Castro\'s \'cult of personality\' PDF

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Castro 8 Mark Question...

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Discuss how Castro established his ‘cult of personality’ (5 marks) Fidel Castro greatly manipulated propaganda in order to establish his ‘cult of personality’. He used eye-catching, memorable slogans and posters such as “Hasta la Victoria sempre” meaning “final victory will be forever, or that the fight for victory will last forever” . He also continually used the flag of Cuba to insinuate humility in that he was simply ‘doing it for Cuba’. Additionally, Castro claimed that “he did not want to appear on posters in that his depiction on statues, dolls, walls and billboards was a distraction unless it was being used to communicate a particular political point”. Castro’s manipulation of his ‘humble’ public image was a factor of his cult of personality. While Castro claimed he didn’t want posters of himself everywhere for no apparent meaning, he certainly understood the power of propaganda in that he used it to secure victory through journalists and photographers and continued to slyly use it throughout his reign. By controlling all magazines, newspapers and broadcasting facilities, Castro was able to manipulate the public’s view of himself greatly, portraying Castro as a hero and leader. His persuasive speeches were full of personal pronouns to try and get the public to see Castro as one of them, to show that he was ‘empathising’ with them. Castro kept his respectful stance toward Cuban citizens and therefore won the hearts and devotion of many. Once Cuba was loyal to Castro, the city was decorated with murals, poster and art of him that was spread nationwide. This meant that the almost everybody knew what Fidel Castro looked like. Bright, political murals replaced rundown advertisements and provided hope for a collapsing country....