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For those who think that the Cuban people chose the system imposed by the Castro brothers, here are some of the things that Fidel Castro said and promised when he gained power:

January 9, 1959, the day he arrived in Havana after Batista had fled on January 1:

"There is no political error for which one does not pay sooner or later. Today's circumstances are not the same as those of yesterday. For example, as of the present there is a greater opportunity than ever for the revolution to fulfill its destiny fully. This is perhaps why the joy of our people today is so great. But there is much more to be added. One of the greatest desires of the nation, as a result of the errors from which it suffered thanks to repression and war, was that for peace, peace with freedom, peace with justice and peace with law. No one asks for another kind of peace, because Batista spoke of peace, spoke of order, but no one wanted that peace and that order. Away with him, because this would have been peace at the cost of subjection. We here want peace as it is: to the benefit of the people. Peace without dictatorship, without crime, without censorship, without repression. Perhaps this is the joy which is most keenly felt now. Perhaps this is the joy of the Cuban mothers, the mothers of soldiers or revolutionaries, the mothers of any citizens who are today aware that their sons are finally free of danger; thus the greatest crime which could be committed in Cuba today would be a crime against peace, and this no one would pardon -- it would be the plotting, by anyone against peace. Anyone today who does anything to threaten peace in Cuba, anyone who puts the calm and happiness of a regime of Cuban freedom in danger is a criminal and a traitor."
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"The interests the revolution serves are those of the people. Those who win or lose by the revolution are the people, and it was the people who suffered the horrors of these years, the people who had to decide if in ten, fifteen or twenty years they and their children and their grandchildren would still by suffering from the horrors to which the people of Cuba were subjected under such dictatorships as those of Machado and Batista.""
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"Those who are not prepared to sacrifice something for peace, those who are not prepared to sacrifice everything for peace are criminals and traitors. As this is my belief, I say and I swear before my fellow citizens and all of my comrades that our movement is the best safeguard for peace in Cuba."
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"We must make this clear so that demagogy and confusion will not arise, and with the first evidence of ambition to appear, we must be merciless. Nor my part, I tell you that the only thing to heed is the people, and the people have all the armed columns. This is because in order to wage a free revolution we called upon the people, because by talking with the people it is possible to avoid bloodshed and it is necessary to call upon the people, so that they can help to resolve the problems. I who have profound faith in the people and believe I have shown this, tell you that the people want to be counted on this country, but for public opinion to make itself felt, it is necessary to have extraordinary strength. In an era of dictatorship, public opinion is nothing, but in an era of freedom, it is everything and the official authorities must express their views to the republic. They must speak to the people, because always, by this means, by speaking wisely with the people, the revolution can avoid many threats. And I tell you that these treats are not so great, because it should not be necessary to shed more Cuban blood to consolidate the revolution."
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"Weapons for what? To fight against whom? Against the revolutionary government, which has popular support? Weapons for what? To fight against the revolution? Is Urrutia the same as Batista? Now there is no censorship, the press is free and you can be sure that censorship will not be reestablished, ever. Today there is no torture, assassination or dictatorship. Today there is only happiness."
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"He who does not have the people with him, he who is not in the right, has no strength, and we have seen such human and total affection in the hearts of the people because we have never acted in such a way as rudely to impose ourselves where we were not wanted, because we have won and produced something in waging this struggle against the people and we do not need force because on the day that the people look with disfavor upon us -- only this -- we will leave, because we regard this task as a sacrifice, not pleasure. We are working honestly, because it will bring us nothing personally, and the people will never see me granting privileges to anyone, nor committing injustices, nor plundering nor abusing, because we regard the exercise of authority as a sacrifice, and we believe that if it were not thus, if it were not for the demonstration of affection received from the people, the least we could do would be to withdraw and retire, particularly since it is a duty, and if it were not for this duty, what I would do would be to say goodbye and take with me the gift of the love which I have won in the hearts of the people, and wait for them to call upon me in the same words as they have done today."
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"And I want to tell the people and the mothers of Cuba that I will resolve all problems without shedding a drop of blood. I tell the mothers that they will never, because of us, have to weep."
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Transcription of talk by Fidel Castro, Saturday, February 28, 1959. Interview by U. S. Society of Editors.

Question: Elections - Do you have plans for Constitutional Convention?
Castro: No, because if we do that the people are going to think that we want to stay here a long time without free elections. We are in the first place democratic people; in the second place we would never like to be in any place the people would not agree; third place, we are sure of the victory in any election. Do you know what a survey is? The survey is an American invention, a good invention, and by that we can know how many people are with us. And it is not necessary to have a constitutional convention. The next thing will be general elections, I believe with the Constitution of 1940. Because in any place where the Government wants to be a long time without free elections because they have no people, they begin to make inventions, planning ways of being a lot of time there, and we are not in that case.

Question; Are the electoral laws going to be changed?
Castro: Of course, we will try to improve the system so that democracy will be here in politics. People used to buy votes, spend money, using power to win the election, we are not in that case. We want to improve our electoral system of election.
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Castro's first speech when he reached Santiago de Cuba, on January 3, 1959:

"I should add that, personally, I am not interested in power nor do I envisage assuming it at any time. All that I will do is to make sure that the sacrifices of so many compatriots should not be in vain, whatever the future may hold in store for me."
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"True order is that based on freedom, on respect and on justice, but at the same time that which precludes the use of force. Henceforward, the people shall be entirely free and the people know how to conduct themselves, as they have proven today. We have achieved the peace that our country needs. Santiago de Cuba has paid for its freedom without bloodshed.
There will be no privileges; there will be no privileges for anyone; and the members of the Armed Forces who are capable and deserving will be promoted. It will not be as it has been in the past -- that is,that relations and friends are promoted, regardless of grades. This sort of thing will finish for the military as it will finish for laborers. There will be no more exploitation or compulsory contributions, which for the workers represent the trade union payments and for the military represent a peso here for the First Lady and two pesos elsewhere for something else and so all their pay dwindles away."
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Speech in Santiago de Cuba, January 5, 1959
"At last the people have been able to free themselves from this rabble. Now anyone may speak out, whether they are for or against. But anyone who wishes to do so may speak out. That was not the case here previously because until the present time, they were the only ones [allowed] to speak out; only they spoke out. And they spoke against us.
There will be freedom for those who speak in our favor and for those who speak against us and criticize us. There will be freedom for all men because we have achieved freedom for all men. We shall never feel
offended; we shall always defend ourselves and we shall follow a single precept, that of respect for the rights and feelings of others."
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Speech on July 26, 1959:
"Democracy is, as Lincoln said, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. A government not of the people is not a democracy; a government not for the people is not a democracy. And what has the government of the Cuban revolution been since Jan. 1, 1959 but a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? A government of the people, not for a privileged group of people; a government of the people, not of an oligarchy; a government for the people, not for a group of politicians or military people we have as always had in Cuba."
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After his fake resignation in July of 1959:
"As I speak to you now, the first question which came to my mind was why a man who is just a citizen like you all should have such a great debt of gratitude to the people, for all the signs of affection given. All we did was try to do our duty. All the credit is due the people, not one man. I also wondered why there was such rejoicing at the announcement that I was obeying the people's will and resuming my post. The only explanation possible is that the people know I am not interested in public office and that I will not sacrifice one iota of the national interests of my sense of duty for all the premierships in the world. The people would never demand the return of a man who was ambitious only for his post, for if our country is tired of anything it is tired of ambitious men, men incapable of sacrificing themselves for the national interests. A people never supports a government without reason; a people never supports leaders without a reason."