The Communist revolutionary Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, it was confirmed today.
Castro led Cuba for decades and transformed the country into one-party socialist state.
He courted controversy throughout his reign, with the United States becoming increasingly alarmed in the early 1960s with his friendly relations with the Soviet Union.
Castro became a central figure in one of the defining moments of the Cold War by allowing the Soviets to place nuclear weapons on Cuba.
It sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 leading to fears of all-out nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the US.
The CIA reportedly attempted to assassinate Castro on an incredible 638 occasions.
Here, 3m360 looks back at his life and how he survived numerous attempts on his life.
Wealthy farmer's son whose politics were shaped at university
Castro was born in 1926, the son of a wealthy farmer.
His left-wing politics were developed during his time studying law at the University of Havana.
He then become a revolutionary, plotting rebellions against right-wing governments.
Along with his brother Raul Castro and Che Guevara, he formed the revolutionary group the 26th of July Movement.
Revolutionary becomes young leader of Cuba
Castro became Cuba’s Prime Minister in 1959 after playing a key role in the Cuban Revolution to overthrow Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.
He then transformed the country into a one-party socialist state under Community Party rule.
This led to concern in the US, deeply suspicious of communism, not least when Castro started getting close to the Soviet Union.
Among the reforms Castro introduced in the country included expanding healthcare and education.
But he also suppressed criticism of the regime within Cuba and introduced state control of the Press.
How Castro almost caused nuclear war between US and Soviet Union
With the US increasingly concerned with Castro’s relationship with the Soviet Union, it attempted to remove him from power.
This included assassination attempts, economic blockades and counter revolution including the Bay of Pigs invasion.
This resulted in Castro forming an even closer relationship with the Soviets.
He allowed them to place nuclear weapons on Cuba sparking the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
The 13-day confrontation was the closest the Cold War came to a full-scale nuclear war.
It was only ended after an agreement was made between US President John F Kennedy and Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev.
The many and varied attempts to assassinate Castro
During his time as Cuban leader, the CIA made numerous attempts to kill Castro.
Incredibly, the former boss of Cuba’s counterintelligence estimates the CIA attempted to assassinate Castro on 638 occasions.
Some of these were part of Operation Mongoose, a covert CIA programme aimed at toppling the Cuban government.
The reported assassination attempts included poisoning his cigars, an infected scuba-diving suit and a ball-point pen containing a syringe full of poison.
Other attempts reportedly included mafia-style executions and a plot to blow up Castro during a visit to Ernest Hemingway’s museum in Cuba.
Castro famously once said: “If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal."
A divisive leader who gained an international profile
After surviving the many threats to his life, Castro continued to lead Cuba.
He supported anti-imperialist revolutionary groups abroad and sent troops to help in a number of foreign wars.
This increased his profile on the world stage and earned him the respect of developing countries
During the 90s he embraced anti-globalisation and environmental issues.
He become decorated with international awards and was celebrated as a champion of socialism.
However, critics say he was a totalitarian dictator whose government oversaw human rights abuses .
In 2006 he stepped down as leader and transferred his responsibility to Vice President Raul Castro, who formally became President in 2008.
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