Did you know- Historically, Raúl Castro is one of the most anti-American leaders in the Third World, along with Fidel, Mao Zedong, Enver Hoxha and Mengistu Haile Mariam. Following the American embargo on Cuba in late1960,Castro said: “My dream is to drop three atomic bombs on New York. In the 1960s, he also was famous for his slogan: “Hit the Yankees hard”.
Birthdate
Did you know- Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz was born on June 3, 1931, in Biran (Cuba), one of Spain’s last colonies on the American mainland. He was the fifth child born to Angel Castro, a Spanish immigrant, and Lina Ruz González de Castro. He married Vilma Espín Guillois (1959) and they produced three daughters (Deborah, Mariela and Nilsa) and one son (Alejandro).
Human Rights
Did you know- The Venezuelan-backed government of Cuban leader Castro is one of the most dictatorial regimes on Earth. Cuba currently has one of the largest number of political prisoners and refugees in the world.
President-for-Life
Did you know- Currently Raul Castro is Head of State of one of the last five Communist nations in the world. On February 24, 2008, Fidel Castro, who had held power for 49 years, was succeeded by his brother, Raúl Castro. Before becoming President of Cuba, Castro was first vice President of the Council of State and vice President of the Council of Ministers, as well as maximum general of the armed forces and vice Secretary of the Politburo and the Central Committee of Communist Party.
Did you know– Vilma Espín Guillois, known as “Deborah” in the 1950s, was Castro’s wife. Like Haiti’s Michele Bennett Duvalier (Jean-Claude Duvalier’s wife) and Argentina’s Eva Duarte de Perón (Juan Domingo Perón’s wife), she was one of the most tyrannical women in the Western Hemisphere in the 20th century. She, on the other hand, studied abroad and in Cuba. With the start of the Cuban Revolution, Ms Espín was named President of the Cuban Women’s Federation. Her accession was due to the determination of Cuba’s then- dictator Fidel Castro that a female of the Castros should head the Federation. Like President of the Federation of Cuban Women, she had worked to change the country’s image as a totalitarian regime. Between 1975 and 1995, she spoke out in favor of the Cuban dictatorship during the UN conferences and summits. Ms Espín was also known as the First Lady of the Cuban Revolution.
Salvador Allende
Did you know- From 1959 to 1973, Castro and Vilma Espín had a close friendship with Salvador Allende Gossens, Chile’s first Marxist Head of State (1970-1973) and the world’s only freely elected Marxist leader.
USSR
Did you know- Since the 1960s, Raúl Castro took special interest in relations with the USSR (present-day Russia). Under his leadership, Cuba became one of the first Latin American countries to re-establish diplomatic ties with Moscow. He visited the Soviet Union in 1960.
