Lifestyles of the Rich and Socialist: From Chavez to Castro, leaders who lived the high life

Socialist leaders come to power promising to equalize society.

But, in the words of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” their followers soon learn “some are more equal than others.”

American democratic socialists have faced scrutiny for their own indulgences under the capitalist system — for instance, Sen. Bernie Sanders has three homes and a proclivity for private jet travel.

But American socialists’ luxuries pale in comparison to those of history’s most infamous socialist and communist leaders around the world.

Venezuela

Hugo Chavez brought socialism to Venezuela and once said that it is “bad” to be rich. Yet his family lived in opulence even as the rest of the country has in recent years descended into starvation and violence.

Chavez, despite not being wealthy when he was democratically elected as president of Venezuela in 1998, was worth between $1 billion and $2 billion at his death, according to global risk analysis firm Criminal Justice International Associates.

Chavez’s daughter, Rosinés Chávez, once posted an Instagram photo of herself with celebrity Justin Bieber, and another of her posing with U.S. cash – even as ordinary Venezuelans saw their life savings wiped out by million-percent inflation caused by the government printing too much money.

Ordinary Venezuelans are angry.

“Claims of social justice and equality are ridiculous … The elites led by Chavez have stayed wealthy through corruption and theft of money,” a Venezuelan college student named Roxana told Fox News in texts translated from Spanish.

“In Venezuela, there is a very particular word to refer to family and friends who benefit from government money. They are ‘enchufado’ [‘well-connected’].”

But on her end, Roxana says she finds it hard to get decent food and she constantly fears being attacked – Venezuela now has a murder rate two times higher than Detroit’s.

‘Socialism in Venezuela loves poor people so much, it multiplies them.’

— Venezuelan adage

Surveys also show the average Venezuelan has lost 24 pounds due to lack of food.

Roxana mentioned a common joke in her country about the rise in extreme poverty: “Socialism in Venezuela loves poor people so much, it multiplies them.”

Cuba

The Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, throughout his reign, claimed to live in a humble fisherman’s hut.

“The fisherman’s hut was really a luxury vacation home,” Castro’s former bodyguard, Juan Reinaldo Sanchez, writes in “The Double Life of Fidel Castro.”

According to the bodyguard, the Cuban dictator obtained more than 20 fancy properties throughout the island.

Castro also frequently relaxed on a 90-foot yacht decorated with exotic wood imported from Angola. He also had nearly endless beachfront property to himself.

Castro eventually made it to No. 7 on Forbes’ list of richest world leaders, which estimated his wealth at $900 million. Castro denied being so wealthy.

With all his wealth and power, Castro also had at least five mistresses, according to his bodyguard.

Soviet Union

The top leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had access to a network of palaces, cars and delicacies. However, Soviet leaders lived up to their ideals in one way: they never officially owned any of it. Upon death, the things they used went to the next leader.

Joseph Stalin loved American-made Packard cars, and had several.

Soviet leaders and bureaucrats also had their own elite, exclusive system of grocery stores, hospitals and schools — even while ordinary Russian citizens sometimes waited for hours to buy food.

“There was not a lot of food to choose from, but in Moscow it was still edible,” Vladimir Yankov, a Soviet scientist who was born during Stalin’s reign and who later immigrated to the United States, told Fox News.

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