Fidel Castro: History Will Absolve Me

Questions for Further Study

• 1. The events of Castro's life suggest that in the years following World War II a great deal of political turmoil existed not just in Cuba but, indeed, throughout Central and South America. What economic and political factors likely contributed to this unrest?
• 2. What conditions in Cuba accounted for having turned Castro and his followers into revolutionaries?
• 3. Castro places considerable emphasis on land reform and land ownership. Why would these matters have been of great concern to Cubans during this time period?
• 4. In the decades since Castro's seizure of power in Cuba, the nation has had a troubled relationship with the United States, which has regarded Castro as a rogue dictator. Given that Castro's campaign was against the corruption of the Batista government, why were American political leaders uncomfortable with Castro and his views of government?
• 5. What role did Communism (and anti-Communism) play in the events that led to Castro's assumption of power and his position as dictator of Cuba?
• 6. Revolutionary figures like Castro often spend some portion of their lives in prison and frequently use their time to write documents outlining their views. Locate such a document from a person who was sentenced to prison for challenging the established order and compare that person's views with Castro's. Examples might include Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”; Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”); or Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, which he began writing while in a South African prison.