Fidel Castro, as the leader of Cuba, played a significant role in the context of the Cold War. After overthrowing the U.S.-backed government of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Castro established a communist regime in Cuba, which immediately put him at odds with the United States. The Cold War rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union intensified the significance of Castro's regime in the Western Hemisphere. Castro's alignment with the Soviet Union provided a crucial foothold for communism in the Western Hemisphere, deeply troubling the United States.