Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) has been the leader of Cuba since 1959, when, leading the 26th of July Movement, he overthrew the regime of Fulgencio Batista. In the years that followed Castro oversaw the transformation of Cuba into the first Communist state in the Western Hemisphere.

Castro first attracted attention in Cuban political life through his student activism. His outspoken nationalism, and radical critique of Batista and US corporate and political influence in Cuba, brought a receptive following as well as criticism, together with attention from the authorities. Later, his leadership of the 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, subsequent exile, and eventual guerrilla invasion of Cuba in December 1956 cemented his fame worldwide. Since his accession to power in 1959, he has maintained a high, and controversial, profile. Inciting much condemnation, praise and debate, Castro is named a dictator, especially by the Cuban exile community, while sympathizers and supporters name him a legitimate and popular leader.