Fidel Castro

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who led Cuba as its prime minister from 1959 to 1976 and as its president from 1976 to 2008. Born in Birán, Cuba, he studied law at the University of Havana and developed leftist and anti-imperialist ideas. After participating in rebellions against right-wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, Castro planned and led a failed attack on the Moncada Barracks in 1953. After being imprisoned for a year, he went into exile in Mexico. From there, Castro organized and led the successful Cuban Revolution, overthrowing Cuban president Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Castro's administration established a one-party communist state, nationalized industries and businesses, and implemented socialist reforms throughout Cuban society.