...Organization & Leadership - Assignment Fidel Castro is one of the most recognizable leaders in world history. He led Cuba as Prime Minister and, subsequently, as President for almost fifty years. He was born and raised upper-middle class as his father was a very successful farmer and did quite well for himself and his family. There were several key events that led to Castro’s rise as a powerful leader and shaped him into the man who successfully led the Cuban revolution. First of all, although he benefited from a decent education and was exposed to the upper echelon of society at times, he also played with and grew up around the children of the migrant workers of the farm. He maintains that this conservative upbringing helped him to stay grounded and to develop empathy for the working class. Consequently, Fidel rebelled against what he perceived to be classism. While in law school in Havana, he became intertwined with the student protest movement. The government of the time decided to crack down on student protesters and a lot of student leaders were being killed. Instead of fighting against the governmental regime, however, the student protesters began turning on one another and becoming involved in crime. Being surrounded by this, Fidel decided to focus on political goals where he became enthralled by anti-imperialism and the opposition of U.S. involvement in Cuban (and Caribbean) politics. Law school exposed Castro to several student leftist groups and he...
Words: 1440 - Pages: 6
...Fidel Castro’s Influence on the Cuban Revolution, 1953-1959 The year was 1953 and Fidel Castro was a dashing and daring reformer that was determined to make a impact in a country that was ruled by an unjust president. With the Movement strong and confident, Castro delivered these strong words to his group of men: “In a few hours you will be victorious or defeated, but regardless of the outcome – listen well, friends – this Movement will triumph. If you win tomorrow, the aspirations of Martí will be fulfilled sooner. If we fail, our action will nevertheless set an example for the Cuban people, and from the people will arise fresh new men willing to die for Cuba. They will pick up our banner and move forward... The people will back us in Oriente and in the whole island. As in '68 and '92, here in Oriente we will give the first cry of Liberty or Death!” These words by Castro illustrates what type of leader he was and still is to this day. Castro is one of the most polarizing figures in Cuban history, with many natives of Cuba arguing that he was the central cause of the destruction of Cuba, while others consider him to be the visionary that saved Cuba from the destruction that would have come about if a capitalist system had been instituted instead of a communist one. Actions taken by Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution shaped Cuba politically and socially to what we know it to be today. Fidel Castro was born in southeast Cuba, in the Oriente Province on August 13, 1926...
Words: 5057 - Pages: 21
...became more and more disconcerting: should Fidel Castro move to uproot the political systems of its close neighbors, the opportunity for success was in place. It’s understandable then that the US would seek to alter the playing field of the Caribbean—in attempting to do so, however, a potentially unauthorized plot to kill Fidel Castro became a very near reality. For a plot that appeared in many forms, its inception is still not fully understood. Further, it is unclear whether or not...
Words: 1105 - Pages: 5
...By January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew Cuban President Batista who was backed by the United States. This action declared Cuba as the first Communist state located in the Western Hemisphere. In addition to Cuba becoming a communist state, the United States government was also concerned about the threat posed by having a new Soviet Union ally, Cuba only 90 miles from American soil and shores; as this was during the time of the Cold War therefore steps to the trade embargo were set in place. Previously stated the beginning of the embargo against Cuba was started by United States President Eisenhower signed a partial trade embargo against Cuba on October 19, 1960. By January 1961, the US embassy located in Havana, Cuba was closed. In February 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed the Proclamation 3447 (effective date Feb. 7, 1962) to declare "an embargo upon all trade between the United States and...
Words: 1261 - Pages: 6
...paved the way for the rise of the Castro regime, which has been in place since the year 1959. The earliest antecedent that I deem relevant to this policy takes place in the 1850s, a time when the United States was ideologically divided into the...
Words: 1310 - Pages: 6
...An example of South South cooperation: The ALBA-TCP Agreement The Bolivarian Alliance for People of Our America and the People’s Trade Treaty Case Study in International Negotiations Faculdade de Economia Universidade de Coimbra Irene Padovese Summary 1.Introduction………………………………………………………………………………............ 2. Pre-negotiations and historical context………………………………………………………. 3.The Negotiation process………………………………………………………………………. a. Negotiations I…………………………………………………………………………….. b. Negotiations II……………………………………………………………………………. 4. Summitry and multilateralism………………………………………………………………… 5. Impasse on Negotiation: The case of Honduras………………………………………....... 6. Asymmetries and Behaviour: Hugo Chavèz………………………………………………… 7. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 8. Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………………… Introduction 1. Definition ALBA defines itself as "the Latin American option that fights for the autodetermination and sovereignty of people of its regions", especially, against of what they define "all the imperialistic politics of United States of America". (Alianza Bolivariana para nuestros pueblos de America, 2004) In other words, it is an integration platform that focuses on solidarity, complementarity, justice and cooperation between countries of Latin America that want to achieve together the level of "integral development through its own alternative way, in the middle of the increasing...
Words: 4562 - Pages: 19
...standoff between the ideas of Communism supported by the Russians and Democracy/Capitalism supported by the Americans. Communism is a political ideology which has the central principle of ¡§communal or communist ownership¡¨ of all property and therefore the abolition of private property. Democracy is a form of government in which the people vote, have a representative government and via these representatives ¡§govern themselves¡¨. During the period between 1961 to 1963, Nikita S. Khrushchev represented Communism and ruled Russia, while John F. Kennedy embodied democracy and lead America. The two leaders differed in their foreign policies as is evident by the Berlin Wall incident and the Cuban missile crisis, but both were somewhat radical in their domestic policies. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev was first secretary of the Soviet Communist party from 1953 to 1964 and effective leader of the USSR from 1956 (premier from 1958) to 1964. He was born on April 17th, 1894, in the village of Kalinovka, Kursk province. As a young boy, Khrushchev worked long hours in the coal mines. Khrushchev seemed to be a revolutionist from a young age as he organized several strikes and in 1918 he joined the Bolshevik party and fought in the Civil War. Afterward, he was sent by the party to a technical institute to learn more about Marxism. Khrushchev rose steadily up the party ladder, always combining his talents as an administrator with his technical training. After assignments in the Ukraine,...
Words: 1106 - Pages: 5
...When brought up in a conversation, people ask what is the difference between a leader and a boss? According to Theodore Roosevelt the author of Leader and the Boss, “The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives” ("Leadership,"). This leadership quote exemplifies a profound perception between someone who leads and someone whose authority merely comes from their position. The “boss” has the ability to empower and to fire others. On the contrary, a truly a leader does not maneuvers his authority to enforce rules to his own benefit. They much rather lead than drive those they are responsible for. With that being said, an autocratic leadership style is an authoritarianism, where only one person has the right, and have total control of their company, workers, followers, or country. Their decisions is follow by the “golden rule” and should never be question or defied in anyway or shape perform. They plan and analyze everything allowing them with the ability to subordinate any work involved and apply their own rules The first advantage of an autocratic leadership is that it is effective in emergency situations. They also, work optimistically during difficulty and demanding situations. Specially, when circumstances ascend in a company or an organization. While the majority of individuals fail to distinguish or reach a solution. Therefor having an autocratic leader during tough situations is great, because he/she will take control and action...
Words: 615 - Pages: 3
...heading in the right direction while the Soviet Union was trying to stamp it communist authority on the world. This showed that both these nations had different post war agendas. While the United States wanted to move on and establish itself as a powerful democratic leader, Soviets were more wary of avoiding further attacks and set defensive border policies with its western states. This allowed Stalin and other Soviet leaders to have a direct influence over Eastern Europe and stop Americans the access to these markets, thus denying them to export their democratic influence. The threat of communism looming over the world during the late forties and fifties impacted the foreign policies of the United States. President Truman who was at the helm during the late forties revolved his foreign policies around the containment of communism. Soviets influence in Greece and Turkey made Americans wary of the fact that the continuing influence of the Soviets on other nations can be disastrous. Truman came up with his own Truman doctrine which revolved around the containment policy. The Truman Doctrine did not only influence United States foreign policy in Greece and Turkey but for the next several decades, other American leaders would refer to the doctrine as a justification for United States involvement in Korea, Vietnam, and other nations. The two next Presidents who followed Truman were left to finish the ongoing war against the spreading of communism. President Eisenhower who was elected...
Words: 1904 - Pages: 8
...Were these leaders “perfect”? Adolf Hitler -Aside from the millions of deaths he was responsible for, Hitler had other issues that ultimately limited his effectiveness as leader for the Germans. Before we get into that, I would like to discuss something that he was good at, and that was his use of coercive power. According to the book, “To coerce means to influence others to do something against their will and may include manipulating penalties and rewards in their work environment.” (Northouse) This is exactly what Hitler was good at. He would use mass propaganda to influence his people in such a way that they would believe that the Jewish people were a threat to society. Next, I’m going to move into talking about some of his flaws that limited his success as a leader. The first one that I will be talking about is Hitler’s distrust for his generals. As the years went by during WWII, “He came to believe that Germany's victories were his alone and that most of his generals were narrow-minded, overly cautious and incapable.” (bbc.co.uk) This just goes to show how self-centered and incompetent Hitler was. Despite his generals remaining loyal to him, he still became less and less fond of them. I believe this was a result of him believing that he could win the war all by himself, without the help or advice of his subordinates. A classic example of how this failed was the battle of Stalingrad in 1942. Before the invasion (of Moscow), two of Hitler’s senior-most advisors told him...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...Political Science Quarterly, Spring 2001 v116 i1 p81 The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Limits of Crisis Management. RICHARD M. PIOUS. Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Academy of Political Science Nowhere do the constitutional prerogatives of the president seem greater than in the midst of national security crises; nowhere do we invest in the president greater resources of command. Although in the past half century presidents have surrounded themselves with a vast national security apparatus, consisting of intelligence agencies and the National Security Council, it is not at all clear that presidents have been effective as crisis managers. They often lack crucial information, use incomplete or misleading analogies to understand crisis situations, find it difficult to micromanage events, and are unable to project force effectively. Even when they are successful, it is often in spite of, rather than because of, the resources of the institutionalized presidency at their disposal. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 provides a case study of how John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev almost blundered into a nuclear war through the crisis management approaches of their advisory systems, but then managed to extricate themselves using personal diplomacy and old-fashioned political horsetrading. They did so without revealing to the world how they had defused the crisis, a decision to maintain confidentiality with far reaching consequences for subsequent presidential crisis decision making...
Words: 12700 - Pages: 51
...Suhaib Riaz wrote this case under the supervision of Professor W. Glenn Rowe solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. Ivey Management Services prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmittal without its written permission. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Management Services, c/o Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail cases@ivey.uwo.ca. Copyright © 2008, Ivey Management Services Version: (A) 2008-10-16 In recent years, The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) has seen a much lower rise in its stock price compared with the exceptional 5,800 per cent rise during the 16-year tenure of its well-known chief executive officer (CEO), Robert Goizueta. After Goizueta’s untimely death from cancer in October 1997, the company witnessed some tumultuous times, and Goizueta’s three immediate successors have not lasted for even half as long as his total tenure (see Exhibit 1). Coca-Cola’s CEO succession process was widely regarded as being ad hoc, and each succession story had its own...
Words: 1121 - Pages: 5
..."International Worker's Day,"(May Day) created a change that surpassed many of the previous demonstrations. The new organized community became more politically radical and realized that the only certain way to achieve comprehensive immigration reform in Congress was to illustrate the importance of the immigrant work force for the United States economy. The great change went into full effect and the tactic used proved to be completely successful as it showed the vast amount of immigrants who kept the United States running. As stated by Juan Gonzales "The Great American Boycott," was deemed at first a aggressive action that would anger white Americans and toughen the reform of immigration laws. And so, at this point the established leaders in Congress had lost all control over the increasing immigrant participation through the United...
Words: 1569 - Pages: 7
...ultimately take the role of organizing or facilitating for the group. The role of the leader is present in every area of our life in some manner. Consider the leadership roles of teachers who instruct, managers who drive business, artists who inspire ideas, politicians who lobby to fulfill needs, entrepreneurs who bring a vision to life, and caretakers who provide supportive services. Each is affecting the lives of others by assuming a leadership role that brings benefit to them both. While most of us will find ourselves in a leadership role at some time in our life, simply being in a leadership role doesn’t make someone an effective leader. (Gordon, 1977) It is important to recognize different types of leadership styles and to how these styles fit to individual personality types. Three general types of outstanding, frequently traveled, paths are charismatic, ideological, and pragmatic. In order to be an effective leader, it is not necessary to radically change a personality style. (Ponder, 2005) It is much more beneficial to identify inherent tendencies and learn how to develop those traits into effective attributions. It would be beneficial to understand each of the formidable leadership styles and how to develop the style that comes intuitively. (Mumford, 2006) The charismatic leadership is indicated by the ability to effectively communicate a vision of the future. Studies show that leaders who can inspire a great vision will have a higher level of motivation in their followers...
Words: 2811 - Pages: 12
...REVIEW MATERIALS: Conceptual considerations: Discuss paradoxes and four orientations with which John Chasteen characterizes the changing foci of U.S. thinking on Latin America from the early 20th century to the present. •Racial/Cultural and Environmental Determinism: An image by Americans which suggested that Latin Americans are “Hot-Blooded Latins” with too much “non-white” blood, and do not have the self discipline needed in order to make a more democratic, stable society. There were Catholics, lacking a protestant work ethic. Americans also pictured Latin Americans to be lazy individuals. •Modernization Theory: Once the previous idea was settled, it came to the reality that the Latin American countries had to go through modernization, such as the United States, and their feeble network on which their society rested upon was that being criticized. •Dependency Theory: Students were sure that these two previous explanations were merely methods to blame the victims of abuse. They believed that Latin American economies stood in a dependent position relative to the world’s industrial powers. Therefore other nations took their overpowering stand, and forestalled Latin America’s industrialization. “Economic dependency” is why the nation did not follow the path it was supposed to follow. •Social Constructionism: The way race, gender, class, and national identities are “constructed” in people’s minds. Discuss Michel Rolph Trouillot’s theory of historical narratives ...
Words: 3338 - Pages: 14
