PHOTO OF THE DAY:
Leader of the Cuban Revolution and long-time leader
Guevara earned a reputation as a capable but ruthless commander
Raul became the official head of the Cuban state in 2008
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On January 1, 1959, a combination of popular resistance and military actions forced an unpopular Cuban dictator to flee the island. Cubans were hopeful of a turn to constitutional government, prosperity and greater freedom. With terrible irony, the Cuban people opened the door to a dictatorship and the imposition of totalitarian communism few could have envisioned as they welcomed Fidel Castro and his guerrilla force as national liberators and harbingers of hope.
Vaclav Havel, RIP
