When most Americans awoke on January 1, 1959, it was a seemingly ordinary day bearing with it the usual, ordinary routines. Few could have imagined, however, that the day’s events would bring about drastic change for the Cuban government; a change that would not only dramatically alter the lives of the Cuban people, it would serve to impose an enormous threat to United States’ interests and its national security. To many Americans, January 1 simply marked a new year in time. Yet, in Cuba, it was a day that a band of revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro, overthrew the authoritarian government of Fulgencio Batista and seized Havana. While it was a day that Cuba would succumb to the political, social, and economic control of Fidel Castro, it was time that spawned enormous friction between the United States and the Cuban government. Inasmuch as this friction led America to an intense confrontation with the Cuban government, one might be led to question who is Fidel Castro, how did he come into power, and what contributing factors fueled the tension between Cuba and the United States government?Born Fidel Castro Ruz on May 13, 1927, Castro’s birth took lace on his family’s sugar plantation near Biran, Cubaa (CNN). As a boy, Castro worked on the familys sugar cane fields and, at six years old, convinced his parents to send him to school (CNN).After attending two Jesuit institutions, Castro earned a law degree at the University of Havana (CNN). Marrying into one of Cuba’s wealthiest families, Castro did not use his law degree to secure a comfortable life among the island’s oligarchy (CNN). Rather, he devoted his efforts to helping the poor by leading a mass movement for social change (CNN). 1Embarking on a platform of political reform, Castro planned to campaign for a parliamentary seat in Cuba’s election in 1952 (Britannica). His plans, however, were abruptly ended by Fulgencio Batista wh...
