After ruling Cuba for close to fifty years, Fidel Castro has stepped down. From his childhood in rural Cuba, through his fight in the Sierra Maestra, to winning the revolution and transforming the country, Fidel: A Life of Revolution presents a unique account of his life and times by Castro himself, taken largely from private letters, correspondence, speeches and interviews. Featured interviews include some of Castro"s closest relatives, friends and confidants, some of whom now count themselves among his enemies. Carlos Franqui, an ally in the fight to free Cuba, reflects on how the country"s liberator became its longest-standing dictator.Castro"s many political battles are discussed in detail by players in the confrontations: former U.S. diplomat Wayne Smith recalls the consequences of Castro"s victory at the Bay of Pigs; Sergei Krushchev speaks of his family"s strategy and memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis; and former President Jimmy Carter discusses the longtime U.S. embargo against Cuba. Analysts include New Yorker author and Che Guevara biographer, Jon Lee Anderson. The documentary concludes with a debate about Castro"s legacy as world opinion now seems divided between those who blame him for executing hundreds, imprisoning thousands and driving thousands into exile, and those who credit him with the most influential revolution of the modern era.