Revolutionary and leader of Communist Cuba. Castro was born in August of 1926 in Biran, near Mayari, Cuba. His given and family name was Fidel Castro Ruz. His father was a Spanish immigrant. Castro graduated from the University of Havana in 1950 with a law degree. Afterwards, Castro opened a law office in Havana.

In 1952, he ran for election to the Cuban House of Representatives in the democratic Cuban government which existed at the time. But before he could be elected, the forces of Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government and established a military dictatorship. One of the greatest evils in the eyes of Castro and many others was the official state racism which Batista enforced, preventing black Cubans from working in good jobs. But because Batista let gambling casinos and other capital into the country, he was supported by many in the United States.

As a result of Batista's actions, Castro tried to start a revolution against the dictatorship. On July 26, 1953, Castro's forces attacked the Moncada Army Barracks in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Castro was captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Batista released him in 1955, however. Castro then formed the 26th of July Movement, a group of revolutionaries named after the date of his first revolt.

He then went into exile in Mexico. There, he met an Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevara. A devoted Marxist, Che would go on to influence Castro into later becoming a Communist. Leading his forces with his brother Raùl and Che, an armada landed in Cuba in December 1956. Many rebels were killed, and Castro and other survivors fled to the Sierra Maestra, a mountain range in southeast Cuba. People from the surrounding countryside joined the rebellion. Batista fled from Cuba on January 1, 1959, and Castro took control of the government.

Castro seized property owned by Americans and other foreigners as well as Cubans. In 1960, the Castro government took over United States oil refineries in Cuba. The United States then stopped buying Cuban sugar. Castro responded by taking over all United States businesses in Cuba.

Castro has supported a number of revolutionary movements in South America, Central America, and Africa. The Castro government has provided improved education and health facilities for many Cubans. But the economy has often been troubled, often believed due to the long-standing embargo on the trading of Cuban goods. In spite of this hinderment, Castro has continued to take an unyielding stand against capitalism, unlike the capitalistic twists which China's economy has taken.

Through his determination against American imperialism, Castro is currently living through the eighth US Presidency since his revolution in Cuba.