Louis XIV of France was certainly not the only ruler in history to think that he was the State. Revolutionary leaders have been as enamoured of absolute power as monarchs and tinpot dictators of banana republics. Fidel Castro was thus no exception. But his long reign in Cuba was more like a military dictatorship. He headed the ruling party, the government and the armed forces in the same manner that communist rulers did in the former Soviet Union and still do in China. The way communist leaders rule — usually until they die — raises serious questions about revolutions inspired by Marxist theories and the nature of communist states. And choosing his brother, Raul, as his successor is reminiscent of the manner in which Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife, briefly usurped power in China with the “great helmsman’s” blessing. Even his worst critics would not deny Mr Castro credit for Cuba’s successes in healthcare and basic education. But the country’s isolation from social and economic advances of the times is a heavy price that Cuba has had to pay in the bargain. Mr Castro has been fond of arguing that “history will absolve” him from the charges made against him. The absence of political and other freedoms is not Cuba’s only problem. The big irony of the failure of his revolution is that, instead of leading them to a better future, it has forced Cubans to live in a time warp.

Mr Castro’s retirement now raises the crucial question of Cuba’s future or, more important, the future of freedoms in the country. Mr Castro has explained that communism in Cuba will not wither away after him the way it did in eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union. True, Cuban communism was not imposed from outside as in the erstwhile socialist countries in eastern Europe. But such optimism could prove to be a historic blunder. It is almost certain that Mr Castro’s exit from power will usher in changes in Cuba. And the changes will come not just in the economy, but in politics and society as well. Some economic reforms are already under way, though both the scale and the speed are clearly inadequate. It will not be enough for Cuba’s new rulers to cry foul of Washington’s attempts to destabilize the communist regime. Ultimately, what matters for any people are their freedoms and the quality of their lives. Freedom usually begins where ideologies end.