The United States of America is a country that believes in democracy and has unfavorable ties with communist countries. The United States has tried for decades to improve relations with the countries that don t practice democracy. History shows disagreements between the United States and dictators of these irreverent countries, disagreements that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. The most recent of these confrontations involved three countries. United States of America, Cuba and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Fidel Castro is a Cuban revolutionary, who took control of Cuba in 1959 and established a Communist dictatorship. Castro, who was born in Mayari, became the leader of an underground, anti-government faction. In 1956, he led a rebellion that won increasing popular support. Eventually Castro forced Batista y Zaldivar, who was the premier of Cuba to flee the country. Once in power Castro executed and imprisoned thousands of political opponents, nationalized industry, collectivized agriculture, and established a one-party socialist state. In the early 1960 s Castro openly embraced Communism and formed close ties with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), relying on Soviet economic and military aid approving limited economic reforms that legalized some free enterprise.