Fidel Castro Ruz

Historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, exceptional statesman and strategist. He was born in 1926 in Birán, Cuba. He studied law at the University of Havana and became involved in politics from an early age. On July 26, 1953, he led the well-known attack on the CUartel Moncada, a military action that failed but marked the beginning of the last years of the anti-constitutional government of Fulgencio Batista. He spent time in prison for those actions and after his release in 1955, he spent a period of exile in Mexico where he organized the war and formed the July 26 Movement. In 1956, Fidel and a group of rebels returned to Cuba to fight against Batista. After a few years of guerrilla warfare, Fidel and the revolutionary forces took control of the country in 1959. As the leader of the Cuban Revolution. Fidel implemented deep social and economic reforms in Cuba including the nationalization of companies, the agrarian reform and the literacy campaign. He quickly became known for his permanent confrontation with United States imperialism, especially at moments as critical as the October Crisis of 1962. With his leadership, the Cuban socialist project became a paradigm of solidarity and emancipatory struggle for other peoples of the world. Fidel retired from public life in 2008 and died in 2016 at the age of 90.