The man Americans loved to hate

By Louis A. Perez Jr.
Updated 5:24 PM EST, Sat November 26, 2016
Members of the Cuban community in the Little Havana area in Miami react to the death of Fidel Castro on Saturday, November 26. Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of US presidents during his half-century rule, died at age 90.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Wilfredo Lee/AP
Members of the Cuban community in the Little Havana area in Miami react to the death of Fidel Castro on Saturday, November 26. Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of US presidents during his half-century rule, died at age 90.
Rafaela Vargas mourns the death of former President Fidel Castro at the entrance of her home in the Vedado neighborhood in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday, November 26.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Desmond Boylan/AP
Rafaela Vargas mourns the death of former President Fidel Castro at the entrance of her home in the Vedado neighborhood in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday, November 26.
Cuban students chant slogans and carry a wreath as they mourn the death of revolution leader Fidel Castro, at the University of Havana, on November 26, 2016, in Havana.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photo/Getty Images
Cuban students chant slogans and carry a wreath as they mourn the death of revolution leader Fidel Castro, at the University of Havana, on November 26, 2016, in Havana.
A member of the Cuban community in the Little Havana area in Miami reacts to the death of Fidel Castro.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Alan Diaz/AP
A member of the Cuban community in the Little Havana area in Miami reacts to the death of Fidel Castro.
People gather outside the Cuban Embassy in Santiago, Chile. One of the world's longest-serving rulers and most singular characters, Castro defied 11 US administrations and hundreds of assassination attempts.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images
People gather outside the Cuban Embassy in Santiago, Chile. One of the world's longest-serving rulers and most singular characters, Castro defied 11 US administrations and hundreds of assassination attempts.
People take to the streets to react to the news of the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro outside the restaurant Versailles in Miami.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Angel Valentin/Getty Images
People take to the streets to react to the news of the death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro outside the restaurant Versailles in Miami.
Women cry outside Cuba's embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after the announcement of the death of Fidel Castro.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Natacha Pisarenko/AP
Women cry outside Cuba's embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after the announcement of the death of Fidel Castro.
Cuban-Americans react to the death of Fidel Castro in the Little Havana area in Miami.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Alan Diaz/AP
Cuban-Americans react to the death of Fidel Castro in the Little Havana area in Miami.
Flowers, candles and a Cuban cigar are laid out in Moscow in memory of former Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
Flowers, candles and a Cuban cigar are laid out in Moscow in memory of former Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Cuban-Americans take to the streets of Miami's Little Havana neighborhood early Saturday, November 26, upon hearing the news of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro's death. Castro died at age 90 after ruling the island nation with an iron hand for nearly half a century.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
Cuban-Americans take to the streets of Miami's Little Havana neighborhood early Saturday, November 26, upon hearing the news of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro's death. Castro died at age 90 after ruling the island nation with an iron hand for nearly half a century.
Cuban-Americans celebrate in Miami's Little Havana, the center of the Cuban exile community in the United States.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images
Cuban-Americans celebrate in Miami's Little Havana, the center of the Cuban exile community in the United States.
Celebrations continue into the early morning November 26 in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Few who came to the United States in the late '50s and early '60s believed Castro would hang on to power for so long, only ceding the presidency to his brother Raul in recent years.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images
Celebrations continue into the early morning November 26 in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. Few who came to the United States in the late '50s and early '60s believed Castro would hang on to power for so long, only ceding the presidency to his brother Raul in recent years.
Members of Communist Party of India march as part of a remembrance rally in Chennai on November 26, 2016.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty Images
Members of Communist Party of India march as part of a remembrance rally in Chennai on November 26, 2016.
People celebrate the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Miami, on Saturday, November 26, 2016. Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 US presidents during his half century rule of Cuba, has died at age 90.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Michael Laughlin/AP
People celebrate the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Miami, on Saturday, November 26, 2016. Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 US presidents during his half century rule of Cuba, has died at age 90.
The mood seems somber in Havana on November 26 as Cubans react to the announcement of the revolutionary leader's death.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images
The mood seems somber in Havana on November 26 as Cubans react to the announcement of the revolutionary leader's death.
A man places flowers at the Cuban Embassy in Moscow in memory of Castro on November 26. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Cuban leader "a sincere and reliable friend of Russia."
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Alexander Shcherbak/TASS/Getty Images
A man places flowers at the Cuban Embassy in Moscow in memory of Castro on November 26. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Cuban leader "a sincere and reliable friend of Russia."
Those out on the streets of Miami include Cuban-Americans of all ages. Some Cuban exiles have waited years to mark this moment.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: David Santiago/AP
Those out on the streets of Miami include Cuban-Americans of all ages. Some Cuban exiles have waited years to mark this moment.
The streets are quiet in the Cuban capital on November 26 following the announcement of Castro's death the evening before on national TV.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images
The streets are quiet in the Cuban capital on November 26 following the announcement of Castro's death the evening before on national TV.
People gather at an office of the Popular Assembly in Havana in front of a picture of the iconic leader on November 26 after President Raul Castro announced his brother's death on television.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Ramon Espinosa/AP
People gather at an office of the Popular Assembly in Havana in front of a picture of the iconic leader on November 26 after President Raul Castro announced his brother's death on television.
A sign that reads, "Long live Fidel," stands on a government building in Havana early November 26.
Photos: Reaction to Fidel Castro's death
PHOTO: Ramon Espinosa/AP
A sign that reads, "Long live Fidel," stands on a government building in Havana early November 26.

Story highlights

Louis Perez: In death, Castro passes into status of historical subject impossible to discuss dispassionately for years to come

He says Castro defied America; even with his death Cuba not likely to bend to demands of US with incoming Trump administration

Editor’s Note: Louis A. Perez Jr. is the J. Carlyle Sitterson professor of history and the director of the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Among his books are “Cuba in the American Imagination: Metaphor and the Imperial Ethos” and “Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) —  

Fidel Castro Ruz, the political personality, has died. Fidel Castro, the historical persona, has been born. He passes from the present into the past, to serve as an enduring historical subject of debate and dispute, about whom dispassion will be impossible for years to come. Fidel Castro was not a man about whom one is likely to be neutral.

Louis A. Perez
Louis A. Perez
Louis A. Perez

Fidel is a metaphor. He is a Rorschach blot upon which to project fears or hopes. A prism in which the spectrum of colors refracted out has to do with light that went in. He is a point of view, loaded with ideological purport and political meaning. A David who survived Goliath. A symbol of Third World intransigence against First World domination.

But it is also possible to discuss the historical “essences” of Fidel Castro. He emerged out of a history shaped by a century of Cuban national frustration, heir to a legacy of unfulfilled hopes for national sovereignty and self-determination, aspirations that put Cuba on a collision course with the United States. The collision of the early 1960s served to fix the trajectory of the 50 years of ruptured relations that followed.

Fidel Castro exhales cigar smoke during a March 1985 interview at his presidential palace in Havana, Cuba. Castro died at age 90 on November 25, 2016, Cuban state media reported. Click through to see more photos from the life of the controversial Cuban leader who ruled for nearly half a century:
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Charles Tasnadi/AP
Fidel Castro exhales cigar smoke during a March 1985 interview at his presidential palace in Havana, Cuba. Castro died at age 90 on November 25, 2016, Cuban state media reported. Click through to see more photos from the life of the controversial Cuban leader who ruled for nearly half a century:
A portrait of Castro in New York in 1955. He was in exile after being released as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners in Cuba. Two years earlier, he and about 150 others staged an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
A portrait of Castro in New York in 1955. He was in exile after being released as part of a general amnesty for political prisoners in Cuba. Two years earlier, he and about 150 others staged an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the regime of Fulgencio Batista.
Castro with Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara during the early days of their guerrilla campaign in Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains. Guevara, Castro and Castro's brother Raul organized a group of Cuban exiles that returned to Cuba in December 1956 and waged a guerrilla war against government troops.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Getty Images
Castro with Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara during the early days of their guerrilla campaign in Cuba's Sierra Maestra mountains. Guevara, Castro and Castro's brother Raul organized a group of Cuban exiles that returned to Cuba in December 1956 and waged a guerrilla war against government troops.
Castro and his revolutionaries hold up their rifles in January 1959 after overthrowing Batista.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
Castro and his revolutionaries hold up their rifles in January 1959 after overthrowing Batista.
Crowds cheer Castro on his victorious march into Havana in 1959.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Grey Villet/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Crowds cheer Castro on his victorious march into Havana in 1959.
Surrounded by rebels who came with him from the mountains, Castro gives an all-night speech.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Burt Glinn/Magnum Photos
Surrounded by rebels who came with him from the mountains, Castro gives an all-night speech.
Castro, left, became Cuba's prime minister in February 1959. His brother Raul, right, was commander in chief of the armed forces.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AP
Castro, left, became Cuba's prime minister in February 1959. His brother Raul, right, was commander in chief of the armed forces.
During a visit to New York in 1959, Fidel Castro spends time with a group of children.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Bob Henriques/Magnum Photos
During a visit to New York in 1959, Fidel Castro spends time with a group of children.
American talk-show host Ed Sullivan interviews Castro on a taped segment in 1959.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: CBS Photo Archives/Getty Images
American talk-show host Ed Sullivan interviews Castro on a taped segment in 1959.
Castro shakes hands with US Vice President Richard Nixon during a reception in Washington in 1959.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Keystone/Getty Images
Castro shakes hands with US Vice President Richard Nixon during a reception in Washington in 1959.
Castro addresses the UN General Assembly in September 1960.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AP
Castro addresses the UN General Assembly in September 1960.
Castro jumps from a tank in April 1961 as he arrives at Giron, Cuba, near the Bay of Pigs. That month, a group of about 1,300 Cuban exiles, armed with US weapons, made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Bohemia Magazine/AP
Castro jumps from a tank in April 1961 as he arrives at Giron, Cuba, near the Bay of Pigs. That month, a group of about 1,300 Cuban exiles, armed with US weapons, made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro.
Castro announces general mobilization after the announcement of the Cuban blockade by President John F Kennedy in October 1962.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images
Castro announces general mobilization after the announcement of the Cuban blockade by President John F Kennedy in October 1962.
Castro raises arms with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during a four-week visit to Moscow in May 1963.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
Castro raises arms with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during a four-week visit to Moscow in May 1963.
Castro in July 1964.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Grey Villet/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Castro in July 1964.
Castro plays baseball in 1964.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Ullstei Bild/Getty Images
Castro plays baseball in 1964.
Castro addresses thousands of Cubans in Havana in 1968.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: DPA/Landov
Castro addresses thousands of Cubans in Havana in 1968.
In 1977, Castro uses a map as he describes the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to ABC correspondent Barbara Walters.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Tampa Bay Times/MCT/Landov
In 1977, Castro uses a map as he describes the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to ABC correspondent Barbara Walters.
Iraq's Saddam Hussein, center, with the Castro brothers during a visit to Cuba in January 1979.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
Iraq's Saddam Hussein, center, with the Castro brothers during a visit to Cuba in January 1979.
Castro greets Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Havana in April 1989.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
Castro greets Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Havana in April 1989.
Castro visits Paris in March 1995.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Charles Platiau/Reuters/Landov
Castro visits Paris in March 1995.
Castro meets with Pope John Paul II on an airport tarmac in Havana in January 1998. It was the first papal visit to Cuba.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Michel Gangne/AFP/Getty Images
Castro meets with Pope John Paul II on an airport tarmac in Havana in January 1998. It was the first papal visit to Cuba.
Castro puts his arm around South African President Nelson Mandela in May 1998 with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, left, and Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. They were in Geneva, Switzerland, for a conference of the World Trade Organization.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
Castro puts his arm around South African President Nelson Mandela in May 1998 with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, left, and Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. They were in Geneva, Switzerland, for a conference of the World Trade Organization.
Castro welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Cuba in December 2000. Putin was the first Russian President to visit Cuba since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Getty Images
Castro welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Cuba in December 2000. Putin was the first Russian President to visit Cuba since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Castro is helped by aides after he appeared to faint while giving a speech in Cotorro, Cuba, in June 2001. He returned to the podium less than 10 minutes later to assure the audience he was fine and that he just needed to get some sleep.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Cristobal Herrera/AP
Castro is helped by aides after he appeared to faint while giving a speech in Cotorro, Cuba, in June 2001. He returned to the podium less than 10 minutes later to assure the audience he was fine and that he just needed to get some sleep.
In July 2001, Castro talks with Elian Gonzalez, the young boy who was the focus of a bitter international custody dispute a couple of years earlier.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images
In July 2001, Castro talks with Elian Gonzalez, the young boy who was the focus of a bitter international custody dispute a couple of years earlier.
Castro and former US President Jimmy Carter listen to the US national anthem after Carter arrived in Havana for a visit in May 2002.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images
Castro and former US President Jimmy Carter listen to the US national anthem after Carter arrived in Havana for a visit in May 2002.
Castro at the May Day commemoration of Revolution Square in Havana in 2004. He held tightly to his belief in a socialist economic model and one-party Communist rule, even after the Soviet Union's end and most of the rest of the world concluded state socialism was an idea whose time had passed.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: RAFAEL PEREZ/Newscom/REUTERS
Castro at the May Day commemoration of Revolution Square in Havana in 2004. He held tightly to his belief in a socialist economic model and one-party Communist rule, even after the Soviet Union's end and most of the rest of the world concluded state socialism was an idea whose time had passed.
Castro, left, and his brother Raul attend a session of the Cuban parliament in July 2004.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Cristobal Herrera/AP
Castro, left, and his brother Raul attend a session of the Cuban parliament in July 2004.
Castro speaks in Havana in February 2006.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: Sven Creutzmann/Getty Images
Castro speaks in Havana in February 2006.
Castro in Havana in September 2002. Several surgeries forced him to relinquish his duties temporarily to younger brother Raul in July 2006.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: CRISTOBAL HERRERA/AP
Castro in Havana in September 2002. Several surgeries forced him to relinquish his duties temporarily to younger brother Raul in July 2006.
In footage from state-owned Cuban television, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits an ailing Castro in September 2006. That July, it was announced that Castro was undergoing intestinal surgery. Castro resigned as President in February 2008, and his brother Raul took over permanently.
Photos: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
In footage from state-owned Cuban television, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits an ailing Castro in September 2006. That July, it was announced that Castro was undergoing intestinal surgery. Castro resigned as President in February 2008, and his brother Raul took over permanently.