International

Cuba’s Fidel Castro dies at age 90

Published

7 years ago

November 26, 2016

The end has come for former longtime leader and revolutionary icon of Cuba, Fidel Castro who has passed on at the age of 90 in an announcement made by Cuban state television.

The death of the revolutionist and former president who retreated from the public eye in 2006 following emergency surgery for intestinal bleeding was announced by his brother and Cuba’s current president, Raul Castro.

Before his death, Fidel’s health problems forced him to temporarily hand power to his younger brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, who permanently took his place as president in 2008.

Castro’s death follows a historic thawing of relations between Cuba and the United States with the announcement in mid-December that the countries planned to restore diplomatic and economic ties.

Born near Birán, Cuba, in 1926, Castro and his forces began a campaign of guerrilla warfare to successfully overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, and Castro became the country’s new leader in 1958.

His communist domestic policies plus military and economic relations with the Soviet Union led to strained relations with the United States that culminated in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Castro was also responsible for fomenting communist revolutions in other countries around the world. Under him, improvements were made to health care and education, while civil liberties were severely eroded.

However, the 1991 collapse of communism and its negative impact on Cuba’s economy led Castro to relax some restrictions over time.

Amidst failing health, in 2008 Fidel Castro officially handed over power to his brother Raúl, as he struggled with health issues until he eventually kicked the bucket.

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