Fidel Castro, 84, announced his resignation from leadership of the Cuba Communist Party today in an article published on Cubadebate.cu.

Along with the changing face of the Communist Party comes the easing of Cuba's property laws.

The BBC reports that for the first time since the 1959 Communist Revolution, Cubans will now be allowed to buy and sell private property. For more than 50 years, Cubans' have been restricted to passing their homes on to their children, or engaging in a corrupt system of swapping.

In a speech Monday, President Raul Castro said "the party leadership was in need of renewal and should subject itself to severe self-criticism."

President Castro also said that top political positions will be limited to two five-year terms.