1. Like it or not, while people don't enjoy being oppressed, there is an inherent difference between being oppressed by your own, & being oppressed by a foreigner. The latter has almost always been the preferred choice. At the time of the revolution, Cuba was America's playground where their rich could satisfy all their vices. The country & it's people were being raped in exchange for Batista getting a fat wallet full of dollars. When Che & the brothers Castro (Raul & Fidel) overthrew the government the future was bright. I mean, Fidel's main objective was to liberate the country & seize power - Communist intentions were not prevalent. In fact, Fidel was never a Communsit, it was Che who converted him & their army. Anyways, for this reason I still admire Fidel's actions then, afterwards his methods became a lot worse & less justifiable & when Che - a true man of the people (even those who were not his own) - died there was but a Communist government without it's talisman. I do think though that, had it not been for American intervention, Fidel would not have seen the need for such an iron rule.