Raul Castro
| Famous as | President of Cuba, Cuban Revolutionary, Politician |
| Born on | 03 June 1931 |
| Born in | Biran, Cuba |
| Nationality | Cuba |
| Works & Achievements | President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, First Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba, First Vice-president of Cuba, Second Secretary of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Commander in Chief (Maximum General) of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force) |
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Childhood & Education
Raul Castro, born on 3rd June 1931, was one of the five
children of a sugar farmer Angel Castro and his wife - Lina Ruz
Gonzalez. Young Castro was sent to the same school as his elder brother,
but unlike his brother, he was not very much interested in studies. He
did his early studies from the Jesuit school Colegio Dolores, in Santiago de Cuba and later, he was sent to Jesuit school Colegio Belen,
in Havana. While Raul was studying at the University of Havana, he
developed an interest in politics. He became a member of the Juventud Socialista
(Socialist Youth), an affiliate of the Moscow-oriented Partido
Socialista Popular, Cuba's Communist Party. He also joined a student
communist group and eventually, became a leader of these student groups,
which took part in protests and demonstrations. Because of his
rebellious nature, he had a history of discipline problems.
Moncada Assault & Imprisonment
From the very beginning, Raul Castro supported Fidel in his
planning for revolution against Batista. Like many socialists, he was
also disgusted by the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. He was
only 22 years old when he actively participated in the first armed
action of the rebels, on July 26, 1953. The team attacked the federal
barracks at Moncada. Raul was one of the members of the team sent to
occupy the Palace of Justice. Raul group managed to secure the palace,
though they got late on account of their car getting lost. After the
operation was finished, Raul and his team dropped their weapons and
walked out onto the street in civilian clothes.
Raul and his team members failed to escape and were arrested. He
and his elder brother were sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. He was
sent to the Isle of Pines prison, along with his brother and other
leaders who participated in Moncada assault. In the prison, they began
plotting the '26th of July Movement', named after the date of
the Moncada assault. Together, the group decided how to continue the
revolution. In 1955, due to international
pressure on President Batista, he had to release the men who were
responsible for the Moncada assault. Raul and his brother stayed in
prison for around 22 months. To save their life, they immediately went
into exile, in Mexico.
Exile & Return to Cuba
During his time in exile, Raul met Ernesto “Ché” Guevara, an
Argentine doctor and a committed communist. Soon they became friends.
Castro then introduced his new friend to his brother - Fidel Castro -
and their friendship proved to be very beneficial for their
revolutionary plans against Batista. Raul took an active role in the '26th
of July Movement'. He, along with Fidel, Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos,
was amongst the 82 people who returned to Cuba in November 1956 and
started the revolution.
The army soon discovered the rebels and attacked their camp. After
the attack, only around 20 out of 82 rebels were able to survive and
moved their camp to the Sierra Maestra Mountains. The two brothers
began collecting recruits and weapons for their mission. In 1958, Raul
was sent to the north-coast of Oriente Province, at the post of Comandante,
where he had a force of 65 men. While there, he imprisoned about 50
Americans, hoping to use them to keep U.S. from intervening on behalf of
Batista. However, the hostages were released soon.
Triumph of the Revolution
Raul's forces remained active in the coming months and by October, the two brothers
had the supports of around 2,000 supporters. They were now operating,
unhindered, throughout Oriente province. In December 1958, Fidel sent
Cienfuegos and Guevara as Comandante of most of the rebel army,
in important cities. They took over Maffo and then headed to Santiago
de Cuba, the capital of Oriente province. When Guevara won the Battle
of Santa Clara, Batista realized he could not win and fled the country,
on January 1, 1959. Raul and Fidal, along with other rebels, proudly
came back to Havana. Raúl and Che started rooting out supporters of
former dictator Batista, immediately after the revolution was over.
Raul, who had already begun setting up an intelligence service, was then
made in-charge of overseeing the summary execution of
Batista-loyalists.
Post 1959
Raúl Castro became a member of the National Leadership of the
Integrated Revolutionary PO Organizations, established in July 1961 (
dissolved on March 1962), and the United Party of the Socialist
Revolution of Cuba, established on March 1962 (dissolved on October
1965). He participated as a member of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Cuba and the Second Secretary of its Politburo. He
was also appointed as the First Vice President of the Cuban Council of
State, of the National Assembly of the Popular Power and of the Council
of Ministers. Raul became the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces
in October 1959, when the Ministry was founded (and served till
February 2008). In the early 1990s, Raul persuaded his elder brother -
Fidel - to implement agricultural market reforms, which increased the
food supply.
Assumption of Presidential Duties
On July 31, 2006 Personal secretary of Fidel Castro - Carlos
Valenciaga -announced on a television that while Fidel recovered from
intestinal surgery to repair gastrointestinal bleeding, Raúl would take
over the duties of President of the Council of State of Cuba, First
Secretary of the Communist Party and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces. There are different views of different people about Raul's as a
future political leader. Many see Raul as being more pragmatic than
Fidel and there was some hope that he would loosen the restrictions
which he has placed on Cuban citizens. He has done so, although not to
the extent that was expected.
Cubans can now own cell phones and consumer electronics, but
drastic fundamental changes are yet to be introduced. In view of many
critics, Raul lacks the charisma and supernatural power of leadership
that Fidel had. They feel that he will have difficulty maintaining
political control, once he takes over. Some people think more positively
on the issue and predict that he may be more open to economic reform
than his brother. Raul has been criticized for the persecution of
dissidents and homosexuals. Even his alcoholism problem raised doubts
about his future leadership. During the transfer of duty period, Raul
remained largely out of public view.
Raul has been seen in few public appearances till date. He was seen
hosting a gathering of the leaders of the Non-Aligned nations in
September 2006 and leading the national commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the Granma boat landing, which was also celebrated as
Fidel's belated 80th birthday. On May 1, 2007, Raúl was seen on the May
Day celebrations in Havana. According to Granma, a crowd of over one
million people, including delegations from over 225 organizations and 52
countries, participated in this celebration. Presently, the entire
world is watching to see what Raul will do once he steps out of his
brother's shadow.
President of Cuba
The National Assembly elected Raul Castro as the President of Cuba
on February 24, 2008. Shortly afterward, he delivered his inaugural
address. During his presidency, Raul's government has announced several
economic reforms. The government has removed restrictions against the
purchase of the products that were forbidden under Fidel's term, like
DVD-players, computers, rice cookers and microwaves.It has also turned
over unused state-owned land to private farmers and cooperatives, to
increase food production. To reward hard-working employees with higher
wages, the salary structure of all state-run companies was overhauled in
2008.The government has also removed restrictions against the use of
cell phones and is investigating easing the travel restrictions on
Cubans. According to Parade Magazine 2009, Raul Castro is ranked at
number 13, in World's Worst Dictator list.
Personal Life
Raul Castro is the youngest of the three Castro brothers. He also
has four sisters - Angela, Juanita, Enma, and Agustina, and two half
siblings - Lidia and Pedro Emilio. Immediately after the triumph of
Cuban revolution, Raul married his long time sweetheart and fellow
revolutionary Vilma Espín. In 1960, Vilma became the President of the Cuban Federation of Women. Raul's
wife, Espin served as Cuba’s first lady for decades because Cuban
leader Fidel Castro is divorced. Raul had four children with Vilma -
three daughters, Déborah, Mariela and Nilsa, and one son,
Alejandro Castro Espin. Mariela is currently heading the Cuban National
Center for Sex Education. One of his grandchildren is the chief
of his security detail. One of Raul's sons-in-law, Luis Alberto
Rodríguez, a high-ranking military officer, is in charge of the armed
forces.
A daughter and some relatives of Raul are believed to reside in
Italy. Castro lost his wife Vilma on June 18, 2007. Raul's personal life
was very normal. Although there were always been rumors about his
divorce with his wife, but none of them were conformed and they were
usually seen together in public. In an interview, Raul said that he and
his wife argue with each other sometimes, like any married couple does,
but this doesn't mean that they don't love each other or are separated.
The rumors that Angel Castro was not his real father can also be heard,
but they were neither denied, nor confirmed.
Role in Government & Military
Raul Castro has always been seen as Fidel's right hand. When Fidel
transformed the revolution into government, he came to rely more on
Raul. After the revolution, Raul was appointed as head of the Communist
Party, Minister of Defense and Vice President of the Council of State,
apart from holding many other important positions. However, Raul is most
famous and most identified for his role in the military. He has been
Cuba’s top-ranking military officer since soon after the Revolution. He
was appointed first Deputy Prime Minister in 1972. He is considered the
world's longest serving defense minister. At present, Raul is commanding
more than 45,000 soldiers and has expanded the military's reach into
many aspects of the Cuban economy. Succeeding his elder brother Fidel
Castro, he is now serving as the President of Cuba.
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Timeline: |
1931 - Raul Castro was born.
1953 - Became a member of '26th of July Movement'
1956 - Returned to Cuba, with Fidel & others, and started the revolution
1958 - Sent to the north-coast of Oriente Province, at the post of Comandante
1959 - Became the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces
1972 - Became the first Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba.
1976 - Became the first Vice-president of Cuba.
1990s - Persuaded Fidel to implement agricultural market reforms
2006 - Assumed the duties of President of the Council of State of Cuba, Hosted a gathering of leaders of the Non-Aligned nations
2007 - Presided over the May Day celebrations in Havana, Lost his wife
2008 - Elected as the President of Cuba
2009 - Ranked as 13th Worst Dictator of the World, by Parade Magazine
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