Author Description

Born the son of a wealthy farmer, he came to power as a Cuban revolutionary in 1959. Surviving the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, this controversial and divisive world figure has had a significant impact on the world stage. Decorated with various international awards, his supporters call him a champion of socialism, anti-imperialism, and humanitarianism, whose revolutionary regime secured Cuba's independence from American imperialism. Conversely, critics view him as a totalitarian dictator whose administration has overseen multiple human-rights abuses, an exodus of more than one million Cubans, and the impoverishment of the country's economy.