Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution essays

Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution essays Fidel Castro Ruz was born on august 13 1926 in Biran, Cuba. His family, owning sugar plantations, were fairly wealthy, this money providing him with extensive education oppurtunities. In 1945 Castro gained a law degree after attending the University of Havana and started a practice, devoting himself to serving the poor. Castro had always been a rebel, his main interest in university being politics, involving himself in various protest groups. In 1952 he intended to run for parliament, but in a coup detat, General Fulgencio Batista overthrew the existing government, marking the end of democracy in Cuba and cancelling the election. These actions on Batistas part fueled Castros desire for revolution and in 1953 he started to organise a revolt. The revolutionary movement started on July 26 1953 and after many trials and tribulations Castro finally rose to power on January 1 1959. Batista had fled the country allowing Castros forces to move in and take Havana. Castro became president of Cuba and remains in this position today. How Castro impacted on the course of the Revolution from approx. 1950-1960 It is quite easily said that without Castros input there would not have been a successful revolution within Cuba. Castro was dedicated and determined to win, as said by Tad Szulc in Fidel: a Critical Portrait It was the obsession of Fidel Castro to do away with human, social and economic underdevelopement in Cuba. Fidel Castros political style emphasised active engagement and self-discipline. He believed that individuals can overcome any obstacle they desire if they have a strong will to do so and that revolution is the important mission worth pursuing. As Castro has said The duty of every revolutionary is to make the revolution. It was this enthusiasm and drive that rose him above Batista and ultimately lead to his victory in 1959. He was a ...

About the Reconstruction Era (1865â€1877)

About the Reconstruction Era (1865–1877) The period of Reconstruction took place in the southern United States from the end of the Civil War in 1865 until 1877. The era was marked by intense controversies, which included the impeachment of a president, outbreaks of racial violence, and the passage of Constitutional amendments. Even the end of Reconstruction was controversial, as it was marked by a presidential election which many, to the present day, contend was stolen. The main issue of Reconstruction was how to bring the nation back together after the rebellion of the slave states had been ended. And, at the end of the Civil War fundamental  issues facing the nation included what role former Confederates might play in the US government, and what role freed slaves would play in American society. And beyond the political and social issues was the matter of physical destruction. Much of the Civil War had been waged in the South, and cities, towns, and even farmlands, were in runs. The infrastructure of the South also had to be rebuilt. Conflicts Over Reconstruction The issue of how to bring the rebellious states back into the Union consumed much of the think of President Abraham Lincoln as the Civil War came to an end. In his second inaugural address he spoke of reconciliation. But when he was assassinated in April 1865 much changed. The new president, Andrew Johnson, declared that he would follow Lincolns intended policies toward Reconstruction. But the ruling party in Congress, the Radical Republicans, believed Johnson was being far too lenient and was allowing former rebels too much of a role in the new governments of the South. The Radical Republican plans for Reconstruction were more severe. And continual conflicts between the Congress and the president led to the impeachment trial of President Johnson in 1868.   When Ulysses S. Grant became president following the election of 1868, Reconstruction policies continued in the South. But it was often plagued by racial problems and the Grant administration often found itself trying to protect the civil rights of former slaves. The era of Reconstruction effectively ended with the Compromise of 1877, which decided the highly controversial election of 1876. Aspects of Reconstruction New Republican controlled governments were instituted in the South, but were almost certainly doomed to fail. Popular sentiment in the region was obviously opposed to the political party which had been led by Abraham Lincoln. An important program of Reconstruction was the Freedmens Bureau, which operated in the South to educate former slaves and give them assistance in adjusting to living as free citizens.   Reconstruction was, and remains, a highly controversial subject. Southerners felt that northerners were using the power of the federal government to punish the south. Northerners felt the southerners were still persecuting freed slaves through the imposition of racist laws, called black codes. The end of Reconstruction can be seen as the beginning of the period of Jim Crow.