Introduction - The figure of Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is the revolutionary political figure, bringing Cuba to the long-lasting period of communism. The controversy of this figure on the global political arena is as obvious as the role and status of the island over the last thirty years. Born in 1926, the child was only officially recognized by the father by the age of 15. As a result, Fidel´s name was changed from Ruz to Castro. Castro spent his life on the island of Cuba, it is remarkable, though, and that Fidel grew up in wealthy family and was educated in a private boarding school, far from some of the realities of Cuba. In 1945, Fidel Castro entered the Law School of Havana, which underlined his political career and direction (Fidel Castro, 2014).
Some call Fidel an iconic figure that brings to the discussion the image of strong leadership, based on blind trust, belief and obedience. Others argue that Castro will always remain an example of radical dictator, whose power was gained and maintained by suppression and fear. The reality is that this figure ceased the power in Cuba in 1959 and held it in his hands for over 49 years. With that in mind, it is possible to argue that in one or another way, this person is a strong manager. What makes Fidel Castro such an iconic figure? This work is aimed to analyze Cuba leader´s personal qualities and decisions rather than provide judgment of the political actions and positions.
Fidel Castro is undoubtedly a good manager as he managed to achieve the strategic objectives of his party in 1959 and take the power through effective military decisions and political negotiation, bringing himself to the position of the chief of the Armed Forces. These attributes determine effective managerial skills.
Leadership, on the other hand, is much more complicated in view of Castro figure. The argument lies in the triggers and determinants of his power. As a leader, he united the nation and brought them to the belief and understanding of the communism mentality. Past 49 years under Castro leadership have seen no serious revolutionary movement against the regime, in spite of strong pressure and criticism from abroad. But effective leadership is based on example and admiration, while Fidel Castro was majorly perceived through power and fear.
Leadership Roles and Functions
As it was previously mentioned, Fidel Castro came to the power in 1959 as the Commander and the Chief of the Armed Forces. The role of the Ortodoxo party leader was a preparation step for this revolutionary movement, where Fidel managed to build on his own political identity and create a strong political supporter base. In many ways these political functions are similar as they tested the ‘dictatorship’ nature of Fidel Castro as a leader and proved the importance of the actual power to the political views. Over the years in the politics before revolution, Castro managed to shift from anti-communist to radical communist position.
Another interesting leadership role of Castro can be discussed In view of his public figure and the popularity gained due to the opposition to the Batista regime, whereas Castro was sentenced to 15 years of prison. This conflict triggered strong response from the population and gave a push to Castro´s popularity as a revolutionary leader. This advantage was effectively used by Fidel after the release under amnesty. This was a new role that not yet was tested by this future leader. Strong military skills and command, however, brought Castro to a new level of leadership gained by mass support and trust; something that this leader lost further in his political career.
Obstacles in Fidel Castro Career
As any revolutionary path it is evident that the way of Fidel Castro to and through the power had encountered a number of challenges. Among others, however, it is more interesting to look at the personal side of events, whereas two elements should be highlighted: a) the relationships of Fidel Castro with his brother Raul and the opposing views of these strong figures and b) the effect of the turn to communism and nationalization on the leadership attributes of Fidel.
First of all, Fidel always had strong links with his family and support and trust developed between him and Raul was remarkable. With time it became evident that political and public position of Raul was far less radical than the one of Fidel. This created an invisible obstacle in the political career of the Cuban leader. Internally, more and more oppositional movements started to speak louder and external politics raised the question of Castro´s effectiveness as a leader, putting forward potential alternative – Raul.
Secondly, built on trust in better future and destruction of the dictatorship element of Batista, the power of Castro as a leader was always pillared on the love and support of the masses. Turn to communism with radical nationalization and expropriation politics brought a lot of frustration and the entire framework of the Castro´s leadership had to be switched from ‘chosen leader’ to ‘enforced leader’. The question that had to answer at that point is why Dictator Castro was better than dictator Batista. This obstacle was overcome through the integration of the communism mentality into the Cuban masses that took Castro not just years, but decades (Rees, 2006).
Conclusion - Is Fidel Castro an Effective Leader?
The objective of this analysis was to enact the personal characteristics of a leader and manager into the complex context of the political path of Fidel Castro as Cuba leader over the past 49 years. The point is that while the facts show that Castro managed to remain in power during this period as well as maintain communism philosophy and economic structure in the country almost untouched for more than half a century, his leadership capabilities should still be questions (Rees, 2006). It is possible to argue that the situation of poverty and economic underdevelopment, shouting in the country is the result of ineffective leadership, whereas Castro as a commander failed to recognize the desperate need for change. Moreover, political and economic drivers of Castro government were clearly based on self-preservation. With that in mind, such lack of vision and destroyed revolutionary leadership prove ineffective management and destructive leadership of this figure.
References
Fidel Castro. (2014). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved Jan 08, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/fidel-castro-9241487.
Rees Fran (2006) ‘Fidel Castro. Leader of Communist Cuba’. Minneapolis: Compass Point Books. Print
