Fidel Castro Fact Sheet: Who was Fidel Castro? The following short biography and fact sheet provides interesting facts about the life, times and history of Fidel Castro, the famous Cuban dictator.

Fidel Castro Fact File Biography: 1926 – Present *** Full Name: Fidel Castro was also known as Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz *** Date of Birth (Birthday): He was born on August 13, 1926 *** Place of Birth: Fidel Castro was born in Birán in Holguín Province of Cuba *** Family background: His father was Ángel Castro y Argiz *** Early life and childhood: Fidel Castro grew up and spent the majority of his life in Cuba *** Education: Fidel Castro began his education in law at the University of Havana ***

Fidel Castro Fact 1: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926 in Birán in Holguín Province of Cuba.

Fidel Castro Fact 2: He is a Cuban politician and a former leader of the Republic of Cuba. He served as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976, and President from 1976 to 2008.

Fidel Castro Fact 3: His father was called Ángel Castro y Argiz and he came from Northwest Spain. His mother was called Lina Ruz González, she was the second wife of his father. Fidel Castro had six brothers and sisters.

Fidel Castro Fact 4: He lived with his teacher from the age of six in Santiago de Cuba. He was baptized a Roman Catholic at the age of eight, although his religious beliefs are debatable as in later life, he has declared himself an atheist.

Fidel Castro Fact 5: He attended the La Salle boarding school but as a result of poor behavior, he was sent to the Dolores School in Santiago which was ran by the Society of Jesus and funded privately. He moved to the El Colegio de Belén in Havana in 1945.

Fidel Castro Fact 6: He studied law at the University of Havana from 1945, during which time he developed views on leftist anti-imperialist politics; a term which can relate to nationalist movements and their desire to achieve an organized society by formally withdrawing from the larger polity.

Fidel Castro Fact 7: In 1953, he launched an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks. His planned to remove President Fulgencio Bastista from power in a rebellion against the social strategy of the Dominican Republican and Columbian governments.

Fidel Castro Fact 8: He established a revolutionary organization known as the 26th July Movement. The group was formed in Mexico and involved Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl Castro, and an Argentine Marxist revolutionary called Che Guevara. He traveled back to Cuba where he led the movement in the guerrilla war which became an important part in the Cuban Revolution which ran from 1953 to 1959 and resulted in the rebels driving out Batista on January 1, 1959.

Fidel Castro Fact 9: The Cuban Revolution resulted in major changes for Cuba. One of the major consequences was the impact that it made on the relationship between Cuba and the United States. The Revolution significantly altered Cuba's economy and society.

Fidel Castro Fact 10: He became the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba on in 1961, a position which he held until 2011. This position also made him the President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. Fidel Castro's brother, Raúl Castro, became the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba on April 19, 2011.

Fidel Castro Fact 11: He was publicly identified as a Marxist-Lennist in 1961. This means that he supports the Marxism-Leninism political philosophy which strives to achieve socialism. Socialism can be described as a set of measures relevant to social and economic matters involving the organization of a community through the implementation of policies and systems owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Fidel Castro Fact 12: The United States were becoming increasingly concerned over Fidel Castro's relationship with the Soviet Union. As a result, they made attempts to remove Fidel Castro from power. The Bay of Pigs Invasion occurred on April 17, 1961 and was a failed military invasion carried out by the Brigade 2506 which was the name given to the CIA-sponsored group. 1334 members of the Brigade 2506 landed in Cuba with around 114 being drowned and approximately 1183 being captured and held prisoner. The United States had to negotiate for the release of the prisoners.

Fidel Castro Fact 13: Following the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Fidel Castro gave permission to the Soviet Union to place nuclear weapons on the island of Cuba. The October Crisis, also known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, occurred from October 16, 1962 to October 28, 1962. The thirteen day missile scare between the Soviet Union and the United States played a major part in the Cold War and came very close to resulting in a full-scale nuclear war.

Fidel Castro Fact 14: From 1979 - 1983, and 2006 - 2008, Fidel Castro was the Secretary-General of the Non-Alligned Movement; an organization whose purpose was described by Fidel Castro during a speech which he presented at the Havana Declaration of 1979. He declared that the purpose was to establish "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign aggression, occupation, domination, interference or hegemony as well as against great power and bloc politics".

Fidel Castro Fact 15: As leader of Cuba, he established a one-party socialist state under Communist Party rule. This affected major policies and systems relative to healthcare and education.

Fidel Castro Fact 16: He is a Cuban Nationalist. Nationalism can be defined as a significant belief in geographical or demographic region where the main focus is to achieve national identity and independence for the community's culture and ethnicity.

Fidel Castro Fact 17: Cuba and Venezuela founded the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas in 2004. The organization involved the political, economic and social integration of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Fidel Castro Fact 18: He is considered a vigorous supported of socialism and humanitarianism with a great desire to save the people of Cuba. A controversial character, extremely hard working and dedicated dictator who led Cuba through the toughest of conflicts to successfully secure its independence. He is known for his ability to laugh and maintain a good sense of humor whilst also being known for his stubborn attitude, throwing fits of rage and making snap decisions.

Fidel Castro Fact 19: Throughout his life, he has enjoyed reading, his favorite writer is Ernest Hemingway. He is an avid sports fan who has spent much of his life keeping fit. He is a patriotic man who considers the people of Cuba part of his family.

Fidel Castro Fact 20: Fidel Castro has married a number of times and has been involved in many relationships. He married his first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart, in October 1948 who bore him his first child, a son called Fidelito. He went on to marry his second wife, Myrta Diaz-Balart in 1949 with whom he had five sons. He has closely guarded his private life so access to his personal dealings is limited.

Influence & Legacy of Fidel Castro: Fidel Castro is a former Cuban Prime Minster and President. He has led Cuba through the toughest of conflicts to secure independence for its people. His controversial character is a great topic for debate.