[quote]he helped to lead a revolution against an oppressive government and in the end toppled said government.[/quote] Replacing one dictator with another dictator is not virtuous. [quote]He had a lot of ideas for how the country would run, most of them good but unfortunately like with most revolutions, Castro became that which he fought so hard to destroy he replaced an oppressive regime with another oppressive regime.[/quote] Let me get this straight. Castro's Marxist-Leninist ideas were "good," and they in no way contributed to the oppressive nature of the Cuban state? Castro's barbaric practices weren't just an unfortunate turn of events. This was a man that suspended habeas corpus and executed people out of his "moral conviction," calling the presumption of innocence a bourgeoisie construct. Castro was a monster from the start. He didn't magically transform into one after the revolution. [quote]Part of me wonders how things would have turned out if he had not lost his idealism. Castro made his choice and killed his own people though so I'm pretty glad that he has passed.[/quote] Like I said, Castro's idealism is what led him to commit the atrocities.