Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (
American Spanish: [fiˈðel aleˈhandɾo ˈkastɾo ˈrus] 
audio (help·info); August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016) was a
Cuban politician and
revolutionary who governed the
Republic of Cuba as
Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as
President from 1976 to 2008.
[1] Politically a
Marxist–Leninist and Cuban nationalist, he also served as the
First Secretary of the
Communist Party of Cuba from 1961 until 2011. Under his administration, Cuba became a
one-party socialist state; industry and business were
nationalized, and
state socialist reforms implemented throughout society.
