In "The Rise and Fall of Fidel Castro," we embark on a journey through the extraordinary life and complex legacy of one of the most iconic and controversial figures of the 20th century. Fidel Castro's impact on Cuba, the Americas, and global politics is the subject of intense debate, and this book delves into the multifaceted dimensions of his leadership, from revolutionary heroism to political controversy. From his early years as a rebellious law student to his historic rise to power as the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro's story is one of audacity, resilience, and unwavering commitment to socialist ideals. The book explores the roots of his revolutionary fervor, the triumphs and tribulations of the Cuban Revolution, and the challenges faced by Cuba in the wake of his leadership. As we journey through the pages of this book, we delve into the social achievements of the Cuban Revolution, including groundbreaking advances in healthcare and education that earned global recognition. We also confront the controversies surrounding political repression, human rights violations, and limitations on freedom of speech that have marked Castro's legacy. "The Rise and Fall of Fidel Castro" goes beyond Cuba's borders to examine Castro's role in international affairs, from supporting leftist movements and governments in Latin America to his involvement in conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. We witness how Cuba's internationalism and solidarity with other nations shaped its foreign policy and global influence. The book delves into the economic challenges faced by Cuba, particularly during the "Special Period" following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It explores the dual economy, economic reforms, and the delicate balance between socialism and market forces that continue to shape Cuba's economic trajectory. "The Rise and Fall of Fidel Castro" also examines the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, a historic development with profound implications for both countries. The book navigates the complex relationship between Cuba and the Cuban exile community in the United States, highlighting the divisions and debates surrounding Castro's legacy. As we reach the epilogue, we witness how Fidel Castro's legacy endures in the 21st century, shaping Cuba's identity, politics, and aspirations. The book concludes with reflections on the enduring influence of a leader whose impact transcends time and place. This comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration of Fidel Castro's life and legacy offers readers a nuanced understanding of a figure who inspired devotion and criticism in equal measure. "The Rise and Fall of Fidel Castro" is a must-read for anyone interested in the history, politics, and enduring legacy of the Cuban Revolution.

A political historian examines five of the twentieth century’s most significant revolutions, and the partnerships that led the way. Successful revolution requires two triggering elements: a crisis or conjuncture and revolutionary actors who are organized in a dedicated revolutionary party, armed with a radical ideology, and poised to act. While previous revolutions were ignited by small collectives, many in the twentieth century relied on strategic relationships between two exceptional leaders: Marx and Engels (Communism), Lenin and Trotsky (Russia), Ghandi and Nehru (India), Mao and Zhou (China), and Castro and Guevara (Cuba). These partnerships changed the world. In Revolutionary Pairs, Larry Ceplair tells the stories of five revolutionary struggles through the lens of famous duos. While each relationship was unique?Castro and Guevara bonded like brothers, Mao and Zhou like enemies?in every case, these leaders seized the opportunity for revolution and recognized they could not succeed without the other. The first cross-cultural exploration of revolutionary pairs, this book reveals the undeniable role of personality in modern political change.

Lenin. Mao. Castro. Mugabe. Khomeini. All sparked movements in the name of liberating their people from their oppressors—capitalists, foreign imperialists, or dictators in their own country. These revolutionaries rallied the masses in the name of freedom, only to become more tyrannical than those they replaced. Much has been written about the anatomy of revolution from Edmund Burke to Crane Brinton Crane, Franz Fanon, and contemporary theorists of revolution found in the modern academy. Yet what is missing is a dissection of the revolutionary minds that destroyed the old for the creation of a more harmful new. Revolutionary Monsters presents a collective biography of five modern day revolutionaries who came into power calling for the liberation of the people only to end up killing millions of people in the name of revolution: Lenin (Russia), Mao (China), Castro (Cuba), Mugabe (Zimbabwe), and Khomeini (Iran). Revolutionary Monsters explores basic questions about the revolutionary personality, and examines how these revolutionaries came to envision themselves as prophets of a new age.

Fidel Castro had ruled the island of Cuba for fifty-two years when ill health forced him to step down in 2008. Over the course of that time, he changed Cuba from a republic to a communist state and became one of the most divisive leaders in the second half of the twentieth century. For some, he is a champion of humanitarianism, socialism, and environmentalism. For others, he is a monster and dictator who perpetuated human rights abuses at home and abroad. Providing a rare, evenhanded account of Castro’s life, journalist Nick Caistor brings together interviews with people who have known Castro with discussion of the ideas that drove him. Caistor follows Castro’s life from his birth as the illegitimate son of a wealthy farmer in 1926 to the developing of his leftist, anti-imperialist ideas at the University of Havana and his primary role in the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. He explores Castro’s economic and military alliance with the Soviet Union and his hostile relationship with the United States while also looking at how he simultaneously introduced free health care and education while squelching freedom of the press and suppressing dissidents. As Caistor shows, Castro’s numerous writings on politics, capitalism, and other topics have influenced leaders from Nelson Mandela to Hugo Chávez, but allegations of corruption, human rights abuses, and dictatorship never ceased during his long career. Using stories and opinions to enliven the debate about Castro’s choices, strengths, and weaknesses, this concise biography gives readers the opportunity to judge for themselves how they feel about the former Cuban president.

Few political figures of the modern age have been so vilified as Fidel Castro, and both the vilification and worship generated by the Cuban leader have combined to distort the true image of Castro. The baseball myths attached to Fidel have loomed every bit as large as the skewed political notions that surround him. Castro was never a major league pitching prospect, nor did he destroy the Cuban national pastime in 1962. In Fidel Castro and Baseball: The Untold Story, Peter C. Bjarkman dispels numerous myths about the Cuban leader and his association with baseball. In this groundbreaking study, Bjarkman establishes how Fidel constructed, rather than dismantled, Cuba’s true baseball Golden Age—one that followed rather than preceded the 1959 revolution. Bjarkman also demonstrates that Fidel was not at all unique in “politicizing” baseball as often maintained, since the island sport traces its roots to the 19th-century revolution. Fidel’s avowed devotion to a non-materialist society would ultimately sow the seeds of collapse for the baseball empire he built over more than a half-century, just as the same obsession would finally dismantle the larger social revolution he had painstakingly authored. A fascinating look at a controversial figure and his impact on a major sport, this volume reveals many intriguing insights about Castro and how his love of the game was tied to Cuba’s identity. Fidel Castro and Baseball will appeal to fans of the sport as well as to those interested in Cuba’s enduring association with baseball.

The Secret Fidel Castro is neither a history of the Cuban revolution nor a biography of Fidel Castro. The book was written following what intelligence services call a CPP (short for Comprehensive Personality Profile), similar to the ones intelligence services keep on foreign leaders. It focuses on different aspects of Castro's actions and personality which, for some reasons, have been either ignored, misunderstood, or misrepresented. The main thesis of this book is that there are many different Castros. The most widely known is the symbolic, public one, as it has been portrayed in official Cuban propaganda, Castro-friendly biographies, and mainstream American media. But there are also many secret Castros, highly different from the public one. The Secret Fidel Castro focuses on little known aspects of Castro's personality, important in the better understanding of the man and his actions?what really makes him tick.

Winner of the 2010 W.J.M. Mackenzie Prize for Best Political Science Book of the Year 2010 The relentless rise of Communism was the most momentous political development of the first half of the twentieth century. No political change has been more fundamental than its demise in Europe and its decline elsewhere. In this hugely acclaimed book Archie Brown provides an indispensable history that examines the origins of the ideology, its development in different countries, its collapse in many states following the Soviet perestroika, and its current incarnations around the globe. The Rise and Fall of Communism explains how and why Communists came to power; how they were able, in a variety of countries on different continents to hold on to power for so long; and what brought about the downfall of so many Communist systems. A groundbreaking work from an internationally renowned specialist, this is the definitive study of the most remarkable political and human story of our times.

The event known as the Cuban missile crisis, the greatest of all Cold War crises, is a milestone in the history of the Cold War. According to the author, the main questions of the situation have eluded satisfactory answers because analysts have neglected the true Cuban role in the event, particularly the Russo-Cuban relations prior to the crisis.

With the disintegration of the Soviet Union and international socialism, Cuba now finds itself isolated as the United States continues to press for its economic and political collapse. How Fidel Castro sees Cuba's plight and what he hopes to do about it emerge from this account of a unique conference held in Havana in 1992. The meeting brought together participants in the Cuban missile crisis from the former Soviet Union, Cuba, and the U.S. to discuss its causes and course. This account is now available for the first time in paperback, on the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This first meeting between Castro, his ex-Soviet allies, and his American foes produced startling revelations about his dealings with the Soviets, chilling details of the number and kind of Soviet nuclear arms that Cuba possessed in 1962, and an illuminating account of Castro's view of the American threat--then and now. The dramatic exchanges between Castro and such conference participants as Anatoly I. Gribkov, former head of the Warsaw Pact; former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara; and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Special Assistant to John Kennedy, reveal misperceptions on all sides that led us to the brink of nuclear war. An extraordinary examination of an international crisis, Cuba on the Brink illustrates the ongoing "Cuba problem," and will help guide our actions toward other countries deemed hostile to our national interest.