On December 2, 1976, Fidel Castro officially became president of Cuba — a moment that would reshape the island nation's trajectory. Though he had already been wielding power since February 1959, when he toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista, it took 17 years before a new constitution formally transformed Cuba into a socialist state with Castro installed as its leader.
Born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, Cuba, Fidel Castro grew up as the son of a Spanish emigrant who made his living as a sugar farmer. His path led him to Havana University, where he threw himself into both legal studies and the political arena. Upon graduating in 1950, he took up law practice in Havana, championing the cause of the city's poor. It was through witnessing poverty, rampant corruption, and what he viewed as unwelcome US meddling in Caribbean affairs that Castro developed a fierce anti-imperialist outlook. Over time, his pursuit of social justice pulled him steadily toward socialist ideology.
The gulf between Fulgencio Batista's rule and what Fidel Castro envisioned could hardly have been wider. Batista had grabbed power via a military coup in 1952, embodying everything Castro opposed. He scrapped elections, proclaimed himself dictator, tossed aside the constitution, and stripped citizens of their political freedoms. Castro's response came in 1959, when he waged a guerilla campaign against Batista's forces that ultimately forced the dictator to flee Cuba.
What Fidel Castro left behind defies simple judgment. To many, he stands as an enduring icon of revolution and defiance against US imperialism. His agrarian reform programs and nationalization of foreign-owned property are frequently hailed as bold moves toward social justice. Yet his rule also carried a darker dimension — authoritarian governance and human rights violations that attracted widespread condemnation. By forging a close alliance with the Soviet Union and playing a prominent role during the Cold War, he cemented Cuba's identity as a Communist state. Castro died in Havana on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90.