Castro's regime has been credited with opening 10, new schools and increasing literacy to 98 percent. Cubans enjoy a universal healthcare system, which has decreased infant mortality to 11 deaths in 1, 1. But at the same time, civil liberties were whittled away, as labor unions lost the right to strike, independent newspapers were shut down and religious institutions were harassed.
Castro removed opposition to his rule though executions and imprisonments, as well as through forced emigration. Though there are no exact numbers, the Cuba Archive estimates that tens of thousands were murdered, with a documented 5, killed by firing squads alone. Even more Cubans were killed by state forces when they tried to flee the country, which occurred during the Canimar River Massacre and the Tugboat Massacre of During Castro's rule, hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled the country, many settling just across the Florida Straits in Miami.
The largest of these exoduses occurred in when Castro opened up the port of Mariel to allow exiled Cubans living in Miami to come claim their relatives. Upon their arrival, Castro also loaded the ships with Cuban prison inmates and mentally ill people. In all, nearly , Cubans left their homeland in to find sanctuary in the United States. After the collapse of the Soviet Union sent Cuba's economy into a tailspin, Castro's revolution began to lose momentum.
Without cheap oil imports and an eager Soviet market for Cuban sugar and other goods, Cuban unemployment and inflation grew. The contraction of the Cuban economy resulted in 85 percent of its markets disappearing. Yet Castro was very adept at keeping control of the government during dire economic times. He pressed the United States to lift the economic embargo, but it refused. Castro then adopted a quasi-free market economy and encouraged international investment.
He also legalized the U. In , after massive damage was caused by Hurricane Michelle, Castro declined U. President George W. Bush 's administration assented and authorized the shipment. With the fuel supply running dangerously low, Castro ordered factories to be closed and sent thousands of Cuban doctors to Venezuela in exchange for oil imports. In the late s, speculation began to arise over Castro's age and well-being.
Numerous health problems had been reported over the years, the most significant occurring in , when Castro underwent surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding.
Following Castro's surgery, his only appearances were in photographs and video recordings of meetings. On February 19, , year-old Castro permanently gave up the Cuban presidency due to his deteriorating physical condition.
In April , news broke that Castro officially stepped down from his role within Cuba's Communist Party. Castro claimed that he had actually resigned the post five years earlier.
In his retirement, Castro began writing a column about his experiences and opinions, called "Reflections of Fidel," and in his autobiography My Life was published.
From mid-November to early January , however, Castro failed to publish any columns. This sudden silence sparked rumors that Castro had taken a turn for the worse. But these stories soon proved to be unfounded, as Castro put out a flurry of articles later that January. Though not involved in the day-to-day affairs of running Cuba, Castro still maintained a certain degree of political influence both at home and abroad.
He continued to meet with foreign leaders, such as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in , during their visits to Cuba. Pope Benedict arranged a special audience with Castro at the end of his trip in March , seeking to obtain greater religious freedom for Catholics living in the communist nation, and in September Pope Francis met privately with Castro as well. However, when Barack Obama became the first sitting American president to visit Cuba in almost 90 years, he did not meet with Castro, who later denounced the goodwill mission in his column, citing mistrust of U.
Castro died on November 25, , at the age of Although there is no official count, Castro is believed to have fathered at least nine children. With his first wife Martina, he had a son Fidel "Fidelito" , who reportedly committed suicide in February after a battle with depression. Castro and his second wife, Dalia Sota del Valle, had five more sons. He also had three other children two daughters and one son from three separate women. While there was mourning in Havana, Cuban exiles around the world celebrated the death of the man they believed was a tyrant, who was responsible for killing and imprisoning thousands of Cubans and separating generations of families.
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Previously, he served as the country's defense minister and head of armed forces. Ariel Castro received a prison sentence of life plus an additional 1, years for kidnapping, torturing and imprisoning three young women in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cuba has struggled economically since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the and now relies heavily on the support of the left-wing government of Venezuela. Havana's relationship with the US remains hostile - the two countries have no diplomatic relations and a decades-long American economic blockade is still in effect.
Until his promotion, Mr Diaz-Canel was one of the eight vice-presidents on the council of ministers. An electrical engineer by training, he rose through the Communist party ranks in the provinces and at one time served as education minister.
He would succeed Raul Castro if he is unable to serve his second full term in office. Earlier in the day Raul's arrival, together with Fidel, and was warmly greeted by more than assembly members. Before Sunday, Fidel Castro was last seen in public earlier this month. Correspondents say he appeared frail and stooped at the time. Fidel Castro has given up all his official positions, except his post as the assembly's deputy leader.
Castros prepare to step back. But they know it cannot feed, clothe and house its people in any but the most basic way. Previously, all jobs in Cuba were government jobs, whether you were a grocer or an architect, with government-regulated salaries.
Today, official statistics say about a third of Cubans are privately employed. But the real proportion is almost surely higher.
Almost all the adult Cubans I know have their own business — whether cutting hair or renting their home as a bed and breakfast — along with a traditional government-regulated job. Meanwhile, the government has begun to eliminate the subsidies that long defined Cuban life.
Ration books for staple foods are disappearing and with them, subsidized prices. Food and clothing costs have doubled or tripled in Cuba in the past year. Utility prices have increased by factors of four or five. Cuban state salaries have risen since economic liberalization, but not that much. Consequently, many Cubans operate outside of the law, trading in everything from clothing to scrap metal or gasoline stolen from the state. Young Cubans also want more free speech.
While Cubans can and do complain privately, the Cuban government has long restricted civil liberties. Social media only recently became legal and relatively widespread in Cuba.
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