Remembering Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro took over control of the Cuban government on January 1, 1959, and held power longer than any ruler other than Queen Elizabeth. As part of his Communist program, he nationalized industries, took control of the media, aligned himself with the Soviet Union, and distanced himself from the United States. His early years were remarkably turbulent, from the 1961 American Bay of Pigs invasion, which his troops repelled, to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. A mass exodus of Cubans to the United States occurred several times during his tenure, notably in 1965, 1980, and 1994. His long reign was controversial, hailed as a model of socialism and an enemy to democracy and capitalism.