Fidel Castro was a Cuban politician who started a revolutionary movement to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. After making Batista leave the country in 1959, Fidel Castro took power and continued to govern Cuba until 2008. Under his rule, the revolution was declared to be Marxist-Leninist, and Castro repressed dissenting citizens, establishing a one-party system of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC). This change led to the formation of new government structures and determined the way the country could select its politicians. Castro’s influence turned Cuba into a socialist country, and the government assumed many responsibilities for financing and controlling areas of residents’ lives. The PCC provided Cubans with free healthcare, education, and other services. State control, censorship, and suppression of the opposition were also indicative of Castro’s rules.
The significance of Castro’s figure to Cuba is substantial – as a revolutionary, Castro ended a previous dictatorship. Moreover, he built new alliances with the Soviet Union, while moving away from the ties with the United Nations. His decision to declare the revolution and the new government as Marxist-Leninist resulted in the structure that is upheld in Cuba to this day. Castro’s move to create a socialist country also had an impact on other states in the region and the rest of the world. Cuban economic and social structures remain under the influence of the system introduced by Castro.