What were the violent techniques that (dictator of choice) used to Essay

What were the violent techniques that (dictator of choice) used to consolidate his power To what extent was he successful - Essay Example Finally, it is vital to identify the impact Fidel Castro dictatorship had on the people of Cuba. Fidel Castro a military general came into power 1959 after staging a coup de tat to over throw the then president of Cuba Fulgencio Batista (Thomas 16). Since then, Fidel Castro ruled Cuba for almost 50 years until he handed power to his brother in 2006. The fact that Fidel Castro held on to power for close to 50 years is evidence enough that he was a dictator (Thomas 19). One characteristic of a dictator is that he or she refuses to give up power for others to rule despite the fact that the county, which they rule is not a monarch system. Monarchies are the only form of government that rulers are allowed to rule for such a long time since power is mostly passed on to others only after death. Even after death power is left upon heirs or close members of the family. Evidence that Fidel Castro’s rule was dictatorship is the fact that his leadership was based on autocracy. This is a characteristic of dictator ship where rulers declare themselves sole rulers of a nation without any formal body to check on their power. This means that they can make decisions that affect the nation as they wish without consulting anybody especially the legislature. Another characteristic of dictators is that they have totalitarian governments. This is where they have firm control of the media controlling on what they broad cast. For example, Fidel Castro controlled the media to make sure that nothing negative about him was announced. The use of secret police and military units to spy on citizen is another form of a totalitarian government which is used by all dictators (Thomas 58). For example, Fidel Castro’s rule was characterized by such units to the point that people were even scared to discuss negative aspects of his government due to the fear of b eing arrested by these secret police and military