Fidel Castro
From Turtledove
| Fidel Castro | |
| |
| Historical Figure | |
| Timeline: | OTL |
| Nationality: | Cuba |
| Religion: | Atheist (former Catholic) |
| Date of Birth: | 1926 |
| Occupation: | Revolutionary, Politician |
| Spouse: | Mirta Díaz-Balart Gutierrez (divorced 1955)
Dalia Soto del Valle |
| Children: | Ten |
| Relatives: | Raúl Castro (brother) |
| Affiliations: | Communist Party of Cuba |
| Timeline: | The Gladiator (oblique posthumous reference) |
| Date of Death: | Unrevealed |
| Timeline: | Southern Victory |
| Appearance(s): | The Grapple (as "Fidel") |
| Nationality: | Confederate States |
| Occupation: | Revolutionary |
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926) is a Cuban revolutionary leader who led his country from January 1959 until the announcement of his retirement in February 2008. He took power in an armed revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, and was shortly thereafter sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba. In 1965 he became First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and led the transformation of Cuba into a one-party socialist republic. In 2008, a very ill Castro officially gave up the office of the presidency, turning power over to his brother.
Fidel Castro in The Gladiator
Fidel Castro permitted the Soviet Union to place nuclear missiles in Cuba as a deterrent to US invasion in 1962. The United States was initially aggressive in resisting this action, but ultimately backed down. This act signaled to the rest of the world that the US was not as committed to fighting the Cold War as it claimed.
Note: This is somewhat speculative, as Castro is not specifically named in the text. However, the Cuban Missle Crisis is evidentally the Point of Divergence, and so it is logical to assume that Castro was in power.
Fidel Castro in Southern Victory
Fidel Castro was a citizen of the Confederate state of Cuba. During the Second Great War, Castro led various anti-Freedom Party guerrillas. In 1943, he met sailors from the Josephus Daniels who delivered weapons as part of the orders Sam Carsten had to help foment revolution. By that time, Castro, only about sixteen years old, was already involved in the Cuban underground.
