Fidel Castro: El Comandante

He stood defiantly at the center of the Cold War. After nearly forty years of rule, he remains one of the most controversial political figures of the twentieth century. Fidel Castro led a remarkable six-year fight to rescue his country from a corrupt regime. Yet the rebel leader who claimed he was not interested in leading the new government soon became dictatorial, ordering executions and imprisoning many thousands of political opponents. Biography examines the life of the leader known as "El Comandante." Rare archival footage chronicles his rise and rule, while interviews with people who know him offer insight into the man himself. Fidel Castro: El Comandante would be useful for classes on World History, Latin American History, American History and Political Science. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• adamant
• antipathy
• atrocities
• belligerence
• coercion
• culminate
• de facto
• dissidents
• exile
• incomprehensible
• ingratiate
• intractable
• irrelevant
• livid
• mollify
• quarantine
• recant
• regime
• resilient
• tumultuous

1. There are many different forms of government and political systems. Sometimes we use terms to describe these different systems without understanding them. What do the terms fascism, communism, socialism and democracy mean? How would you compare them to each other?

2. The Soviet Union, the largest communist country in the world, fell apart in the 1980s. How did the break-up of the Soviet Union affect Fidel Castro's Cuba?

3. The United Sates has always taken an interest in the affairs of its tiny southern neighbor. Why has the US historically taken such an interest in Cuba and Cuban affairs?

4. After the Spanish-American War, the US issued the Platt Amendment. What was the Platt Amendment and how did it influence American-Cuban relations?

5. What is meant by the term "coup?" How did Battista's coup provide Castro's revolution with a focus?

6. The US backed an invasion of Cuba in 1961 known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Why was this invasion a failure? Did the US have the right to intervene?

7. How did Castro use propaganda from the Bay of Pigs failure to consolidate his regime?

8. In 1962, the US and the Soviet Union stood at the brink of world nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. How might history be different if nuclear war had not been averted?

9. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November, 1963. It is said that Kennedy sent a message to Castro shortly before his death expressing his interest in improving relations between Cuba and the United States. How might American-Cuban relations, and history, be different if Kennedy had lived?

10. What are some of the positive achievements of Castro's regime? What are some of the negative impacts? Are there more positive influences or negative ones? Has Castro's regime been beneficial or harmful to the people of Cuba?

1. Create a victory poster for Castro's revolution.

2. Research the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis and create a poster that illustrates these events.

3. Imagine that you are a soldier at the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Write a journal which chronicles your experiences.

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Air Dates

• September 15, 2004