Ernesto GuevaraErnesto Guevara was born in l928. When he was two, he moved to Cordoba,Spain, because of asthma. As a young child, Guevara became interested inreading Marx, Engels, and Freud found in his father’s library. As he grew up,he watched the Spanish refugees from the Spanish Civil War fight against thefascist dictator, Francisco Franco. Mr. Guevara was influenced by the war andrefugees.
He began to hate military politicians, the U. S. dollar, andparliamentary democracy. Ernesto’s parents were both anti Franco activists. In Buenos Aires, Mr. Guevara went to medical school.
He graduated inl953. After several years, Ernesto went to Guatemala writing articles on theInca and Myan ruins. During his stay in Guatemala, he had the chance to becomea government medical personnel. He refused this chance because he did not wantto join the Communist party.
Therefore, he was penniless for a number of years. Shortly thereafter, Guevara met one of Fidel Castro’s lieutenants with whom hefled to Mexico City. In Mexico City, he also met Fidel Castro, and his brother Raul. InFidel Castro, he saw a great Marxist leader that he was seeking. Guevara joinedCastro followers at a farm where they were training for guerrilla war tactics. The tactics were those first used by Mao Tse-Tung.
At this time, ErnestoGuevara first was nick named “Che”, which is Italian for pal. The group invaded Cuba, where Che was commander of the revolutionaryarmy. From then on, he was known as the most aggressive, clever and successfulguerrilla officer. He also got the reputation for cold-blooded cruelty. Onereason for this reputation was because of his orders to mass execute followersof the former Cuban president Batista.
There after, Che Guevara was second onlyto Castro in the government of Cuba. As the years went on, Guevara ran the department of industry for Cuba. The government they formed was communist but very different from the thenRussian government. Ernesto attacked the Russian style of Communism and said”It was tacit accomplice of imperialism. ” The Russians were not trading onlywith communists and they were not giving under developed countries aid. After April of l965, Guevara disappeared from the public eye.
Castrodropped his association with Guevara because of Che’s criticism. Che’s plan atthat time was to bring about Marxism by starting a world-wide revolution. Hewent around the world with forces (120 Cubans). In Congo, they attempted toaccomplish one of these revolutions. It fell short when Belgian aid arrived tohelp the current government.
Che had little help from the rebels of Congo andeventually failed. His final days were spent in Bolivia where he used badjudgment by trying to start a revolution. His troops were crushed, and he wascaptured by the Bolivian Army. Che was shot the next day. Ernesto “Che” Guevara is known even today in Vollegrande, Bolivia as ahero to many citizens. He is a symbol of power for the oppressed people.
Guevara is thought of by many as a saint. Pictures of Che remain in manywindows. To the youth of America in the l960’s and l970’s Che was thought of asan idol. He was viewed as a revolutionary martyr that supported the idealclassless society. In many ways, his thoughts and ideas are important for ustoday.
Now our “democratic” government is only run by rich Caucasian males. The door for the equality in our government has not been open to the rest ofsociety.
