History UsefulNotes / FidelCastro

Naturally, Castro quickly became an enemy of the US. The CIA tried in various ways to get rid of Castro, including multiple assassination attempts (including some rather odd methods like ''exploding cigars''), the UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion on 1961, and an economic embargo since 1962 (this is still in effect, though UsefulNotes/BarackObama has worked to lighten the restrictions--even allowing visitors to bring home 100 dollars' worth of Cuban cigars), he [[AssassinOutclassin nevertheless survived]]. Castro was also excommunicated by [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope John XXIII]], though his stance towards religion was far more moderate than other Communist nations, and Cuba notably was far less religious than other Latin American nations, due to the Catholic and Protestant churches generally being supportive of Spanish colonization and US economic domination respectively. The Cuban government actually began a careful rapprochement with the Church in the 1970s, and changed its constitution to declare the state a secular one as opposed to state atheism. This is a fact acknowledged when Pope John Paul II, a famous anti-communist icon visited Cuba under his tenure, and condemned the US Embargo. Years later, [[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-castro-church-idUSKBN13L0N6?il=0 Pope Francis played]] a role in brokering the US-Cuban Thaw.[[note]]Of course, Havana and Washington had been doing backchannel negotiations for many years in secret.[[/note]]

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (notwithstanding Fidel's Republican sympathies, the two men actually had a lot in common - shared Galician heritage, mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the US again, nations suffering from US sanctions, and coming to power via a popular revolution).

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (despite Fidel's Republican sympathies, shared Galician heritage, mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the US again, nations suffering from US sanctions, and coming to power via a popular revolution).

* He's mentioned in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/Archer'' as a Cuban agent plans to defect due to being a closet homosexual. [[spoiler: Funnily enough, the spies Castro sends to assasinate his former agent are CampGay Americans.]]

* In ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', Castro is a HumanoidAbomination monitored under the number "SCP-3874". His supernatural attributes are unclear but are speculated to have allowed him to survive so many murder attempts, either because of invulnerability, clairvoyance, or reality-warping. [[spoiler:After his official death, the Foundation manage to steal his corpse and perform an autopsy, as well as interviewing his brother Raul to gather information. It turns out he apparently was just a perfectly normal human being.]]

* RebelLeader: Aside from his friend Che, Castro remains an iconic example all throughout the world, and even his enemies admitted that he was a highly competent military leader during the Revolution.

* ChummyCommies: In a handful of works more sympathetic or nuanced towards him, Castro is portrayed as a brilliant revolutionary leader who had to resort to authoritarian methods to ensure his nation's survival.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'': Creator/PeterFalk plays Ramos Clemente in ''[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E71TheMirror The Mirror]]'', who is Castro in all but name down to the hair, beard, and clothes, and with absolutely no redeeming traits. Reflecting the American view of the Cuban Revolution by 1961, when the episode aired, Clemente becomes an even worse tyrant than the generalissimo he deposed, orders endless mass executions of anyone who believes is an enemy, and murders his own friends because the mirror deceives him into thinking they're plotting against him.

Naturally, Castro quickly became an enemy of the US. The CIA tried in various ways to get rid of Castro, including multiple assassination attempts (including some rather odd methods like ''exploding cigars''), the UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion on 1961, and an economic embargo since 1962 (this is still in effect, though UsefulNotes/BarackObama has worked to lighten the restrictions--even allowing visitors to bring home 100 dollars' worth of Cuban cigars), he [[AssassinOutclassin nevertheless survived]]. Castro was also excommunicated by [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope John XXIII]], though his stance towards religion was far more moderate than other Communist nations, and Cuba notably was far less religious than other Latin American nations, due to the Catholic and Protestant churches generally being supportive of Spanish colonization and US economic domination respectively. The Cuban government actually began a careful rapprochement with the Church in the 1970s, and changed its constitution to declare the state a secular one as opposed to state atheism. This is a fact acknowledged when Pope John Paul II, a famous anti-communist icon visited Cuba under his tenure, and condemned the US Embargo. Years later, [[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-castro-church-idUSKBN13L0N6?il=0 Pope Francis played]] a role in brokering the US-Cuban Thaw[[note]]Of course, Havana and Washington had been doing backchannel negotiations for many years in secret.[[/note]].

Contrary to popular belief, Castro appeared to be genuinely keen on democracy and was effectively a left-wing nationalist during the revolution, and only later found the direction for his own nationalism in communism. He started his political career off as a radical social democrat working for the like-minded populist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partido_Orthodoxo Ortodox Party]] (many 'Ortodoxos' later joined M-26 -7's ranks), and promising a democratic Cuba with the restoration of the famous 1940 Constitution. After his victory on January 1st, 1959, Castro began getting interested in communism when he met with Cuban communists - who had previously scorned him as a bourgeois hipster all throughout the revolution - to form a working left-wing government. Worsening relations with America over nationalization of American business properties in Cuba, and an embargo by the Eisenhower administration led Castro to begin looking towards the Soviet Union for support, destroying the revolutionary alliance as he exiled or imprisoned anyone who was opposed to the now pro-Soviet direction of the revolution. But it took the UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion in 1961 for Castro to officially declare himself and the revolution communist [[note]] From then on, he was ''very insistent'' that he had always been a communist from a young age, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary [[/note]]. He then set up a communist state with himself as the GloriousLeader[[note]] He held his post-1959 position as Prime Minister for many years despite Cuba remaining a presidential republic. Only in 1976, when a new communist constitution was drafted, did Castro become president [[/note]] transformed Cuba into an authoritarian one party state under Marxism-Leninism, and ruled the country as dictator until 2008, when he officially stepped down due to ill health. He was succeeded by his much quieter younger brother, Raúl (who has been second-in-command for decades). But until his death, Castro was ''the'' face of Cuba, and his left-wing nationalism (now taken in a communist direction) ensured that he had the respect of the Cuban populace, even those who privately disagreed with the communist system. Both his admirers and actual supporters alike are known as ''Fidelistas'' in Spanish, and ''Castrists'' in English.

Castro died on November 25th, 2016, of unannounced causes. Ironically enough, his death on November 25 was Black Friday in America, a very consumerist capitalist holiday. It was also the birthday of violently anti-communist Chilean dictator UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, leading to many jokes to the effect that Pinochet's birthday wish had finally been granted. [[CallBack On the less ironic note, he passed away on the very day]] [[BookEnds that he and his comrades sailed to Cuba to begin the most important section of their revolution]]. November 25 was also the birthday of Armenian communist Monte Melkonian, funnily enough. There remains a small group of people who believe Castro had actually died months to years before the announcement, with it being withheld for various reasons depending on who you ask.

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (shared Galician heritage, mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the US again, nations suffering from US sanctions, and coming to power via a popular revolution).

Since Castro is one of the most polarizing figures in modern history, with many supporters and detractors, please use the Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment when editing this page.

* He and Guevara are mentioned in "Indian Girl" by Music/TheRollingStones from ''Music/EmotionalRescue'':

* IconicOutfit: Whether as himself or an {{Expy}}, Castro is always portrayed wearing a olive drab military uniform and [[NiceHat Ridgeway cap]] [[note]] First an authentic American cap as pictured above, then in his later years a locally-made version that was slightly less stiffer [[/note]], with a large beard and smoking a [[CigarChomper cigar]]. In his twilight years, he switched over to an Adidas track suit, with provoked jokes about him being a Slav ([[DontExplainTheJoke Adidas tracksuits are associated with working class Slavs in Eastern Europe and Russia]]).

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (shared Galician heritage, mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the USA again, nations suffering from sanctions, and coming to power via a popular revolution).

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (shared Galician heritage, mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the USA again and coming to power via a popular revolution).

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (shared Galician heritage, mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the USA again).

* He sets the plot of ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' in motion by releasing a massive number of prisoners to Florida. He appears onscreen giving the real-life speech on the subject.
* A segment of ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII'' takes place in Cuba during his uprising against Batista. While he doesn't appear on-screen, he's a major concern for [[TheMafia the businessmen]], and ''los fidelianos'' hail his name after his victory.

During the Cold War, Castro's regime heavily involved itself in anti-colonialist struggles in Africa. Cuba involved itself with liberation struggles in Mozambique, Namibia, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), Guinea-Bissau, and Angola. Cuba's intervention in the Angolan War against Portugal was especially decisive, since it played a part in the end of the Portuguese empire and its transition to democracy, secured Angolan independence, as well as the independence of Namibia, and checked a potential invasion by Apartheid South Africa. Castro also provided much support and inspiration for Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress, and he dispatched doctors across Africa to provide aid to the poor. For these reasons, [[http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/03/fidel-castro-anti-colonialist-legacy-201433103015396232.html Castro and Cuba in general have a heroic reputation in Africa]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sBcU1YzIxQ and Nelson Mandela considered Castro his friend and mentor]]. However, Castro also provided military support for the pro-Soviet [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derg 'Derg' military junta]] in Ethiopia, which was widely condemned for its cruelty, corruption and ineffective governance.

Not as much is known about Castro's personal life, but one of Castro's biographers described the Cuban as being "fiercely hard-working, dedicated, loyal... generous and magnanimous" but also noted that he could be "vindictive and unforgiving" at times. He went on to note that Castro "always had a keen sense of humor and could laugh at himself" but could equally be "a bad loser" who would act with "ferocious rage if he thought that he was being humiliated." There have been claims he had been with around ''[[ReallyGetsAround 35,000]]'' women, with his secret police allegedly recruiting many of them off Cuba's beaches. [[CigarChomper He was known as a cigar fan]], but stopped smoking them on the advice of his doctors in 1985.

* DirtyCommunists: Perhaps ''the'' example in American media.

* TheGeneralissimo: Castro is one of the major inspirations for characters that fall under this trope, usually overlapping with DirtyCommunists in most portrayals and his character trait of making [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and fiery speeches]].

Castro also made [[EnemyMine some surprising and intriguing alliances]] with leaders supposedly at the opposite end of the political spectrum to him: the fascist UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco (mutual suspicion of the USA, similar social conservatism and dislike of UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista), the brutally anti-communist [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine junta]] (Castro strongly supported what he saw as the 'anti-imperialist' invasion of the Malvinas) and the fundamentalist [[UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution Ayatollah Khomeini]] (mutual suspicion of the USA again).

Contrary to popular belief, Castro appeared to be genuinely keen on democracy and was effectively a left-wing nationalist during the revolution, and only later found the direction for his own nationalism in communism. He started his political career off as a radical social democrat working for the like-minded populist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partido_Orthodoxo Ortodox Party]] (many 'Ortodoxos' later joined M-26 -7's ranks), and promising a democratic Cuba with the restoration of the famous 1940 Constitution. After his victory on January 1st, 1959, Castro began getting interested in communism when he met with Cuban communists - who had previously scorned him as a bourgeois hipster all throughout the revolution - to form a working left-wing government. Worsening relations with America over nationalization of American business properties in Cuba, and an embargo by the Eisenhower administration led Castro to begin looking towards the Soviet Union for support, destroying the revolutionary alliance as he exiled or imprisoned anyone who was opposed to the now pro-Soviet direction of the revolution. But it took the UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion in 1961 for Castro to officially declare himself and the revolution communist [[note]] From then on, he was ''very insistent'' that he had always been a communist from a young age, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary [[/note]]. He then set up a communist state with himself as the GloriousLeader[[note]] He held his post-1959 position as Prime Minister for many years despite Cuba remaining a presidential republic. Only in 1976, when a new communist constitution was drafted, did Castro become president [[/note]] transformed Cuba into a one party state under Marxism-Leninism, and ruled the country as dictator until 2008, when he officially stepped down due to ill health. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Raúl (who has been second-in-command for decades). But until his death, Castro was ''the'' face of Cuba, and his left-wing nationalism (now taken in a communist direction) ensured that he had the respect of the Cuban populace, even those who privately disagreed with the communist system. Both his admirers and actual supporters alike are known as ''Fidelistas'' in Spanish, and ''Castrists'' in English.

Although Cuba remains a poor country with very limited political and economic freedom, Castro's regime did much to improve public education, sports and particularly public health. Cuba still exports doctors to many Latin American countries and has an average life expectancy on par with your average first world country. On the other hand, a lot of basic living commodities are rationed, many buildings are in a poor state of repair, internet access is extremely limited, journalists are treated badly, press freedom is almost non-existent, and the human rights record of the government is poor, particularly regarding incarceration rates, as Castro was notoriously fond of short-term arbitrary detention in terrible prison conditions for all his critics, with bouts of psychological torture to boot. However, the human rights record has improved over the years albeit ''very slowly'', and is at least significantly better than the average dictatorship nowadays. Aside from the infamous executions of former officials and dissidents without trial at La Cabana prison (overseen by Che himself), the Castro regime has become infamous for homophobia in past decades, with homosexuals being thrown in labor camps immediately after the revolution while others were expelled from the country. That said, Castro did take personal responsibility, declaring that his attitude to LGBT rights was wrong in his autobiography, and outright declaring that he was wrong in his homophobia in 2010. The country does have a good rating on the [[http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/the-2010-human-sustainable-development-index/ sustainable development index]], though this likely has more to do with the poverty than conscious government policy (i.e. they waste little resources because many things are in short supply, and their living standards are low so they don't consume much anyway).

[[caption-width-right:350:El Commandante, 1959]]

Contrary to popular belief, Castro appeared to be genuinely keen on democracy and was effectively a left-wing nationalist during the revolution, and only later found the direction for his own nationalism in communism. He started his political career off as a radical social democrat working for the like-minded populist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partido_Orthodoxo Ortodox Party]] (many 'Ortodoxos' later joined M-26 -7's ranks), and promising a democratic Cuba with the restoration of the famous 1940 Constitution. After his victory on January 1st, 1959, Castro began getting interested in communism when he met with Cuban communists - who had previously scorned him as a bourgeois hipster all throughout the revolution - to form a working left-wing government. Worsening relations with America over nationalization of American business properties in Cuba, and an embargo by the Eisenhower administration led Castro to begin looking towards the Soviet Union for support, destroying the revolutionary alliance as he exiled or imprisoned anyone who was opposed to the now-communist direction of the revolution. After the UsefulNotes/BayOfPigsInvasion in 1961, Castro officially declared himself and the revolution communist [[note]] From then on, he was ''very insistent'' that he had always been a communist from a young age, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary [[/note]], set up a communist state with himself as the GloriousLeader, transformed Cuba into a one party state under Marxism-Leninism, and ruled the country as dictator until 2008, when he officially stepped down due to ill health. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Raúl (who has been second-in-command for decades). But until his death, Castro was ''the'' face of Cuba, and his left-wing nationalism (now taken in a communist direction) ensured that he had the respect of the Cuban populace, even those who privately disagreed with the communist system. Both his admirers and actual supporters alike are known as ''Fidelistas'' in Spanish, and ''Castrists'' in English.