Mr Castro told the congress he was retiring as "a simple revolutionary fighter". Cuba's new constitution: What's in and what's out. Image source, EPA. Not unexpected, but no less historic. End of an era. Image source, Getty Images. What next? Image source, AFP. Read more about Cuba. The Cuban economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic are huge stumbling blocks for the new party leader. He is also inheriting a growing discontent by young people who are internet savvy and can compare their lives to those of other youths in other countries, experts said.
Dozens of protests against the government are posted on social media platforms daily. He is not part of the original group that toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban revolution. After Castro died at the age of 90, his ashes were driven through the island, retracing the route he took as a young guerrilla leader. Upon taking power, Castro promised democratic elections but instead stayed in office for nearly 50 years.
A flag hangs from a Havana apartment building on January 1, , the 59th anniversary of the Cuban revolution. The majority of Cubans today were born after the revolution and have only ever known communism and leaders named Castro.
When Raul Castro steps down on April 19, his successor is likely to be the first president of Cuba from the post-revolution generation. After the revolution, Cuba was virtually cut off from the US for decades. Now, despite the countries' ongoing political differences, there are a flurry of cultural exchanges taking place.
A Cuban man wheels his possessions in Gibara, Cuba, under a sign quoting Fidel Castro: "A new dawn shall begin to illuminate our future, a future that shall be more brilliant, a Socialism that shall be more refined, a Revolutionary work that will be more promising. Cuban cowboys rope a steer near Santa Clara, Cuba. Despite having more land than any other island in the Caribbean, Cuba imports most of its food.
The Cuban agriculture sector has struggled since the collapse of the Soviet Union and is plagued by government inefficiency and shortages. Farmers lack basic equipment and all cattle belong to the state. A protester carrying an American flag runs through Havana's revolution square on May Day ahead of a government-sponsored parade as plainclothes Cuban security agents try to catch him.
International human rights groups criticize the Cuban government for repressing internal dissent. Cuban officials say the island's dissidents are "mercenaries" paid by Washington to stir up trouble. A worker at the Partagas factory in Havana sorts some of Cuba's famed cigars to ensure that each box contains tobacco of the same color.
Cuban cigars are still rolled by hand as they have been for generations. For years, Cuban cigars were banned in the US, but as part of his shift in policy toward Cuba, President Obama changed the law to allow US citizens to bring habanos back from trips abroad.
A young Cuban girl in her "pioneer" school uniform lights a candle at a Havana church days before the visit of Pope Francis to Cuba. Religion was all but banned following the Cuban revolution, and Catholics in particular faced government discrimination for openly practicing their faith.
Over the last 20 years, the Cuban government has slowly eased restrictions on religion. On April 16, , Raul Castro — younger brother of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro — relinquished his position as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most powerful position in Cuba. Fidel Castro died in So does his American counterpart, President Joe Biden. Neither leader is likely to risk his political future with bold diplomacy.
But younger Cubans continue to separate themselves from the policies and priorities of their government, creating a basis for a different relationship with the U.
The Cuban army quickly defeated them, humiliating the Kennedy administration. The U. In the six decades since, U. In , Castro permitted Soviet missiles to be set up in Cuba and aimed at the U. But bereft of patrons like the Soviets , it presents no danger to the U.
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