The Speeches of Fidel Castro

Julie Hahn


"A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past."

~ Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro Biography Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926.  The child of a large and prosperous farming family in a small province of Cuba, Fidel Castro climbed the ladder to ultimate power in his country through dedication to his studies, a strong desire to unite his fellow students against corrupt government. After challenging the Cuban leader, General Batista, and attempting to lead a revolution, Castro was jailed for two years after which he established his private law practice and eventually culled enough support from fellow Cubans to overthrow the vastly unpopular Batista regime.   Castro officially took power in Cuba on January 1, 1959.  Soon after he was faced with the US-sponsored Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961.  That invasion eventually led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.   May 2, 1961:  Post Bay of Pigs

Fidel as a Speaker Fidel is known for both giving many speeches every year he has been in power, and also for the extraordinary length of his speeches.  There are many that pass the four-hour mark and very few that are brief updates.  Throughout his many years as leader of Cuba, Fidel has delivered a speech for almost every major world event and holiday in Cuba.  One of his most famous speeches, "History Will Absolve Me", was delivered in 1953 while he was facing trial for inciting a revolution.   Although the number of speeches Castro delivers has dwindled as he gets older, he still manages to make quite a few.  Recently, one took the form as an open letter to President Bush.

Studying Fidel to Become a Better Speaker There are some websites and educators that have used Fidel Castro as an example of an excellent speaker.  They cite his speeches as being an eloquent and passionate, despite the fact that they were very long. Students are asked to listen to an audio recording of the speech, while reading the text.  They are asked to look at the content of the speech within its historical context and identify some characteristics that would have made this an effective speech. Since Castro is often listed among the world's most famous orators, students will benefit from reading and studying his speeches.

 

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