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| | | spouse =Mirta Diaz-Balart (1948–1955) | | | spouse =Mirta Diaz-Balart (1948–1955) |
| | Dalia Soto del Valle (1980–present) | | Dalia Soto del Valle (1980–present) |
| − | | children =9 | + | | children = |
| − | | country =Cuba | + | | death = 2009(approx.) |
| | + | | deathmanner = unknown. |
| | + | | burial = |
| | + | | country =Cuba |
| | | military =26th of July Movement<br/>(guerrilla organization) | | | military =26th of July Movement<br/>(guerrilla organization) |
| | | rank =n/a | | | rank =n/a |
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| | | deathnumber =150,000 at home<br/> 500-1,000,000 in Angola | | | deathnumber =150,000 at home<br/> 500-1,000,000 in Angola |
| | }} | | }} |
| − | '''Fidel Castro''' (born August 13, 1926) was the brutal [[communist]] [[dictator]] of [[Cuba]] from 1959 to 2008. Fidel Castro is an [[atheism|atheist]]. | + | '''Fidel Castro''' (August 13, 1926 - ~2009 ) was the brutal [[communist]] [[dictator]] of [[Cuba]] from 1959 to 2008. Fidel Castro was an [[atheism|atheist]]. |
| | He reveled in worship of him by the public. | | He reveled in worship of him by the public. |
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| − | He held the posts of [[Prime Minister|prime minister]] (1959-1976) and president of the Council of State and president of the Council of Ministers (1976-2008).<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html#Govt</ref> His oppressive rule lasted almost 50 years and killed scores of thousands. In April 2011, Castro allegedly stepped down as head of the Cuban communist Party. <ref>http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=41125</ref> | + | He held the posts of [[Prime Minister|prime minister]] (1959-1976) and president of the Council of State and president of the Council of Ministers (1976-2008).<ref>https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cu.html#Govt</ref> His oppressive rule lasted almost 50 years and killed scores of thousands. He has not been seen publicly since July 2006, when he underwent intestinal surgery, and is presumably no longer alive as of December 2009; the communists running Cuba have no incentive to risk challenge to their power by announcing that he passed away.<ref>''[http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-215_162-1859015.html State Secret: Is Castro Dead?]'', Brian Goodman, ''CBS News'', September 22, 2009.</ref> After a long absence from the public eye, he was purportedly shown in photographs in June of 2010, released by the Cuban State News Agency. In August 2010, the Associated Press had a story of a purported Castro speech to the Cuban parliament. <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/06/cuba-state-tv-fidel-castro-attend-parliament-meeting-time-years-1415326051/?test=latestnews</ref> ''The fact remains there hasn't been a reputable, independent account of Castro being alive in nearly a year.'' Other authoritarian regimes, such as [[North Korea]] and [[Nazi Germany]] have engaged in "body-doubles" and actor/impersonators to hide the death or incapacitation of despots in the past. <ref>[http://www.mahalo.com/kim-jong-il-body-doubles Kim Jong Il Body Doubles]</ref> <ref>[http://www.blackraiser.com/nredoubt/identity.htm Hitler body-double]</ref> In April 2011, Castro allegedly stepped down as head of the Cuban communist Party, but it has not been confirmed that this was not a ruse. <ref>http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=41125</ref> |
| | {{cquote|'''I think its time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers. Not too long ago two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a business man who had escaped from Castro. And in the midst of one of his stories, my friends turned to the other and said, ‘we don’t know how lucky ''we'' are.’ ''And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky YOU are, I had some place to escape to.’'' In that sentence he told us the entire story of Cuba, and Castro. <small>-- [[Ronald Reagan]]</small> <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY "A Time for Choosing" by Ronald Reagan]</ref>}}<br /> | | {{cquote|'''I think its time we ask ourselves if we still know the freedoms that were intended for us by the Founding Fathers. Not too long ago two friends of mine were talking to a Cuban refugee, a business man who had escaped from Castro. And in the midst of one of his stories, my friends turned to the other and said, ‘we don’t know how lucky ''we'' are.’ ''And the Cuban stopped and said, ‘How lucky YOU are, I had some place to escape to.’'' In that sentence he told us the entire story of Cuba, and Castro. <small>-- [[Ronald Reagan]]</small> <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY "A Time for Choosing" by Ronald Reagan]</ref>}}<br /> |
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| | The estimated number of deaths attributable to the Castro regime varies according to different sources—but not by much. The number of named, documented victims (with 2 or more sources) established by recent scholarship is 86,000, excluding an estimated minimum<ref>http://www.cubaverdad.net/genocide.htm</ref> of 16,282 deaths in war and combat, for a conservative total of 112,000.<ref>http://cubaarchive.org/home/</ref> R.J. Rummel, in his book ''Statistics of Democide'' estimates a range of 35-141,000 killed, which may underestimate the full toll by as much as 50%, since it only covers the years 1959-87.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/POSTWWII.HTM</ref> The most comprehensive survey, by Armando Lago, puts the total at 116,730-119,730 killed.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm#Cuba59</ref> The majority (85,000) of these deaths were caused by drowning; the firing squads account for some 30,000. Adding combat deaths to his calculations, we arrive at a total of some 136,000 Cubans killed by the Castro regime. Little effort has been made to calculate boat people deaths in recent years. Cuban exiles claim that as many as 200,000 have been murdered altogether.<ref>http://www.therealcuba.com/</ref> The death toll from Cuban interventions abroad can be numbered in the hundreds of thousands. | | The estimated number of deaths attributable to the Castro regime varies according to different sources—but not by much. The number of named, documented victims (with 2 or more sources) established by recent scholarship is 86,000, excluding an estimated minimum<ref>http://www.cubaverdad.net/genocide.htm</ref> of 16,282 deaths in war and combat, for a conservative total of 112,000.<ref>http://cubaarchive.org/home/</ref> R.J. Rummel, in his book ''Statistics of Democide'' estimates a range of 35-141,000 killed, which may underestimate the full toll by as much as 50%, since it only covers the years 1959-87.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/POSTWWII.HTM</ref> The most comprehensive survey, by Armando Lago, puts the total at 116,730-119,730 killed.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat6.htm#Cuba59</ref> The majority (85,000) of these deaths were caused by drowning; the firing squads account for some 30,000. Adding combat deaths to his calculations, we arrive at a total of some 136,000 Cubans killed by the Castro regime. Little effort has been made to calculate boat people deaths in recent years. Cuban exiles claim that as many as 200,000 have been murdered altogether.<ref>http://www.therealcuba.com/</ref> The death toll from Cuban interventions abroad can be numbered in the hundreds of thousands. |
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| | + | ==Death and purported sightings== |
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| | + | In August 2006, health problems lead to his appointment of his younger brother, Raul, as temporarily president and head of the Communist Party in Cuba. Political analyst believe that the appointment marks the beginning of a transition designed to maintain Communist control over Cuba after Castro's death<ref>The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100647.html For Castro, a First Step In Calculated Transition ]</ref>. Castro's surgery was scheduled to repair a "sharp intestinal crisis with sustained bleeding." <ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec06/castro_08-01.html</ref> |
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| | + | Bonded by their hate for the United States and capitalism, Castro and [[Venezuela]]n dictator [[Hugo Chavez]] created a close relationship. Both socialist countries have worked together on various political ventures.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166355,00.html</ref>. |
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| | + | On May 1, 2007, Castro did not attend Cuba's annual celebration of May Day, leading many to believe that he had died. While Castro allegedly met with Brazilian President [[Lula da Silva|Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva]] on February 25, 2010, <ref>http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ghGthxqnYMWcICCnEkjH5ayqPamQD9E356IO1</ref> there is no independent confirmation that this was not in fact a body-double. |
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| | + | On February 18, 2008, Fidel Castro resigned as President of the State Council and Commander in Chief.<ref>http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2008/02/19/nacional/artic10.html</ref> He was succeeded by his brother, [[Raul Castro]]. |
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| | + | In September of 2011, it was reported that a Venezuelan reporter had interviewed Castro <ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/cubas-fidel-castro-breaks-long-silence-in-interview-with-venezuelan-television/2011/09/08/gIQA08FSCK_story.html</ref>, but independent media have not confirmed that this was not actually a doppelganger standing in for the long-deceased Castro. |
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| | + | In February 2012 the mainstream media reported that Castro met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Predictably there have been no reports from the liberal media as to whether this was actually Castro or a lookalike <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/01/us-cuba-brazil-idUSTRE8100B620120201 Brazil's Rousseff meets with Fidel Castro in Cuba]</ref>. |
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |