YOUR_FOUCAULTS@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago

Liberals love "nuance" because they don't actually believe in anything

[-] BirdBrained@hexbear.net 27 points 1 year ago

all my anthro professors

Was very confused for a second until I remembered that multiple different words can be shortened to that

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[-] BirdBrained@hexbear.net 28 points 1 year ago

Tummy hurt :shatter:

I can’t drink rum and cokes anymore without getting sick :deeper-sadness:

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[-] artificialset@hexbear.net 27 points 1 year ago

communism lives rent free in the heads of people that happily pay capitalists a monthly rent

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[-] Parsani@hexbear.net 27 points 1 year ago

Looking at All > Most Comments, I had to go to page 6 before I found a non hexbear post, and it was the Taiwan one from the other day lmfao

Stay posting, hexbear

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[-] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Still can't get over how ridiculous this looks when you map it out

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[-] Dirt_Owl@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago

We're getting a lot of new site taglines lately wholesome

[-] doublepepperoni@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago

A family member just told me some news story they had read about North Korea- apparently there's a huge typhoon incoming and the government has ordered the populace to lay down their lives to protect monuments yeonmi-park

[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Makes sense because your average north korean is so strong and evil communist it can push back a typhoon while also being weak gommunism no food.

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[-] Frank@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago

"Stop brigading us!"

My sibling under hathor that's just three hexbears and they're not even in our top 50 most prolific posters.

[-] TheCaconym@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago
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[-] YoungBelden@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago

weird experience that's happened to me a few times now:

be reading some old reddit thread about a topic i'm researching, notice someone tangentially mention marx or a marxist topic or have a leftist username or something of the sort

click on their profile hoping to find a comrade

it's all just posts in some sport or gaming or hobby subreddit, no other traces of communism

you don't gotta hide your power level that well

[-] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 28 points 1 year ago

It's weird, right? I've met people in college, talked with them for months, then randomly the subject of politics comes up and as it turns out they've read way more Marxist theory than me. Completely random people, in STEM (which is definitely more full of chuds than comrades but still). Makes you wonder how many politicized people there are out there who just haven't gotten organized.

[-] YoungBelden@hexbear.net 26 points 1 year ago

that kind of experience, as well as finding out how receptive most irl working people are to socialist ideas, has made me a lot more hopeful for the future. like cracks are beginning to show in the "end of history" to the degree that large amounts of average people are coming to similar conclusions or finding themselves on similar paths. and as those single dots start connecting and synergizing and compounding, they have the potential to really snowball into something big.

[-] forcequit@hexbear.net 24 points 1 year ago

we're so bad omg

Also the 'grad got done dirty :(

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[-] Zuzak@hexbear.net 24 points 1 year ago

I gotta logout. My brain can't handle this much content, it's too much shatter

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[-] motherfucker@hexbear.net 24 points 1 year ago

The adults is interact most with in my life are my wife, her sister, and their mom. All three of these women are jumpy as fuck. I’ve gotten into the habit of entering a room really loudly so they know I’m coming and half the time they still jump when they see me. It’s giving me a fucking complex.

[-] TerminalEncounter@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago

Stomp around like a mammoth or wear a collar with bells on it~

[-] forcequit@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago
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[-] stigsbandit34z@hexbear.net 23 points 1 year ago

Fuckers just mindlessly worship at the altar of GPT despite the fact it’s spitting out a plagiarized version of someone’s stackoverflow post from 5 years ago

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[-] Ho_Chi_Chungus@hexbear.net 23 points 1 year ago

learning just enough chinese so i can say "Xi Jinping, my people yearn for freedom. Please send Dongfeng missile"

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[-] honeynut@lemm.ee 22 points 1 year ago

getting a lot of mileage out of the smug emote

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[-] MF_COOM@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago

The nice thing about these dunk dogpile threads is you don't have to worry about going back and responding because there are five other comrades ready to respond for you if you're out living your life.

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[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago

Youtube search has been fully enshittified. Numerous times over the last like month I've tried searching for very specific stuff and the results are complete wack.

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[-] h3doublehockeysticks@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago

My uncle made a friend whose name is pronounced exactly like a racial slur, so he's calling everyone to let us know.

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[-] bigboopballs@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago
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[-] TerminalEncounter@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago

Castro was such a cool dude, he had a genuine love of the people and an unshakeable faith that Cuba could be liberated with the coordination of the Cuban working class.

[-] Dirt_Owl@hexbear.net 21 points 1 year ago

You can't spell taint without aint

Really makes you think

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[-] President_Obama@hexbear.net 20 points 1 year ago
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[-] judgeholden@hexbear.net 20 points 1 year ago

I'm sorta kinda considering doing my master's degree in China and I've been trying to read about people's experiences on reddit, but literally every single thread says something like "don't do it, no one outside of China respects Chinese degrees". meanwhile, universities in the US are full of professors with Chinese degrees and the UK literally has a visa for "High Potential Individuals", for which graduates of a few Chinese universities qualify, so I have no idea what the hell these people are talking about.

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this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2023
136 points (100.0% liked)

latam

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[GUARANÍ] Tereg̃uaheporãite / [ES] Bienvenidos / [PT] Bem vindo / [FR] Bienvenue / [NL] Welkom

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