Castro vs. the United States

             I found the film interesting to watch because I found myself very conflicted watching it. Castro was a very complicated man whose views shaped an entire country for four decades. Although Castro has been cast as a villan by the United States, and rightly so for a number of reasons including challenging our way of life, he also did many positive things for his country including giving education to every child in Cuba. The documentary on Castro helps depict the type of child he was and how he grew into the dictator that he was. I do not believe that Castro meant to be the benevolent dictator that he was, but he simply was doing what he thought was best for his country. I honestly believe that Castro simply put the United States as the scape goat for all of Cuba's problems because they were the epitome of democracy in the Western hemisphere.
             Another key fact that I found interesting that even once the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Castro is still running Cuba with an iron fist. Everyone thought that he would crumble, but he refused to yield. Even if the world despises Castro, he was truly a revolutionary figure, and man of the people. He was passionate to his country, and wanted what was best for it, and with this came socialism which was believed to help Cuba escape its state. Even though Castro is an old man now, and the US is waiting for him to die so we can befriend Cuba once again, I believe we need to acknowledge Castro's contributions to the 20th century. Without him, the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis would never have taken place.