In 100 Years, What Will Historians Say About Fidel Castro?

2.      In 100 years, what will historians say about Fidel Castro?

• On November 25, 2016 the death
• In the minds of the great majority of the poor, he’s remembered not just as a president or a person, but also as a saint and a liberator.
• It all began with the government of Fulgencio Batista, a regime said to be corrupt and Cuba set to be a place where Americans who wanted to escape the cloying morality of the US in the 1950’s ended up.
• Fidel Castro chose the road of abuse and suppression to consolidate his revolution.  As far back as 1967, Castro admitted to Playboy magazine that there were over twenty thousand people in prison in Cuba for being counter-revolutionaries.  
• Not only did Castro imprison those who were against him, but he limited freedom of speech, putting those who spoke out against the government in jail as well.  Those against Castro, will remember this leader as the one that put them in jail for many decades and used torture as a means to change their ideals.  Furthermore, the families of those who fought against the revolution will remember Castro as the man who executed their loved ones for not following the Castro’s revolutionary cause.
• Ironcially, many Africans, on the other hand, may remember Castro as a hero.  This revolutionary hero accomplished the feat of using the resources of the small island he led to send doctors, teachers, and troops to Africa.  These troops fought alongside African rebels against the apartheid goverments of Angola and Namibia.  While Castro oppressed his people, he helped liberate Africans.  
• It is said that Castro orchestrated a strategy in Cuito Cuanavale in 1988 that led to Angolan and Nabimian independence.  In fact, Nelson Mandela praised Fidel Castro for this feat and travelled to Cuba to thank the Cuban leader for his efforts after Mandela was liberated from imprisonment.
• Also, Castro left a legacy to Cubans in the area of education by instituting free and state run education.  Nevertheless, this legacy has the dark side that it eradicated the possibility of choosing to study religion as a subject in Cuban schools.  Religion as a whole was eradicated from Cubans’ academic and daily life.  Another negative aspect of Castro’s legacy in education is that academic life was used as a stepping stone for political propaganda at schools.  It is said that Cubans were indoctrinated from a young age in communist ideals and raised to glorify Castro Communism.  Despite this, it is fair to say that Castro accomplished the task of a literacy rate of 99.8 percent for Cuba, one of the highest in Latin America.  
• Castro was also able to institute a healthcare system ran by the government.  In Cuba, it is mandatory to have an annual health check up and preventive health care is widely promoted.  Health statistics in Cuba are very favorable.  According to UNICEF, Cuba’s infant mortality rate is one of the lowest worldwide.  Also, life expectancy in Cuba ranges between 77 and 81 years, which is quite high for a developing nation.  Incredibly, Cuba doubles the rate of physicians per group of persons of the United States. Still, these numbers do not reflect a sad truth that is also part of Castro’s legacy:  most hospitals in Cuba have deficient medical technology and are out of date.  Also, many necessary medicines are not available on the island.  Still, physicians trained in Cuba are considered an export for this country, and medical research on the island is recognized worldwide.
• A legacy that Castro probably would not like to be remembered by is how impoverished he left Cuba.  Data evidences that the Cuban revolution failed in terms of economic growth.  Perhaps because of the long embargo the United States held on the island, or because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba did not flourish economically.  In fact, it is yet another proof that a state run economy is not the path to follow. Even with the aid of Hugo Chavez and Venezuelan oil, Castro was not able to make Cuba’s economy solid. The government takes care of part of the food, education, healthcare, and even housing for Cubans, but the average Cuban makes twenty five dollars a month.  Most of the population relies on the money they are sent by their dissident families in the United States.  
• Finally, despite the pros and cons that engulf Castro’s legacy, one thing must be taken into consideration. May we agree with him or not, Castro stayed true to his ideals to the day of his death.  He remained Cuba’s leader to the very end, though his brother, Raul, ran the country from 2008.  Castro fought for his ideals, strove to promote them, and sustained them to the very end.

 3.  Evaluate President Obama’s job for the past 8 years. What are the positive changes he has brought to the country? And what are the negative aspects of his tenure? 

PROS

• Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act is the largest new federal benefit program in decades. It has extended coverage to nearly 17 million people.  While the lack of choices for people in smaller states and rising costs are a real issue and are discouraging people from getting care, the ACA has lowered health care expenses for more people and employers than the opposite.