From the Cuban missile crisis to the Bay of Pigs Invasion to the fall of the Soviet Union, Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba for almost 5 decades. Now at age 81, he steps down due to illness, and Cuba calls on Castro’s brother, Raul Castro, to become the new president after almost fifty years of serving the island nation as defense minister. As his first vice president, Cuba called upon hard-line communist and close confidant of Raul Castro, José Ramón Machado Ventura, to fulfill the duty. Raul promises Cuba in his acceptance speech to “complete” his brother’s work, failing to make any significant promises of change. He did, however, say he would consider ending the country’s dual currency system and improve Cuba’s agricultural production during his five-year term as head of the Council of State.