Guevara
Perceptions of Che Guevera
PERCEPTIONS OF CHE GUEVARA
Che Guevara was born as Ernesto Guevara de la Serna in 1928 to a middle-class family (Castaneda 1998, 3). He was Argentinean by birth but was later awarded with an honorary Cuban citizenship in recognition of his contribution towards the armed struggle in the Cuban revolution. Studying to become a doctor, Guevara became influenced by Marxist ideals and teachings upon a motorbike trip across South America at the age of twenty-four where he observed the exploitation and deprivation of the poor people under capitalism (Castaneda 1998, 50). He became a champion of the class struggle against capitalism on an international level. He joined Fidel Castro in 1955 in overthrowing the Cuban government of Batista. Subsequently, he became an important figure in Cuban diplomacy and a vocal critic of the United States and the Soviet Union. Later on he helped revolutionary groups in Congo and Bolivia until he was captured and executed by the Bolivian Army and the CIA in 1967 (Castaneda 1998, 326).
What Individuals Thought of Che Guevara
Che Guevara was a controversial figure even within the communist world. People who were his friends and those who were opposed to him held differing opinions on him and had varying interpretations and explanations of his motives for participating in the revolutions against capitalism and imperialism all over the world.
The Views of Fidel Castro
Che Guevara had met Fidel Castro in 1955 after having made a trip to Mexico. Alongside Castro, Guevara participated in the guerrilla wars and proved himself to be an effective and charismatic leader. As a result, the movement known as the 26th July Movement was successful and the forces of Castro were successful in throwing up the government of Batista (Castaneda 1998, 80). Under the guidance of Castro, Guevara continued to perform as an effective administrator of the movement. He was awarded with an honorary citizenship of Cuba. He was made the president of the National Bank of Cuba and later he was made the minister if industry for Cuba (Castaneda 1998, 170). Both of these positions were required a high level of responsibility and competence. However, Guevara did not achieve much success in both these positions.
Despite the moderating influence and leadership of Castro, Guevara's enthusiasm and boundless passion prevented him from making serious policies or the improvement of the country. As a result, within a few years, he began having disagreements with other leaders of the movement and later on he left the country to pursue his ambitions in other countries where movements against capitalism and imperialism were gaining momentum.
Castro always expressed a fraternal affection for Guevara despite there being wide differences in their approach. Castro wanted to align the country towards the Soviet Union in order to stand its own against the United States. On the other hand, Guevara did not view the Soviets as true loyalists to the cause of communism and had an inclination towards China (Havelin 2007, 73). Having seen closely that Guevara was driven by passion more than anything else, Castro viewed his participation in revolutions in countries like the Congo and Bolivia as an outlet for releasing his energies and a fascination with the use of aggression and confrontation against the exploitation of the poor of the world by capitalists and imperialists.
The Views of African Leaders
After his brief stint in running the administrative affairs of Cuba, Guevara felt restless and dissatisfied with the shape of things as were taking place in the communist world. He was often against the tilt of his government towards the Soviet Union favored by his benefactor Fidel Castro. He was also disillusioned with the philosophy of peaceful coexistence with the United States that the Soviet Union had adopted. Guevara was more of a confrontationist than anything else and was a champion of armed struggle and warfare as part of a revolution. Therefore, after being disillusioned by the state of things in the Northern Hemisphere, he moved to the Southern Hemisphere to give shape to the ideal of communism as embodied in his interpretation of the works of Stalin.
In 1965, just six years after the Cuban revolution had been successful Guevara arrived in the Congo to assist the local revolutionaries against the Belgian imperialists who were ruling the country then. The president of Algeria, Ahmed Ben Bella, who was a good friend of Guevara's viewed this move of Guevara's which was ultimately to be a big failure, as indicative of an idealistic...
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