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{{Infobox revolutionary
{{Infobox revolutionary
| name = Che Guevara
| name = Ernesto Guevara
| image = File:CheHigh.jpg
| image = File:CheHigh.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| image_size = 200px
Line 6: Line 6:
| image_alt =
| image_alt =
| caption = Portrait of comrade Che
| caption = Portrait of comrade Che
| nationality = Argentinian
| nationality = [[Argentine Republic|Argentinian]]
| birth_name    = Ernesto Guevara
| birth_name    = Ernesto Guevara
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1928|6|14}}
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1928|6|14}}
| birth_place    = Rosario, Santa Fé Province, Argentina
| birth_place    = Rosario, Santa Fé Province, [[Argentine Republic|Argentina]]
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1967|10|9|1928|6|14}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1967|10|9|1928|6|14}}
| death_place    = La Higuera, Vallegrande Province, Bolivia
| death_place    = La Higuera, Vallegrande Province, [[Plurinational State of Bolivia|Bolivia]].
| death_cause    = Executed by reactionaries
| death_cause    = Capture and execution by the Bolivian state
| political_line = [[Marxism-leninism]]
| political_line = [[Marxism–Leninism]]<br>[[Guevarism]]<br>[[Anti-imperialism]]
}}
}}
'''Ernesto''' "'''Che'''" '''Guevara ('''14 June 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentine [[Marxism|Marxist]] revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. His life, conduct and thought have become a paradigm for millions of men and women around the world.
'''Ernesto''' "'''Che'''" '''Guevara''' {{Datebio|birthday=14th|birthmonth=June|birthyear=1928|deathday=9th|deathmonth=October|deathyear=1967}} was a [[Latin America|Latin-American]] [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] revolutionary and a leader of the [[Cuban Revolution]], alongside [[Fidel Castro]]. During his time in the government of [[Republic of Cuba|Cuba]], he was appointed president of the [[Central Bank of Cuba]] in 1959 and later Minister of Industry in 1961.<ref>{{Textcite|author=Richard L. Harris|year=2011|chapter=Timeline: events in the life of Che Guevara|title=Che Guevara: a biography|isbn=978-0-313-35916-3|city=Santa Barbara, Califonia|publisher=Greenwood|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=E894F200B27B2693CC5B5229B5DE50A3}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=teleSUR|title=President Maduro Highlights Ernesto Che Guevara's Legacy|date=2021-10-08|url=https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/President-Maduro-Highlights-Ernesto-Che-Guevaras-Legacy-20211008-0022.html|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref> He would also lead the Department of Industrialization and the National Institute for Agrarian Reform.<ref name=":3">{{Web citation|author=Pedro Ríoseco|newspaper=Granma|title=We will be like Che, the motto that belongs to an entire people|date=2023-06-14|url=https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2023-06-14/we-will-be-like-che-the-motto-that-belongs-to-an-entire-people|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref>


He was part of an expedition led by [[Fidel Castro]] that began the armed struggle against the US-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. During the war he reached the rank of commander and commanded column 8 Ciro Redondo, which extended the war to the center of the island, precipitating the fall of the dictatorship.  
Che was part of an expedition led by [[Fidel Castro]] that directed the [[Cuban Revolution|armed struggle]] against the [[United States imperialism|US-backed]] Cuban dictator [[Fulgencio Batista]]. Guevara also presided over Cuban delegations that visited various countries and was a representative of the revolutionary government in important international conclaves. During the October Crisis he was appointed military chief of the province of Pinar del Río.


During the Revolution he was appointed President of the National Bank of Cuba and Minister of Industries. He also presided over Cuban delegations that visited various countries and was a representative of the revolutionary government in important international conclaves. During the October Crisis he was appointed military chief of the province of Pinar del Río.
In 1965, Che left Cuba to set up guerrilla forces first in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] and then later in [[Plurinational State of Bolivia|Bolivia]], where he was ultimately captured and killed in October 1967. Accounts of his execution have varied over the years, but many contemporary accounts indicate some degree of collaboration between Bolivia's government troops and the [[United States of America|United States]]' [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]. Che Guevara developed a theory of primacy of military struggle, in particular concept of guerilla ''foquismo''. Many of Che's theories regarding guerilla tactics are articulated in his 1961 work "[[Guerilla warfare (Che Guevara work)|Guerilla Warfare]]."


In 1965 he led a guerrilla front in the Congo against the intervention of white mercenaries and their local allies. Failed, the guerrilla movement returned to Cuba and began to organize the revolutionary war in Bolivia. After a campaign of several months, he was taken prisoner by the Bolivian troops in the Yuro ravine and the day after his capture he was assassinated. His remains were located in 1997 and sent to Cuba where they rest in the Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara Memorial Complex that was built for this purpose in the city of Santa Clara
== Life ==


== Western Propaganda ==
=== Early life in Argentina (1928–1950)===
For many years people have told lies about Che Guevara, saying that he was a racist, homophobe and an evil mass murderer. Most of these claims are simply reactionary myths that can easily be debunked.  
[[File:Che Guevara 1928.png|thumb|alt=|224x224px|Baby Ernesto Guevara in 1928]]
Ernesto Guevara was born to his father Ernesto Guevara Lynch and his mother Celia de la Serna y Llosa in the city of Rosario, [[Argentine Republic|Argentina]] on May 14th, 1928, despite his birth certificate recording his birth a month later. His mother got pregnant before she was married to his father and they hid baby Che from their families for one month after he was born.<ref name=":0">{{Textcite|author=Jon Lee Anderson|year=2010|title=Che Guevara: a revolutionary life|chapter=A plantation in Misiones|isbn=978-0-8021-9725-2|publisher=Grove Press|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=3E3E1D3A68BF27293A12BC1076076C7B}}</ref> Che spoke Spanish with a typical La Plata accent, common in the regions of [[Uruguay]], south of [[Federative Republic of Brazil|Brazil]] and the northeast region of Argentina, which makes frequent use of the interjection "che" in the speech. This characteristic accent would render Guevara's nickname "Che".<ref name=":1">{{Textcite|author=I. Lavretsky|year=1976|title=Ernesto Che Guevara|chapter=First steps|publisher=Progress Publishers|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=3DA588DC804F57A9857A5A563BB5D2A3}}</ref>


=== Was Che Guevara a Racist? ===
Che Guevara's mother had [[Kingdom of Spain|Spanish]] descent, from the Argentine colonial era nobility, and his father had [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] descent, also from an aristocratic family.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> During his childhood, Che developed chronic asthma, which would afflict his health for his whole life.<ref name=":0" />
It is true that Guevara made racist statements when he was a young man, which experts unfortunately state "would not have been unusual coming from a 24-year-old from Argentina at the time" (see citation below) ; however, as he grew up, Guevara came to reject these statements and ideas. Quoting from a ''Politifact'' article on the topic:<blockquote>At workers' rallies around that time, Guevara and Raul Castro talked about the need to "advance the revolution’s anti-discrimination program," wrote Alejandro de la Fuente, a University of Pittsburgh history professor in his book ''A Nation for All: Race, Inequality and Politics in 20th Century Cuba''. In the speech at Santa Clara, Guevara called for the university to "paint itself with black, paint itself with mulatto" students and teachers, Fuente wrote.


In 1964, Guevara spoke before the United Nations and criticized "racist" intervention by the west in the Congo, Anderson wrote in his book.
He initially studied engineering in the Argentine city of Córdoba. In 1947, his paternal grandmother, who he taken care of, died. This death caused him to start studying medicine at the School of Medicine in Buenos Aires. He received his degree at the age of 24.<ref name=":2">{{Web citation|author=Ángel Freddy Pérez Cabrera|newspaper=Granma|title=Che, an extraordinarily human man|date=2023-06-14|url=https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2023-06-14/che-an-extraordinarily-human-man|retrieved=2023-07-07}}</ref>


People who have studied Guevara said he was racially inclusive in his actions.</blockquote>These sentiments are supported by various other experts on the topic, such as Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado:<blockquote>Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska who teaches Latino politics, said that Guevara underwent a transformation from his early days in Argentina.
=== Continental motorcycle travels (1950–1952)===
Guevara made two motorcycle trips across South America.<ref name=":2" />


"While there is evidence to support the claim that Ché made such statements, or harbored them in his mind as a young man, his role in the revolution was one where he openly espoused anti-racist, egalitarian ideals," Benjamin-Alvarado told PolitiFact in an email.</blockquote>Perhaps Guevara's most explicit statement against racism came on December 11th, 1964, at a speech he gave at the United Nations:<blockquote>Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men — how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom? We understand that today the Assembly is not in a position to ask for explanations of these acts. It must be clearly established, however, that the government of the United States is not the champion of freedom, but rather the perpetrator of exploitation and oppression against the peoples of the world and against a large part of its own population.</blockquote>And of course, Guevara fought alongside with black revolutionaries in the Congo, which he would not have done if he harbored racial hatred against them.
The first trip was during a time when he was a student. He made the trip with Alberto Granado. They worked in hospitals in Lima and São Paulo to help cure those afflicted with leprosy.<ref name=":2" />


In short, it is clear and obvious to any honest person that Che Guevara was not a racist, and that he condemned racial discrimination, standing side-by-side with revolutionaries of all racial backgrounds.
He made another trip on his motorcycle to help those in need after graduating. That trip ended in [[Guatemala]].<ref name=":2" />


=== Was Che Guevara a Murderer? ===
His motorcycle trips across [[Latin America]] helped inspire him against imperialism. This was due to seeing mistreatment of workers in Chilean copper mines run by the Anaconda Company and hearing about the actions of the United Fruit Company. Both United Fruit and Anaconda were Statesian companies. He understood that the actions of foreign imperialists was inherently tied to the bourgeoisie in the local countries. This lead him to support both [[Marxism]] and national liberation.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=teleSUR|title=Che Guevara's Socialism Against Revolutionary Dogma|date=2019-10-09|url=https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/Che-Guevaras-Socialism-Against-Revolutionary-Dogma-20181006-0005.html|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref>  
Perhaps the most well-known allegation against Guevara is that he killed innocent people, particularly during his time at the La Cabana fortress after the revolution. However, Jon Lee Anderson of the ''New Yorker'' (hardly a radical publication), and the author of the most definitive biography ever written of Guevara, ''Che: A Revolutionary Life'', stated in an interview with PBS NewsHour:<blockquote>While Che did indeed execute people [an episode I have gone into at length in my book] I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed ‘an innocent’. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder.</blockquote>This lays the issue to rest; Guevara did ''not'' execute innocent people, or if he did, no evidence of it has ever been found.


=== Other Achievements of Che Guevara ===
===Guatemala and Mexico (1952–1955)===
It is worth noting that Che is not only a revolutionary symbol; he oversaw some very important developments within Cuba after the revolution. For one thing, Guevara was responsible for the Cuban literacy campaign, which according to Oxfam America, was extraordinarily successful:<blockquote>The National Literacy Campaign of 1961, recognized as one of the most successful initiatives of its kind, mobilized teachers, workers, and secondary school students to teach more than 700,000 persons how to read. This campaign reduced the illiteracy rate from 23% to 4% in the space of one year.</blockquote>He was also appointed head of the National Institute for Agrarian Reform, which oversaw the successful breakup of the large land estates which had prevailed before the revolution. According to Oxfam America:<blockquote>When Cuba’s revolution came to power in 1959, its model of development aimed to link economic growth with advances in social justice. From the start, transforming economic changes were accompanied by equally transforming social initiatives. For example, in 1959, Cuba carried out a profound agrarian reform which ended ''latifundia'' [land estate system] in the island and distributed land to thousands of formerly landless small farmers.</blockquote>That being said, Guevara was not perfect; there are legitimate criticisms of him that one can make.
He would meet [[Raúl Castro|Raúl]] and [[Fidel Castro]] as well as other future Cuban revolutionaries in [[Mexico]].<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Web citation|author=Yisel Martínez|newspaper=Granma|title=Ernesto Guevara: The man who gave himself|date=2018-06-13|url=https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-06-13/ernesto-guevara-the-man-who-gave-himself|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref> Guevara was inspired to join them in their revolution by Fidel Castro and was decided to be the doctor of the [[Granma]] yacht.<ref name=":2" />


=== Legitimate Criticisms of Che Guevara ===
=== Cuban Revolution (1956–1958)===
Che was a great man, yet he was not flawless. For one thing, it is undeniable that he was complicit in the homophobic policies of the revolutionary government; whether he played a direct role in them is unknown, but he certainly made no visible opposition.
Guevara was involved in the [[Cuban revolution]] and was a member of the Granma yacht expedition to Cuba. He fought in Sierra Maestra and was at the head of the invasion.<ref name=":3" />


In addition, Che was not a terribly good bureaucrat; his appointment as Minister of Industry was an undeniable mistake on Castro's part, and Che even seemed to dabble in some idealism when he suggested that workers be content with "moral certificates" rather than pay raises as incentives for harder work. In the book ''Ernesto "Che" Guevara'' by Douglas Kellner, Che is quoted as saying:<blockquote>This is not a matter of how many pounds of meat one might be able to eat, or how many times a year someone can go to the beach, or how many ornaments from abroad one might be able to buy with his current salary. What really matters is that the individual feels more complete, with much more internal richness and much more responsibility.</blockquote>These are legitimate issues on which Guevara can and should be critiqued. As Marxists, it is essential that we do not fall into the fatal trap of hero-worship; even the greatest revolutionaries remain fallible humans.
===Governance in Cuba (1959–1965)===
During the [[Bay of Pigs|Bay of Pigs invasion]] of Cuba, Guevara almost was killed by an accidental discharge of his pistol. While leading the Rebel Army Command at the previous headquarters of the Rural Guard in Consolación del Sur in Pinar del Río, he fell on a pipe which loosened his pistol from his belt which proceeded to discharge. The bullet entered his right cheekbone and exited by his ear. He received a tetanus vaccine due to the shot, to which he was allergic.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Ronald Suárez Rivas|newspaper=Granma|title=The shot that almost took Che's life|date=2017-09-28|url=https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2017-08-28/the-shot-that-almost-took-ches-life|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref>


=== Conclusion ===
In December 1964, Che spoke at the [[United Nations]] and encouraged the UN to take action against [[imperialism]].<ref name=":122">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2008|title=The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World|chapter=Belgrade|page=104|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceascnzh26r5d6uitjjs2z7rflhaxlt7rboz5whzdf76qg6xxvecqq?filename=%28A%20New%20Press%20People%27s%20history%29%20Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20The%20darker%20nations_%20a%20people%27s%20history%20of%20the%20third%20world-The%20New%20Press%20%282008%29.pdf|publisher=The New Press|isbn=9781595583420|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=9B40B96E830128A7FE0E0E887C06829F}}</ref>
Guevara was one of the great revolutionaries of the 20th century; that much is beyond all doubt. His actions during and after the Cuban Revolution helped to bring about a better life for millions, while his image and influence have benefited countless more. The attempts to slander him as a racist and a murderer are disgraceful and dishonest.


Despite this, he was not flawless; he did nothing to fight homophobia in Cuba, and his performance as Minister of Industry is hard to describe as anything but incompetent. That being said, he remains one of the greatest of all proletarian revolutionaries, and an inspiration to all who would seek a better world.
On 24 February 1965, he addressed the Second Economic Seminar of Afro-Asian Solidarity in [[People's Democratic Republic of Algeria|Algeria]]. He called for [[Socialist state|socialist countries]] to support post-colonial states in order to protect them from [[Imperialism|imperialist]] [[Bank|banks]]. He said trade between socialist countries should help both countries develop.<ref name=":022">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2017|title=Red Star over the Third World|chapter=Colonial Fascism|page=113|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzacecu7gb2ei65us6ip3r2ugcgkblneqcftbm456mb6bzvprkbqk55qm?filename=Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20Red%20Star%20Over%20the%20Third%20World-LeftWord%20Books%20%282018%29.pdf|city=New Delhi|publisher=LeftWord Books}}</ref>


=== Sources ===
===Struggle in Congo (1965–1966)===
Che left Cuba before he could attend the [[Tricontinental Conference]] and fought in the revolutionary movement in the [[Republic of the Congo (1960–1964)|Congo]].<ref name=":1222">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2008|title=The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World|chapter=Havana|page=108–109|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceascnzh26r5d6uitjjs2z7rflhaxlt7rboz5whzdf76qg6xxvecqq?filename=%28A%20New%20Press%20People%27s%20history%29%20Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20The%20darker%20nations_%20a%20people%27s%20history%20of%20the%20third%20world-The%20New%20Press%20%282008%29.pdf|publisher=The New Press|isbn=9781595583420|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=9B40B96E830128A7FE0E0E887C06829F}}</ref>


* Politifact | Did Che Guevara "Write Extensively" About the Superiority of Europeans?
===Struggle in Bolivia and capture (1966–1967)===
* Marxists Internet Archive | Che Guevara at the UN, 1964
[[Mario Monje]], leader of the [[Bolivian Communist Party]], agreed to support Che's struggle in Bolivia.<ref name=":1222" /> The CIA, working with [[Gusano|wealthy Cuban exiles]], captured and murdered Che Guevara in Quebrada del Yuro near La Higuera in Bolivia on the 8th of October, 1967.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Citation|author=William Blum|year=2002|title=Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower|chapter=A Concise History of United States Global Interventions,
* PBS NewsHour | The Legacy of Ernesto "Che" Guevara
1945 to the Present|isbn=9781842772201|publisher=Zed Books Ltd|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=29EED3C6906FF165E08303B9EAF66B4F|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzacedas5bwprytpzcih6tof3ipede5uzmcvt47tfzwp4cptdau6vmjpy?filename=William%20Blum%20-%20Rogue%20State_%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20World%27s%20Only%20Superpower-Zed%20Books%20Ltd%20%282002%29.pdf|page=123}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|author=Yenia Silva Correa|newspaper=Granma|title=What it means to be like Che|date=2017-08-09|url=https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2017-08-09/what-it-means-to-be-like-che|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref><ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=teleSUR|title='Che Guevara' Is Remembered 53 Years After His Assassination|date=2020-10-09|url=https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Cuba-Pays-Honor-to-Che-Guevara-on-53rd-Anniversary-of-His-Death-20201009-0008.html|retrieved=2023-07-09}}</ref>
* Oxfam America | Cuba: Social Policy at the Crossroads
* Chelsea House Publishers | Ernesto "Che" Guevara


=== Additional resources ===
==Works==
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkBXFXwGuJE&ab_channel=BadEmpanada Who Did Che Guevara Murder? | BadEmpanada]


[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5eFPgvhS60&t=6s&ab_channel=BadEmpanada Che Guevara: Homophobic Racist? | BadEmpanada]
===''Guerrilla warfare''===


==External Links==
===''Reminiscences of the Cuban revolutionary war''===
''please use these external links to improve this page''
 
*[[wikipedia:Che_Guevara|Wikipedia]] ([[Wikipedia|about]])
===''On revolutionary medicine''===
*[https://leftypedia.org/index.php?search=che+guevara&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go Leftypedia] ([[Leftypedia|about]])
 
*EcuRed ([https://www.ecured.cu/Ernesto_Guevara_de_la_Serna Spanish], [https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecured.cu%2FErnesto_Guevara_de_la_Serna English auto translated]) ([[EcuRed|about]])
==Bibliography==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-HkPLFjQc8&ab_channel=BadEmpanada Che Guevara's True Legacy]
 
===Che Guevara biographies===
*{{Textcite|author=Richard L. Harris|year=2011|title=Che Guevara: a biography|pdf=|city=Santa Barbara, Califonia|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0-313-35916-3|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=E894F200B27B2693CC5B5229B5DE50A3}}
*{{Textcite|author=Fidel Castro|year=2006|title=Che: a memoir|pdf=|city=Melbourne|publisher=Ocean Press|isbn=978-1-921700-83-5|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=99FF4ED3FDF1F4BDB79D3CCFB39EAB66}}
*{{Textcite|author=Jon Lee Anderson|year=2010|title=Che: a revolutionary life|pdf=|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=3E3E1D3A68BF27293A12BC1076076C7B|publisher=Grove Press|isbn=978-0-8021-9725-2}}
*{{Textcite|author=Jorge G. Castañeda|year=1998|title=Compañero: the life and death of Che Guevara|pdf=|lg=http://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=0C2A7034251A2A2E64A739A11CAD53C4|city=New York|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=9780679759409}}
*{{Textcite|author=Pablo Ignacio Taibo II|year=1997|title=Guevara, Also Known as Che|pdf=|lg=http://library.lol/main/CB9369623DEA7690018147DBADE603B3|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press)|isbn=9780312155391}}
 
==References==
 
<references />
[[Category:Revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Communists]]

Latest revision as of 15:24, 1 September 2023

Ernesto Guevara
Portrait of comrade Che
Born
Ernesto Guevara

(1928-06-14)June 14, 1928
Rosario, Santa Fé Province, Argentina
DiedOctober 9, 1967(1967-10-09) (aged 39)
La Higuera, Vallegrande Province, Bolivia.
Cause of deathCapture and execution by the Bolivian state
NationalityArgentinian
Political orientationMarxism–Leninism
Guevarism
Anti-imperialism

Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14th, 1928 — October 9th, 1967) was a Latin-American Marxist–Leninist revolutionary and a leader of the Cuban Revolution, alongside Fidel Castro. During his time in the government of Cuba, he was appointed president of the Central Bank of Cuba in 1959 and later Minister of Industry in 1961.[1][2] He would also lead the Department of Industrialization and the National Institute for Agrarian Reform.[3]

Che was part of an expedition led by Fidel Castro that directed the armed struggle against the US-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Guevara also presided over Cuban delegations that visited various countries and was a representative of the revolutionary government in important international conclaves. During the October Crisis he was appointed military chief of the province of Pinar del Río.

In 1965, Che left Cuba to set up guerrilla forces first in the Congo and then later in Bolivia, where he was ultimately captured and killed in October 1967. Accounts of his execution have varied over the years, but many contemporary accounts indicate some degree of collaboration between Bolivia's government troops and the United States' CIA. Che Guevara developed a theory of primacy of military struggle, in particular concept of guerilla foquismo. Many of Che's theories regarding guerilla tactics are articulated in his 1961 work "Guerilla Warfare."

Life[edit | edit source]

Early life in Argentina (1928–1950)[edit | edit source]

Baby Ernesto Guevara in 1928

Ernesto Guevara was born to his father Ernesto Guevara Lynch and his mother Celia de la Serna y Llosa in the city of Rosario, Argentina on May 14th, 1928, despite his birth certificate recording his birth a month later. His mother got pregnant before she was married to his father and they hid baby Che from their families for one month after he was born.[4] Che spoke Spanish with a typical La Plata accent, common in the regions of Uruguay, south of Brazil and the northeast region of Argentina, which makes frequent use of the interjection "che" in the speech. This characteristic accent would render Guevara's nickname "Che".[5]

Che Guevara's mother had Spanish descent, from the Argentine colonial era nobility, and his father had Irish descent, also from an aristocratic family.[5][4] During his childhood, Che developed chronic asthma, which would afflict his health for his whole life.[4]

He initially studied engineering in the Argentine city of Córdoba. In 1947, his paternal grandmother, who he taken care of, died. This death caused him to start studying medicine at the School of Medicine in Buenos Aires. He received his degree at the age of 24.[6]

Continental motorcycle travels (1950–1952)[edit | edit source]

Guevara made two motorcycle trips across South America.[6]

The first trip was during a time when he was a student. He made the trip with Alberto Granado. They worked in hospitals in Lima and São Paulo to help cure those afflicted with leprosy.[6]

He made another trip on his motorcycle to help those in need after graduating. That trip ended in Guatemala.[6]

His motorcycle trips across Latin America helped inspire him against imperialism. This was due to seeing mistreatment of workers in Chilean copper mines run by the Anaconda Company and hearing about the actions of the United Fruit Company. Both United Fruit and Anaconda were Statesian companies. He understood that the actions of foreign imperialists was inherently tied to the bourgeoisie in the local countries. This lead him to support both Marxism and national liberation.[7]

Guatemala and Mexico (1952–1955)[edit | edit source]

He would meet Raúl and Fidel Castro as well as other future Cuban revolutionaries in Mexico.[6][8] Guevara was inspired to join them in their revolution by Fidel Castro and was decided to be the doctor of the Granma yacht.[6]

Cuban Revolution (1956–1958)[edit | edit source]

Guevara was involved in the Cuban revolution and was a member of the Granma yacht expedition to Cuba. He fought in Sierra Maestra and was at the head of the invasion.[3]

Governance in Cuba (1959–1965)[edit | edit source]

During the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Guevara almost was killed by an accidental discharge of his pistol. While leading the Rebel Army Command at the previous headquarters of the Rural Guard in Consolación del Sur in Pinar del Río, he fell on a pipe which loosened his pistol from his belt which proceeded to discharge. The bullet entered his right cheekbone and exited by his ear. He received a tetanus vaccine due to the shot, to which he was allergic.[9]

In December 1964, Che spoke at the United Nations and encouraged the UN to take action against imperialism.[10]

On 24 February 1965, he addressed the Second Economic Seminar of Afro-Asian Solidarity in Algeria. He called for socialist countries to support post-colonial states in order to protect them from imperialist banks. He said trade between socialist countries should help both countries develop.[11]

Struggle in Congo (1965–1966)[edit | edit source]

Che left Cuba before he could attend the Tricontinental Conference and fought in the revolutionary movement in the Congo.[12]

Struggle in Bolivia and capture (1966–1967)[edit | edit source]

Mario Monje, leader of the Bolivian Communist Party, agreed to support Che's struggle in Bolivia.[12] The CIA, working with wealthy Cuban exiles, captured and murdered Che Guevara in Quebrada del Yuro near La Higuera in Bolivia on the 8th of October, 1967.[6][13][14][15]

Works[edit | edit source]

Guerrilla warfare[edit | edit source]

Reminiscences of the Cuban revolutionary war[edit | edit source]

On revolutionary medicine[edit | edit source]

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

Che Guevara biographies[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Richard L. Harris (2011). 'Timeline: events in the life of Che Guevara' in Che Guevara: a biography. Santa Barbara, Califonia: Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-35916-3 [LG]
  2. ↑ "President Maduro Highlights Ernesto Che Guevara's Legacy" (2021-10-08). teleSUR. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pedro Ríoseco (2023-06-14). "We will be like Che, the motto that belongs to an entire people" Granma. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jon Lee Anderson (2010). 'A plantation in Misiones' in Che Guevara: a revolutionary life. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-9725-2 [LG]
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 I. Lavretsky (1976). 'First steps' in Ernesto Che Guevara. Progress Publishers. [LG]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Ángel Freddy Pérez Cabrera (2023-06-14). "Che, an extraordinarily human man" Granma. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  7. ↑ "Che Guevara's Socialism Against Revolutionary Dogma" (2019-10-09). teleSUR. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  8. ↑ Yisel Martínez (2018-06-13). "Ernesto Guevara: The man who gave himself" Granma. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  9. ↑ Ronald Suárez Rivas (2017-09-28). "The shot that almost took Che's life" Granma. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  10. ↑ Vijay Prashad (2008). The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World: 'Belgrade' (p. 104). [PDF] The New Press. ISBN 9781595583420 [LG]
  11. ↑ Vijay Prashad (2017). Red Star over the Third World: 'Colonial Fascism' (p. 113). [PDF] New Delhi: LeftWord Books.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Vijay Prashad (2008). The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World: 'Havana' (pp. 108–109). [PDF] The New Press. ISBN 9781595583420 [LG]
  13. ↑ William Blum (2002). Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower: 'A Concise History of United States Global Interventions, 1945 to the Present' (p. 123). [PDF] Zed Books Ltd. ISBN 9781842772201 [LG]
  14. ↑ Yenia Silva Correa (2017-08-09). "What it means to be like Che" Granma. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  15. ↑ "'Che Guevara' Is Remembered 53 Years After His Assassination" (2020-10-09). teleSUR. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
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