Fidel Castro

Clive Foss

ISBN 10: 0750923849 / ISBN 13: 9780750923842

Published by The History Press Ltd, 2000

About this Item

Fidel Castro is a dynamic and charismatic leader, who has led Cuba through success and failures since 1959. Son of a rich landowner, he became a radical revolutionary who attempted to overthrow the government in 1956 with a tiny band of followers. Using propaganda and subversion as much as sudden attacks from his mountain hideout, he gained victory in 1959. He liberated his country from one dictator and the overwhelming influence of the United States, only to turn it into another dictatorship firmly under the control and patronage of the Soviet Union. The failure of the American attack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 added to his reputation, while the missile crisis of 1962 put Cuba right at the centre of the Cold War. Later, by sending his army to Africa and supporting guerrilla movements in Latin America, he made Cuba a significant player on the world stage. Despite many attempts to remove him and the economic collapse of the USR, Castro survived and in 1999, celebrated 40 years of his regime.

Seller Inventory # CIN0750923849G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Fidel Castro
• Publisher: The History Press Ltd
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0750923849
• ISBN 13: 9780750923842
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

Fidel Castro is a dynamic and charismatic leader, who has led Cuba through success and failures since 1959. Son of a rich landowner, he became a radical revolutionary who attempted to overthrow the government in 1956 with a tiny band of followers. Using propaganda and subversion as much as sudden attacks from his mountain hideout, he gained victory in 1959. He liberated his country from one dictator and the overwhelming influence of the United States, only to turn it into another dictatorship firmly under the control and patronage of the Soviet Union. The failure of the American attack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 added to his reputation, while the missile crisis of 1962 put Cuba right at the centre of the Cold War. Later, by sending his army to Africa and supporting guerrilla movements in Latin America, he made Cuba a significant player on the world stage. Despite many attempts to remove him and the economic collapse of the USSR, Castro survived and in 1999, celebrated 40 years of his regime.

About the Author

Clive Foss is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He was formerly Visiting Fellow at All Souls and Trinity Colleges, Oxford.