In November, infamous Cuban president and revolutionary Fidel Castro died at the age of 90.
Castro, who was both a hero and a brutal dictator to the people of Cuba, led several revolutions in Cuba to overthrow the Cuban government. In 1959, during the 26th of July movement, Castro successfully ousted Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Following the revolution, Castro seized power and turned Cuba into a Communist nation.
During the five decades he was dictator, Castro had a tense relationship with the United States. The small island nation, which lies just 90 miles off the U.S. coast, has been part of several key historical moments in U.S. history, including the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis that brought the tense era of nuclear warfare to the forefront of peoples’ minds. The nation’s Communist government – and close ties to the former Soviet Union – caused Castro to have a target on his back for decades. According to Cuban officials, Castro survived over 600 assassination attempts, but the validity of this claim is impossible to confirm. In 2006, Castro gave up his position as president and his brother, Raúl Castro, took over.
Following his death, Cubans celebrated his life and accomplishments throughout the country with events and rallies celebrating Castro. In the United States, many Cuban-Americans, who fled Cuba when his regime, celebrated Castro’s death. During the Cuban revolution, Castro claimed that “history will absolve me.” Whether this claim will ring true – only time will tell.