I feel that three leaders who influenced history the most in the twentieth century are; MaoTseTung, Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro. Because of these leaders western domination of the last two centuries has ended and the east has risen. Mao liberated the most populous country of the world from the western domination. Ho Chi Minh was able to defeat a western army in the battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. This is the first time in modern history that a western colonial power was defeated by the local people in a direct confrontation. Fidel Castro is unique among these because his role extends to the twenty first century. His role is also unique because the other two played their role at the time of the rise of the revolutionary movements of national liberation against the western imperialist powers whereas , Castro also played his role during the setback to Marxism and revolution, particularly after the fall of the Soviet Union. The western imperialist countries claimed the final victory of Capitalism and for all practical purposes declared the end of Marxism and revolution. The traditional imperialism reached its highest state under the garb of Globalization. It can be said that while colonialism was physical slavery and imperialism was mental slavery, globalization enslaved the soul also. When your culture is enslaved then your soul is enslaved because culture lays the foundation of the soul.
In 1961, America broke diplomatic relations with Cuba and imposed complete trade and economic sanctions. The CIA recruited anti Castro Cubans and launched Bay of Pigs invasion. This invasion miserably failed. The CIA made many attempts to assassinate Castro. However, all these attempts failed. In 1962 the Soviet Union installed nuclear missiles in Cuba which could reach America. America wanted the Soviet Union to remove those missiles. However, the Soviet Union refused and this led to the nuclear missile crisis. After intense diplomatic activity the missiles were removed. The western media has always presented it as a western victory. However, the truth is that America had also installed those missiles against the Soviet Union in Turkey and Italy and it also agreed to remove those missiles. After this Castro and Chi Guevara decided to bring revolution in the other Latin American countries. Che Guevara was martyred in Bolivia. Castro continued to advance Cuba as the center of Marxism and revolution in Latin America.
In the seventies and the eighties Cuba started revolutionary movements in Africa. The most bitterly fought civil war was in Angola where the MPLA supported by Cuba defeated the UNITA supported by the USA.
Cuba faced a very serious economic crisis when the Soviet Union collapsed because 80% of Cuba’s import and export trade was with the Soviet Union. Castro diversified Cuba’s trade and economic relations with the other countries. Canada became Cuba’s largest trading partner. China and other Latin American countries became Cuba’s important trading and economic partners. It also helped to integrate China with the economies of Latin American countries, and eventually, China became a very important country in the trade and development of Latin American countries.
The biggest contribution of Castro is that he kept the spirit of Marxism and revolution alive. After Mao, he can be considered the biggest Marxist and revolutionary in the world. When Marxism lost in its birth place, Europe, Castro made Latin America the center of the new Marxist movement. When Marxism collapsed in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the new Marxist movement started rising in Latin America. Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil and Argentina saw new Marxist leaders rising and coming in power. It may come as a surprise for some people that today Karl Marx is the most widely read social scientist in the world. Fidel Castro deserves the credit for this revival of Marxism. Not only he is responsible for the revival of Marxism, he has also enriched Marxism by adding new dimensions to it. He has helped in the fusion of Christianity and Marxism in Latin America. In a way, he inspired evolution of the new movement of “Liberation Theology” in Latin America.
Today, when the anti Castro Cubans are celebrating his death in Florida, many world leaders including the Pope have paid homage to him. Fidel Castro played the central role in bringing together many forces which opposed American hegemony. It will be no exaggeration to say that Castro played the most important role in isolating American imperialists by bringing these forces together. He helped in the reconciliation of Russia and China. He also played a crucial role in improving relations between China and the Latin American countries. He in a way, made it possible for China to challenge American hegemony in America’s backyard. Trump has called him a brutal dictator. However, in a strange way, Castro made his victory possible. Castro played the central role in defeating the arrogant (exceptionalist) policies of Obama and Hillary. Therefore, Trump should have thanked Castro. However, it is quite understandable that Trump had to criticize Castro. The anti-Castro Cubans helped him to win Florida. This was very important for winning the Presidency.
When history of the twentieth and the twenty first centuries will be written, Castro will emerge as one of the greatest leaders. He laid the foundation of the new world order, the multipolar world by weakening the American and the other western imperialists.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
