[kas-troh; Sp. kahs-traw] 
| 1. | Ci⋅pri⋅a⋅no [sip-ree-ah-noh; Sp. see-pree-ah-naw] , 1858?–1924, Venezuelan military and political leader: president 1901–08; exiled 1908. |
| 2. | Fidel [fi-del; Sp. fee-th el] , (Fidel Castro Ruz), born 1927, Cuban revolutionary and political leader: prime minister 1959–76 and president since 1976. |
| Cas·tro (kās'trō, kä'strō) Venezuelan soldier and politician who was president from 1902 to 1908, when he was suspended by the congress for his dictatorial policies. |
Cipriano Castro
Venezuelan soldier and dictator, called the Lion of the Andes, who was the first man from the mountains to rule a nation that until the 20th century had been dominated by plainsmen and city dwellers from Caracas. He ruled for nine remarkably corrupt years (1899-1908), embezzling vast sums of money and living as an extraordinary libertine, only to be deposed by his more ruthless lieutenant, Juan Vicente Gomez.
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