Myths and Realities About Cuba

3/30/2020   A publication of the Cuban Studies Institute Cuba Facts

Cuba Facts is an ongoing series of succinct fact sheets on various topics, including, but not limited to, political structure, health, economy, education, nutrition, labor, business, foreign investment, and demographics, published and updated on a regular basis by the Cuban Studies Institute staff.   Myths and Realities About Cuba    Myth # 1: Fidel Castro was a naïve, Robin Hood revolutionary when he reached power. Realities: • Fidel Castro was a seasoned revolutionary by the time he reached power in 1959. • He had received military training during preparations in Cuba in 1947 for an expedition against Dominican Republic’s dictator Rafael Trujillo. • He participated in the violence that rocked Colombian society in 1948 and distributed anti-U.S. propaganda in Bogota. • While in jail in 1954 in Cuba, he instructed one of his allies: “smile at everyone, later there will be time enough to crush all the roaches together.” Castro later revealed that he had read Lenin and became an admirer of the Russian revolutionary. • While in the mountains, fighting the Batista dictatorship in 1958, Castro wrote: “my real destiny when I reach power is to fight the U.S.”

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