"No thieves, no traitors, no interventionists! This time the revolution is for real!" Fidel Castro
One theory regarding how the human civilization will come to an end has talked about us becoming so technologically advanced that we will finally be unable to control it and obliterate ourselves. In fact, that theory is not so far-fetched. In October of 1962, the world came the closest we have been to destroying ourselves, so dangerously close to what would have been a nuclear Armageddon, thanks to the then world superpowers, the United States and the USSR show of might.
The Americans had covertly installed nuclear-armed missiles in Italy and Turkey, which effectively placed the whole of Soviet Union under threat, and granted the Americans a first-strike nuclear capability in case of a war with the USSR. It must be said that at this point that the USSR had already tested Tsar Bomb, a hydrogen bomb 30,000 stronger than the Hiroshima one. The Soviets wanting to counter the threat America posed decided to send their own nuclear missiles to the doorstep of the United States, a small, by then unknown a relatively unknown island, Cuba. The man in the middle of all of it, Fidel Castro. A man of great courage, charisma and bravado whose unlikely alliance with the Soviets almost single-handedly led to an all-out nuclear war, is dead. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet PM even worried that Castro’s manipulatory prowess was really getting the best of him, and that he might actually use USSRs nuclear missiles for his own gain.
But the October Crisis wasn’t the only time Castro’s wit wowed the world. Castro had seized power from the CIA backed government, most extra ordinarily with only 80 men. When the revolution began, he and his men who also by this time included the famed great revolutionary Che Guavara suffered so huge a defeat that of the 80 men initially, only 12 survived and continued into the jungle to wage a guerrilla against president Batista. In a matter of months however, he had turned his defeat into a victory and now, overwhelmingly supported by Cubans, the men valiantly marched into Havana and Batista escaped Cuba. Castro was now President.
Castro assumed presidency in the popular coup by vowing to fight American Imperialism which he viewed as evil, encouraging competition instead of cooperation. Immediately after becoming president, he literally overhauled the economic setting of Cuba, nationalizing farms and sugar plantations and numerous other privately owned businesses. A lot of them had actually been owned Americans, something which further strained his relationship with Cuba mighty neighbour. Castro, a now self-proclaimed adversary of the US had brought himself head to head with the imperialist he had been fighting.
It has been said that in total, the CIA made more than 700 attempts on his life. Of course they all failed. When killing him proved impossible, the CIA even devised a plan to sneak thallium, a radioactive element, into his cigars so his beard would fall off and he would look weak to Cubans. That failed too.
The Bay of Pigs invasion finally brought to light the hatred and the determination of the Kennedy administration towards overthrowing Castro which it had by now made a priority. However instead of leading in some way to Castro’s fall, the invasion ended in total disaster, a comedy of errors for the ill-trained dissidents many of who were killed or captured by Castro’s men immediately after setting foot on the landing bay.
Castro had himself been in the frontlines riding on a tank. Only the secrecy of the operation saved the US from what would have been a huge embarrassment. They had been made fools. But Castro’s influence, mostly stemming from his hate of American imperialism, traversed way across the Atlantic, into Africa where Africans were only beginning to fight colonialism after half a decade of brutal European regimes. Castro was able to source for funding and arms from USSR for African guerrillas including the Samora Machel’s FRELIMO, Angolan freedom fighters and even way up in the north, where Algerians were fighting the French. This has led him to being called the greatest friend Africa ever had in the 20th century.
Fidel Castro’s life has been full of life and drama, unmatched in most terms by any man in recent history. A mere mortal of humble beginnings sets himself on altering the course of the world and in the process changed the course of history. Today Cuba is a thriving peaceful island reaping from Fidel Castro’s revolutionary ideas and Africa is free of its brutal colonial masters. His ideals resonate with every oppressed person in the world even today. One cannot help but think about Palestinians today, whose struggle for independence is largely going unnoticed, and wonder, where is a man like Castro to help them?
Castro’s legacy is not entirely positive though. Many say his hate for America cost Cuba a much needed ally, especially in economic terms.
But putting yourself in this mans (quite large) shoes, one begins to make sense of his actions. In his own words, “History will absolve me.” His mixed legacy is nevertheless all set straight by the fact that at Fidel Castro’s heyday, he gave voice to the voiceless, hope to the hopeless and indeed, his life is a manifestation of the old adage that true “Every man is created equal.” Castro’s time at the hem of world politics will be remembered by many as a time when small countries indeed rose against the brutal, greedy bullies of the day.
The British Empire in all its glory and splendour could not withstand the power of ideas men like him brought fourth. The same could be said Europe then and all its greed, who at some point come to think of themselves as more entitled than the rest of us. As is embodied by Castro, no man is too insignificant, no country too small, and no idea too bold. Ideas are in indeed “bulletproof” Now as curtains fall for Fidel Castro, more than ever does the world need men like him, who don’t just hear but talk their hearts out, who don’t just watch but act and men who believe in the universality of the right to self-determination of all peoples, whatever their history, race or colour.
With the death of Castro goes the last true revolutionary of the 20th century, a man who by his actions, ideas and manners earned himself a place among the greats, Mandela, Che, Sankara, Gaddafi, Lumumba. Rest in peace Fidel Castro, a true son of the soil.
One theory regarding how the human civilization will come to an end has talked about us becoming so technologically advanced that we will finally be unable to control it and obliterate ourselves. In fact, that theory is not so far-fetched. In October of 1962, the world came the closest we have been to destroying ourselves, so dangerously close to what would have been a nuclear Armageddon, thanks to the then world superpowers, the United States and the USSR show of might.
The Americans had covertly installed nuclear-armed missiles in Italy and Turkey, which effectively placed the whole of Soviet Union under threat, and granted the Americans a first-strike nuclear capability in case of a war with the USSR. It must be said that at this point that the USSR had already tested Tsar Bomb, a hydrogen bomb 30,000 stronger than the Hiroshima one. The Soviets wanting to counter the threat America posed decided to send their own nuclear missiles to the doorstep of the United States, a small, by then unknown a relatively unknown island, Cuba. The man in the middle of all of it, Fidel Castro. A man of great courage, charisma and bravado whose unlikely alliance with the Soviets almost single-handedly led to an all-out nuclear war, is dead. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet PM even worried that Castro’s manipulatory prowess was really getting the best of him, and that he might actually use USSRs nuclear missiles for his own gain.
But the October Crisis wasn’t the only time Castro’s wit wowed the world. Castro had seized power from the CIA backed government, most extra ordinarily with only 80 men. When the revolution began, he and his men who also by this time included the famed great revolutionary Che Guavara suffered so huge a defeat that of the 80 men initially, only 12 survived and continued into the jungle to wage a guerrilla against president Batista. In a matter of months however, he had turned his defeat into a victory and now, overwhelmingly supported by Cubans, the men valiantly marched into Havana and Batista escaped Cuba. Castro was now President.
Castro assumed presidency in the popular coup by vowing to fight American Imperialism which he viewed as evil, encouraging competition instead of cooperation. Immediately after becoming president, he literally overhauled the economic setting of Cuba, nationalizing farms and sugar plantations and numerous other privately owned businesses. A lot of them had actually been owned Americans, something which further strained his relationship with Cuba mighty neighbour. Castro, a now self-proclaimed adversary of the US had brought himself head to head with the imperialist he had been fighting.
It has been said that in total, the CIA made more than 700 attempts on his life. Of course they all failed. When killing him proved impossible, the CIA even devised a plan to sneak thallium, a radioactive element, into his cigars so his beard would fall off and he would look weak to Cubans. That failed too.
The Bay of Pigs invasion finally brought to light the hatred and the determination of the Kennedy administration towards overthrowing Castro which it had by now made a priority. However instead of leading in some way to Castro’s fall, the invasion ended in total disaster, a comedy of errors for the ill-trained dissidents many of who were killed or captured by Castro’s men immediately after setting foot on the landing bay.
Castro had himself been in the frontlines riding on a tank. Only the secrecy of the operation saved the US from what would have been a huge embarrassment. They had been made fools. But Castro’s influence, mostly stemming from his hate of American imperialism, traversed way across the Atlantic, into Africa where Africans were only beginning to fight colonialism after half a decade of brutal European regimes. Castro was able to source for funding and arms from USSR for African guerrillas including the Samora Machel’s FRELIMO, Angolan freedom fighters and even way up in the north, where Algerians were fighting the French. This has led him to being called the greatest friend Africa ever had in the 20th century.
But putting yourself in this mans (quite large) shoes, one begins to make sense of his actions. In his own words, “History will absolve me.” His mixed legacy is nevertheless all set straight by the fact that at Fidel Castro’s heyday, he gave voice to the voiceless, hope to the hopeless and indeed, his life is a manifestation of the old adage that true “Every man is created equal.” Castro’s time at the hem of world politics will be remembered by many as a time when small countries indeed rose against the brutal, greedy bullies of the day.
The British Empire in all its glory and splendour could not withstand the power of ideas men like him brought fourth. The same could be said Europe then and all its greed, who at some point come to think of themselves as more entitled than the rest of us. As is embodied by Castro, no man is too insignificant, no country too small, and no idea too bold. Ideas are in indeed “bulletproof” Now as curtains fall for Fidel Castro, more than ever does the world need men like him, who don’t just hear but talk their hearts out, who don’t just watch but act and men who believe in the universality of the right to self-determination of all peoples, whatever their history, race or colour.
With the death of Castro goes the last true revolutionary of the 20th century, a man who by his actions, ideas and manners earned himself a place among the greats, Mandela, Che, Sankara, Gaddafi, Lumumba. Rest in peace Fidel Castro, a true son of the soil.
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