Life and Actions of Ernesto Che Guevara - Essay Example

Ernesto "Che" Guevara dela Serna Regarded as one of the foremost icons in the popular culture, Ernesto "Che" Guevara is a Latin American guerilla leader and revolutionary theorist, who is deemed a hero by the emerging leftist radicals in the 1960s. However, other believe that Che Guevara is nothing more than a secular terrorist who has a tendency of violently executing opponents standing on his way of achieving true economic and social equity. This paper focuses on the life of Che Guevara as well as his actions and movements that helped shape history. Biographical Overview Ernesto Guevara was born in 14 June 1928 in Rosario, Argentina to an upper-class family of mixed Spanish, Basque and Irish decent with leftist leanings. At such an early age, he was said to have a dynamic and radical outlook. As a child, he already suffered crippling episodes of asthma that afflicted him throughout his life. Despite this sickness, Guevara was an accomplished athlete who excelled in rugby and became renowned for his aggressive playing style (Anderson). Apart from this, Guevara also stood out in chess and took part in local tournaments at the age of 12. Furthermore, he was a voracious reader with interest ranging from Jack London's and Jules Verne's adventure classics to Sigmund Freud's essays about sexuality and Bertrand Russell's treatises on social philosophy. In addition, Guevara was passionate about poetry and photography (James). During his college years, Guevara entered the University of Buenos Aires to pursue further studies in the medicine in 1948. It was during this time that he was enlightened regarding the poor economic and social conditions in Latin American nations. As a student, Guevara frequently traveled around the region with his friend Alberto Granado. Aboard a 1939 Norton motorcycle, dubbed as La Poderasa II, the two set off intending to spend a few weeks of volunteer work at San Pablo leper colony in Peru. This journey was chronicled in The Motorcycle Diaries, which was translated and adapted into a film. ("Wikipedia") In light of Guevara's analysis relative to the poverty and oppression of the masses, he arrived at a conclusion that the answer to the prevailing socio-economic inequities in Latin America was revolution. With this, he also asserted that his ideology required a continent-wide strategy such that the separate nations would be viewed as one entity. From this he derived the concept of Ibero-America, which means united and borderless Latin American region linked by a common mestizo culture (Anderson). This became a central concept in Guevara's revolutionary undertakings. To start off, in his homeland, Guevara participated in riots against the Argentine dictator Juan Peron ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). Headstart in Guatemala - The Communist Youth After his graduation from medical school in 1953, Guevara traversed Latin American nations including Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. He ended up in Guatemala where he was enticed to join the leftist regime of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). President Arbenz ran a populist government that attempted to cause a social revolution through myriad reforms, specifically land reform ("Revolutionary Youth"). Guevara became involved in the Arbenz administration through Peruvian socialist Hilda Gadea, who introduced him to top ranked government officials (Anderson). It should be noted that it was around this time that Guevara acquired the nickname Che, a term he frequently used which is the Argentine equivalent of pal or mate. In 1954, the coup attempt led by Carlos Castillo Armas and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had commenced and continuously gained ground. On the other hand, the Arbenz government was supported by the Communist Czechoslovakia that shipped thousands of tons of weapons to Guatemala (Holland). As a supporter of Arbenz, Guevara joined an armed militia under the tutelage of the Communist Youth. However, given his academic background, Guevara returned after a few days to fulfill medical duties ("Wikipedia"). When the Arbenz government was overthrown, Guevara briefly took refuge in the Argentine consulate and then traveled to Mexico where he met Fidel Castro and other exiled Cuban rebels ("Encarta Online Encyclopedia"). Given the outcome of the coup and role played by the CIA, Guevara deemed the United States (US) as an imperialist power that constantly meddled with the political affairs in Latin American nations and developing nations for its economic advantage ("Wikipedia"). Cuban Revolution - The 26th of July Movement After fleeing to Mexico, Guevara joined Castro and the 26th of July Movement that aimed to remove from power Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista ("Encarta Online Encyclopedia"). In November 1956, Guevara, the only foreigner among the group, along with the Cuban rebels arrived to Cuba aboard the cabin cruiser Granma. Shortly after their arrival, the rebels were attacked by Batista's forces. Since almost half of the rebel group were killed or executed upon capture, only 15 to 20 of them were left. Despite Batista's ceasefire announcement, the rebels opted to seek refuge in the mountains rather than surrender ("Wikipedia"). Recognized as a formidable leader among the rebels, Guevara became known as Commandante, who was well respected by his comrades for his courage. On the contrary, he was feared by some due to his callousness as he ordered the execution of informers, deserters and spies (Anderson). With these traits, Guevara became a critical factor in winning the Cuban Revolution. One of the most crucial moments during the revolution was when Guevara ordered a direct attack on Santa Clara in December 1958. When Batista discovered that his generals were arranging peace agreement with Castro, the Cuban dictator fled to the Dominican Republic in January 1959 (James). This signaled the emergence of the Castro regime. Role in the Castro Regime In February 1959, Guevara was proclaimed a Cuban citizen by birth and occupied vital government positions in recognition of his participation in the revolution. Initially, he was appointed commander of the La Cabaa fortress prison. During his stint, he ordered the execution of many people including former Batista regime official, members of the Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities secret police, war criminals and political dissidents ("Wikipedia"). Subsequently, Guevara was appointed as the top official at the National Institute of Agrarian Reform and president of the National Bank of Cuba. With the latter position, he became instrumental in cutting Cuba's traditional ties with the US ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). Aside from this, he also served as the Minister of Industries. Through this position, he helped facilitate the formulation of Cuban socialism. As such, he directed the flow of Cuban trade to the pro-communist path ("Encarta Online Encyclopedia"). These milestones in Guevara's career brought about his prominence in Cuba's political scene and became regarded as the second most powerful figure in Cuba, next to Castro. He also played a key role in transporting to Cuba the Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missile to which the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 was attributed. To express his anti-US stance, Guevara declared in an interview in a British newspaper that if the missiles had been under the Cuban control, they would have pushed through with firing them against major cities in the US. He reckoned that Khrushchev's concurrence to withdraw the missiles from Cuban territory without consulting Castro was a form of betrayal by the Soviet Union. ("Wikipedia") As part of his core ideology, as detailed in his book Guerilla Warfare, Guevara advocated the replication of the Cuban revolution model initiated by a small group of guerillas. This movement does not necessitate the founding of broad organizations to precede armed insurrection. His other works such as Man and Socialism in Cuba puts forth the need to mold a new man in line with the advent of the socialist state. To proliferate his secular ideology, Guevara helped facilitate revolutionary attempts in other Latin American countries including Panama and in the Dominican Republic as early as 1959. ("Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia") Guevara became a leading socialist figure and traveled widely to deliver speeches and head Cuban delegation in December 1964. He engaged on a three-month international tour and met with myriad people and cause-oriented groups. Guevara visited China, Egypt, Algeria Ghana and Congo, among others. In his speeches he emphasized the need to fight imperialism and duty of socialist countries to battle western countries that exploit the southern hemisphere. ("Wikipedia") Resignation from Public Life Shortly after arriving in Cuba from his international tour, Guevara was said to have resigned from public life. His vanishing act became the great mystery of 1965 in Cuba. There are various hypotheses formulated relative to Guevara's disappearance. Some attribute this to his failure as the Minister of Industry to carry out the industrialization scheme he previously promoted. Others believed that Guevara disappeared from the limelight because of the pressure exerted by the Soviet officials on Castro due to the former's disapproval of Guevara's pro-Chinese communist stance, in light of the worsening Sino-Soviet split. However, this theory may not hold since both Castro and Guevara believed in a united front and even tried several times, although unsuccessfully, to reconcile Soviet Union and China. ("Wikipedia") Critics of Castro also claimed that Guevara's disappearance might be caused by the substantial ideological difference between Guevara and Castro. They also hypothesized that Castro was becoming wary of Guevara's increasing popularity and deemed him as a potential threat (Holland). In October 1965, to clarify the issues about Guevara, Castro made public an undated letter from Guevara. Albeit some considered his explanation questionable, Castro explicated that Guevara had resigned from all his government positions, the socialist party and Cuban army. Moreover, he is renouncing his Cuban citizenship. Furthermore, Guevara heeded the call of other nations in fighting their battles, in the same way that he did Cuba. In this regard, he opted to give up what he had in order to fight as a guerilla on new battlefields (Anderson). Despite assurances by Castro, rumors about Guevara's whereabouts persisted as his movements continued to be a well-kept secret for two years ("Revolutionary Youth"). Military Action in Africa With regard to the disappearance of Guevara in 1965, it was said that both Guevara and Castro agreed that the former would personally handle Cuba's initial military action in Africa. Apparently, Castro convinced Guevara to lead the mission since the dictator perceived that the conditions in Latin American countries that had been considered for the possible establishment of the guerilla were not yet conducive. ("Wikipedia") For the African military action, Cuba would support the pro-Lumumba Marxist Movement, particularly in Congo. Guevara's primary objective was to export the Cuban Revolution through the teaching of communist ideology to local Simba fighters and training them in guerilla warfare. Guevara was assisted by leader Laurent-Desire Kabila, whom he deemed incompetent. He also noted the obstinacy and inner conflict in the local Congolese rebel forces were major weaknesses. ("Wikipedia") To neutralize Guevara's guerilla force, the US Green Beret A-Team, comprised of six men and headed by Craig Lowell, collaborated with the South African mercenaries including Cuban exiles and the Congolese Army. The group was able to spy on Guevara's communications, arrange to ambush the rebels and Cubans whenever they tried to attack and embargo Guevara's supply. Given the above weaknesses cited by Guevara coupled with the efforts of the US and Congolese Army, the planned revolution failed ("Revolutionary Youth"). Defeated and suffering from severe asthma, Guevara left Congo along with Cuban survivors. With his resignation from public life announced by Castro, Guevara opted not to return to Cuba and instead lived covertly in Dar-es-Salaam and Prague where he compiled his journals of the Congo experience and completed drafts of two books on philosophy and economics. Given Castro's insistence for him to return to Cuba, Guevara finally agreed subject to the condition that his presence would not be made known and he would only stay temporarily in order to prepare for a new revolutionary undertaking in Latin America ("Revolutionary Youth"). Military Action in Bolivia Persistent reports that Guevara was in Bolivia to lead another military action were proven to be factual. A parcel of land situated in remote vicinity, which was purchased by the Bolivian Communist Movement at the request of Castro, was used as a camp for Guevara's revolutionary mission. After staying surreptiously in Bolivia, Guevara's presence was eventually confirmed when the numerous photographs taken by and of him were left behind in the camp after initial encounter with the Bolivian army in March 1967. As such, Bolivian President Rene Barrientos ordered the hunt for Guevara and his followers. ("Revolutionary Youth") Although Guevara and his troops scored a number of early successes in the Camiri region, he was eventually captured and taken to a temporary holding location. There are various reasons attributed to the failure of the planned revolution in Bolivia. One was that Guevara did not take into account the participation of the CIA and other operatives in the Bolivia anti-insurrection effort. Another was that even the Bolivian Communist Party did not completely support him in his undertaking ("Wikipedia"). Guevara's Surrender and Execution On 8 October 1967, Guevara was captured in La Higuera while leading a patrol. He surrendered after being wounded in the legs and his rifle destroyed by a bullet. Barrientos immediately ordered his execution and Guevara was brought to an old school house, where he was executed early the next afternoon with his hand tied to a board ("Revolutionary Youth"). After a military doctor cut off Guevara's hands, Bolivian army officers transported his body to an undisclosed location. In 1997, his remains were exhumed from beneath an airstrip near Vallegrande, Bolivia. DNA matching confirmed that it was indeed Guevara. His remains were brought back to Cuba and laid to rest in a specially built mausoleum, the Plaza Commandante Ernest Guevara, located in Santa Clara. ("Revolutionary Youth") Upon learning Guevara's death, Castro proclaimed a three-day public mourning in Cuba for his comrade. His death is considered to have a substantial impact on the socialist revolutionary movements throughout Latin America and the other developing countries. Conclusion There are varying conceptions regarding Guevara's actions and revolutionary movements. At one end, admirers perceive him as a self-sacrificing hero who opted to fight for the oppressed and those who were deprived of political power and economic opportunity instead of enjoying his comfortable leanings and high government offices held. At the other end, Guevara is deemed as a secular terrorist who had ruthlessly executed political opponents who stand on the way of achieving the socialist ideology. In spite of the differing conceptions, what becomes vital is for present and future generations to learn from Guevara's selflessness and his commitment to a noble cause of freeing the oppressed and those taken advantage of. These fundamental characteristics that have endeared him to people have earned for him a rightful place as a revolutionary hero in world history. Works Cited Anderson, J.L. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. New York: Grove Press. 1997. Holland, M. "Private Sources of U.S. Foreign Policy, William Pawley and the 1954 Coup d'Etat in Guatemala." Journal of Cold War Studies. 7.4. 2005. James, D. Che Guevara. Cooper Square Press. New York. 2001. Revolutionary Youth. "Who was Che Guevara." 25 March 2006 . Wikipedia. 25 March 2006 . Read More