Jump To Fidel Castro's Stats
When Fidel Castro led the revolution against Cubaís Fulgencio Batista liberating the Cuban people from his dictatorship in 1959, no one could have predicted he would eventually be one of the richest men in the world with an acquired wealth of $1,003,275,000. As Cubaís new socialist leader and political reformer, he has served as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976, then he became President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba.
The 82-year-old Castro resigned in 2008 due to a health issue, transferring power to his brother Raul.
His rebellious leanings appeared early when at thirteen he helped organize a strike of sugar workers on his fatherís plantation. Pops could not have been too happy about that one. He attended a Jesuit boarding school and then continued his education and became a lawyer in Havana. It was during his experience as a lawyer that he saw the inequalities in wealth in Cuba, and in 1947 he joined the Cuban Peopleís Party a socialist organization.
From Castroís point of view, a revolution to overthrow Bautista was the only way to free the Cuban People. After a failed attempt in 1953 and a near death experience in prison, the revolution was successful in 1958, and he began an unprecedented fifty years of rule.
His accomplishments in Cuba have come under scrutiny by the international community; however, he has improved his country in many areas such as security and safety for citizens, free health care for all citizens, a major exporter of doctors to areas in distress, and a lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. Cuba boasts a 97% literacy rate, and some reports reflect a growing respect for Cuban Universities, with the medical schools attracting students from around the globe, and itís free if they agree to work for a preset time in low income areas of their countries upon graduation.