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Saucedo 1

Valeria Saucedo Ojeda Professor Gifford English 114B at 8 February 17, 2014

Fidel Castros Domination

Fidel Castro might not be the president of Cuba at this time since his retirement in 2008, but his impact on Cuban society still remains seen today. By 1959, Castro, leading the revolution, had effectively taken over Cuba from former dictator Fulgencio Batista. People were yearning for a better change and with Castro considering himself a communist, he succeeded in earning peoples trust and hope. His political power demonstrated an erratic path of development for the state; from the missile crisis in 1962 to the Mariel boat lift during the 1980s, good relations with other countries has been difficult to achieve. Fidel Castro overall has caused a deleterious outcome due to his strong ambiton, persuading techniques, and controlling characteristic. During the Mariel boat exodus in 1980, thousands of Cubans migrated to the United States because they were unsatisfied with the government. In the book, Finding Manana, written by Mirta Ojita, the author herself provides an account of her life as well as important figures that contributed to the journey of Cubans to the world of opportunities. Ojita states that Castro himself manipulated the formula every day, balancing both Washingtons tolerance and Miamis innocence against his own need to cleanse the country of scum ( Ojita, 212). Along with the people who wanted to leave, prisoners, homosexuals, prostitutes, drug users, and enemies of the revolution were forcefully placed on boats heading to the U.S. This was because Castro wanted to get rid of all the people that were not willing to obey his orders and accept his ideas of how societies should behave.

Saucedo 1 The most used method of communication that was present in Cuba during the _____________________________ was the newspaper. People relied on the newspaper to find out about the latest news; Fidel Castro utilized it to share his criticism and build himself to be seen as peoples trusting father or only leader. Ojita once again addresses this in her book by saying that (Ojita, ). This implies that people were being inculcated to form an ideal image of someone who is a socialist and that anyone who does not fit that description should be hated. It was inevitable that Cubans were going to start believing in Castro since that was the only place they got there information on political matters. He now had time to thoroughly think about what he was going to tell his people and figure out what effect it was going to have for his advantage. By the end of 2007, Fidel Castro had made it clear that he was retiring from office, although it was sure enough that his younger socialist brother, Raul Castro would take charge. Fidel left many promises to the people broken such as a better economy and freedom. As of today, his influence still remains seen in the streets of Cuba, where people still struggle to provide their families with food and shelter. The article, Cuba after Fidel: the new leadership, by Victor Bulmer-Thomas, identifies Cuba as these days complaints are just as often about petty restrictions on travel, lack of opportunities for selfemployed, and the absence of jobs commensurate with the level of education( Thomas, 4). Even though their economy has improved due to the increase in foreign exchange, people still are having a difficult time acquiring a job fitting to their specialty and level of education. Castro did leave damage, in particular economically, leaving his land with a slow path to stability.

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As you can see, Fidel Castro managed to present himself as a man who was the hero at the time when people were in need of a new government. Years in power, no one dared to challenge him and take his position; his numerous techniques of reaching out to people may be deceiving at times, causing many to forcefully follow his ideals for their own safety. Now that Raul Castro is in charge, others understand that he does not have the same strong rebellion qualities of his brother, resulting in a brighter vision for future Cuba. To the people who have lived during Castros presence, either all their lives or a part, the emotional impact will never be forgotten.

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