June 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967
Ernesto “Che” Guevara was born in Rosario, Argentina to a middle-class family. Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary, along with being an author and physician. His countenance has become a symbol for rebellion, due to his involvement, and prominent position in the Cuban revolution. It is also due to his important role in the Cuban revolution that Che Guevara has become one of the most famous and widely known revolutionaries in all of world history. Guevara was named in Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century.” Even a photo taken of Guevara entitled “Guerrillero Heroico” has been called “the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century”. Guevara’s name, ideologies, and also his very image has become a cornerstone for revolutionary thinkers in the modern era; those who believe exploitation and injustices can be cast away through revolutionary means look to Guevara for inspiration. Guevara showed himself to be a very prominent leader within Fidel Castro’s ‘26th of July Movement’ and was also a trusted advisor to Castro, who was the leader of the Cuban Revolution. Guevara was granted Cuban citizenship on January 9th, 1959 and was quickly recognized as one of the most influential members of Castro’s regime. With the support of the new Cuban Government, Guevara undertook many missions, both commercial, and diplomatic. Che Guevara is often regarded as one of the pioneers of Guerilla warfare, however Guevara did not emanate the key points of Guerilla warfare. Guevara merely adopted the principles of Guerrilla warfare to better suit the Latin American environment. The United States even used the principles laid down by Guevara in his book Che Guevara on Guerrilla Warfare as an anti-Guerilla warfare training manual for the American military. Che Guevara and his work have had an immense influence on the development of social and political thought in Latin America. The ideas which Guevara held have inspired many of the radical groups within Latin America to mirror the ‘Cuban Example’ and so they took off into the countryside or mountains, just as Guevara and Castro did. Following his death in 1967, Che Guevara remained a very prominent face and name on a worldwide scale. Admirer’s of Guevara remember him as an idealistic man, dedicated to the revolution; however, critics of Guevara see him as a mentally unstable, bloodthirsty man, who was a failure in all of his endeavours. Arguably the most valuable thing left behind by Guevara were the lessons learned through the example of his unsuccessful campaign in Bolivia. This campaign demonstrated that in order for Guerilla tactics to be successful they must be in
cooperation with local rural communities, and also that Guerilla tactics can be susceptible to “regular troops trained in counterinsurgency tactics.” As a trained physician, author, and Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara became one of the most prominent figures in the Cuban revolution, and also a symbol for many revolutionaries within Latin America and other places around the globe. To the present day Che Guevara remains one of the most recognizable faces of rebellion, and one of the most widely known faces and names in all of history.
Gary Ghag
Bibliography
Crain, David A. “Che Guevara” Salme Press Biographical Encyclopedia (2017)
Harris, Richard L. “Che Guevara: A Biography” ABC-CLIO, LLC (2011)
Scauzillo, Robert J. “Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara: A Research Bibliography.” L atin American Research Review 5, no. 2 (1970)
Other Relevant Reading
Jazeera, Al. “Who was Che Guevara?” Cuba News | Al Jazeera. (2017)
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/che-guevara-171008111523876.html. James, Daniel. “Che Guevara: A Biography” Cooper Square Press. (2001)
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