From Cuba, Ernesto Che Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary who resided from 1928 to 1967. (Chomsky, Carr and Smorkaloff 12). He was also a military theorist, guerrilla commander, diplomat, author, and diplomat. He played a prominent role in the Cuban Revolution and subsequently rose to prominence as a guerrilla leader in South America. He was put to death by the Bolivian army in 1967, and the majority of those with left-leaning political views still regard him as a fallen hero. (Lessmann 21). He is regarded as a symbol of anti-imperialism and socialist radicalism. Guevara collaborated with Fidel Castro to topple the Cuban government. He was a military advisor, and he used to lead guerrilla warfare against the forces of Batista. Fidel Castro later became the president in 1959 and was placed in charge of La Cabana Fortes Prison where an approximate of five hundred and fifty people were killed through extrajudicial orders from Guevara (Lessmann 54). Che Guevara was later appointed the president of the National Bank of Cuba, and he contributed to shifting the country's related relations from the United States to the Soviet Union.
He later became the minister of industry in his country and left the position in 1965 (Chomsky, Carr and Smorkaloff 56). In 1966, he left Cuba to export the ideas of Cuba revolution and began to incite the people of Bolivia to rebel against their government. The efforts failed, and he was captured and killed by the Bolivian army in 1967. The death of Guevara has made him a legendary political figure, and he is often associated with socialism, revolution, and rebellion. He is also remembered for being ruthless and leading to the death of many prisoners without trial. Films have also been produced to describe the life of Che Guevara such as the ‘The Motorcycle Diaries.’ As such, the life of Guevara has been a subject of great public interest both for insight and criticism (Anderson and Durán 25).
A Concerned Leader
Guevara was a medical student in South America, and as he was traveling around the country, he was radicalized by the poverty stricken people, the hunger, and disease that he came across (Price). He became intrigued to change the capitalist exploitation in Latin America that had been caused by the United States. The revolution took place during the era of President Jacobo Arbenz who was eventually overthrown by the Central Intelligence Agency (Adams 25). The social reforms that Guevara had campaigned for finally became solidified. Therefore, Guevara was a man who was interested in the welfare of citizens including those who did not belong to his country.
Guevara was a socialist who looked forward to seeing a government under democratic control and where the means of production were owed socially (Cantor 47). As such, he was moved when he realized that the governance of the United States in Latin America was oppressive. Guevara was also a man who cared for the people as he was willing to risk his life in a foreign land to assure the citizens of better governance. The need for better structures of governance that guided the people was the main reason that led Guevara to oppose the governments of the day when he lived.
Guevara later moved to Cuba together with Fidel Castro and Raul (Price). The three individuals aimed at overthrowing the government of President Batista who was a dictator and used an oppressive regime towards the Cubans. Guevara gave his best efforts during the revolution and even became the leading guerilla warfare men to Fidel Castro. The commitment towards the war and other revolutionists such as Fidel Castro showed the degree to which Guevara was willing to risk his life for the sake of the Cubans. Moreover, Guevara was a team player as he did not trade the activities of the revolution to their enemies. The inspiration that people drew from figures such as Guevara led to the successful defeat of the oppressive government in Cuba.
Leadership during the Cuban Revolution
Che Guevara also became very functional after the Cuban Revolution. He was given key roles in the government of Fidel Castro. First, he was part of the committees that were assigned the duty of reviewing the appeals and firing squads for the individuals who had been convicted as war criminals during the revolutionary tribunals (Chomsky, Carr and Smorkaloff 35). The revolutionary courts had identified some of the people involved as traitors who traded secrets to the enemy. Others had been involved in specific errors throughout the war. However, some of them had been convicted wrongly, and they were a crucial part of the success of the revolution.
Guevara had served as a leader throughout the revolution. As such, he had developed close interpersonal relationships with fellow militants. He felt that the success of the revolution could have been impossible without the individual contribution of the militants and this led him to review the appeals of those who had been convicted as war criminals. He felt that there was the need to be fair to them because he had shared the experience when overthrowing the oppressive government. As such, Guevara was an honest leader who was interested in the right treatment of individuals especially those who had contributed to liberating Cuba (Price).
Agrarian Revolution in Cuba
Guevara was later appointed the minister for industry in Cuba. During this period, he was involved in instituting the agrarian revolution in the country (Lessmann 112). The dictatorial governance of President Batista had proletarian zed the peasants in Cuba with the need for large scale and highly mechanized agriculture (Lessmann 115). Due to the move from small scale farming to the employment of the Cubans they had developed some sense of class consciousness where they felt that agriculture was not a pleasant job for them.
During the revolution, Guevara had realized that the peasants who had not been employed by the government had a different mindset from those who were employed (Lessmann 120). The farmers struggled to get their land back from the government as they felt the need to earn income from their activities. They also felt the need to own land as it demonstrated some sense of pride in the culture of the Cubans. The soldiers who manned the government lands oppressed the Cubans and the reforms enacted by Guevara aimed at restoring the dignity of the people. As such, the Cubans got land which they used to enrich themselves through sale and farming and also had the property that their children could inherit.
The agrarian reform also empowered the Cubans to use better methods of farming. The government provided simple tools for plowing and digging which increased efficiency in agriculture and hence productivity. The increase in productivity during the era when Guevara was the minister of industries opened up the poor peasants to earn more income. Therefore, the peasants were not only rewarded with land ownership, but the government helped to improve their standards of living. As such, the poor peasants were loyal to the revolutionary power of Fidel Castro and Guevara (Anderson and Durán 102). Therefore, Guevara was a leader who aimed at improving the welfare of the Cubans.
The National Literacy Campaign
Guevara also helped to spearhead a nationwide literacy campaign in Cuba (Price). The illiteracy levels in Cuba were alarming since the governance of President Batista viewed the citizens only as peasants who did not deserve any education. Education was only reserved for the Americans living in Cuba at that time. However, after the Cuban Revolution, the governance of Fidel Castro led by individuals such as Guevara led a one-year long effort to promote the literacy levels in the country. The initiative took place in 1961, and it was labeled as one of the most organized and ambitious literacy campaigns globally (Cantor 120).
Guevara was a great advisor to Fidel Castro as they had become close allies since the days of the revolution in the country. Therefore, he was able to advise the president on the need of hiring more instructors who would make education more accessible for the Cubans. The government also engaged in training more young people to become teachers, constructing schools in most of the areas in Cuba and making education more affordable. The campaign not only focused on the young but also on the peasants who were taught basic reading, writing, and simple mathematics.
Before the campaign, approximately 76% of the citizens in Cuba were illiterate. At the end of 1961, more than 96% of the nation was literate, and the efforts had reached to around 700,000 adults. As such, Guevara was a man who was interested in the welfare of his people. He saw the need to improve the quality of life for the Cubans by continually empowering them. Education was a tool that the young people in Cuba used to access resources both in their nation and foreign countries. The improvement of literacy skills also promoted decision-making skills especially for the peasant farmers who would be cheated by the skilled foreigners seeking to buy their farm products. Therefore, Guevara was a man who ensured that the Cubans utilized the resources that were available in their country.
A Diplomat
Guevara was a diplomat who openly expressed his desire to see the rise of socialism in Cuba (Price). He believed that it was the role of the government to ensure equity in resource allocation for all its citizens and that the community should regulate trade. When Guevara served as the president of the Cuba National Bank and the instructional director in the armed forces of Cuba, he got many opportunities to travel across the world (Anderson and Durán 98). He was vocal in opposing the capitalist societies adopted by the West and openly talked about his leftist policies.
Guevara’s open criticism of the West led to the Bay of Pigs Invasion (Anderson and Durán 85). The invasion was sponsored by the government of the United States. It was composed of the Central Intelligence Agency of the country and Cuban exiles who had escaped to the US when Fidel Castro took up leadership in the country. The US used the Central Intelligence Agency to attack Cuba because it was gradually increasing its communist influence and policies. However, the invaders were defeated by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces under the guidance of Guevara.
The failed invasion strengthened the rule of Fidel Castro, and as such, he was able to form closer ties with the enemies of the United States such as the Soviet Union (Adams 37). The failure of the invasion was seen as a failure of US foreign policies. The close relationship between Cuba and the Soviet Union led to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 (Adams 102). The crisis was a confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States as a response to the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Although the encounter would have led to the escalation of the cold war to a nuclear war, it played a significant role in decentralizing the production of missiles from the United States.
Fidel Castro under the guidance of his key men such as Guevara agreed with the US government to construct many missile launching facilities in their country (Cantor 132). Although the agreement was followed later by many negotiations which aimed at reducing the presence of offensive weapons in Cuba, the Cuban missile crisis formed a basis for reducing the tension between the Soviet Union and the US. The crisis created a communication line between the Soviet Union and the United States as they were involved in discussing the role of Cuba in holding offensive weapons.
Although Guevara was not directly involved in reaching the consensus between the Soviet Union and the United States, he was a crucial part of the governance of Fidel Castro. Therefore, he contributed to the ideas offered by the Cuban government. As such, Guevara not only contributed to the success of his country as a great advisor to Fidel Castro but also helped in improving international relationships between super powers (Cantor 152).
A Great Writer
Guevara was a great writer and diarist. After the Cuban Revolution, he wrote a book named Guerrilla Warfare (Price). In the book, Guevara recorded of the journey to revolutionize Cuba and finally deliver the Cubans from the oppressive reign of President Batista. He explained in detail the hardships that they went through and the book became a source of guidance and inspiration to guerrilla fighters worldwide. The book also provided a global reputation for him as a revolutionary figure who was willing to risk his life for the sake of his people (Price).
Guevara also shared the reason for participating relentlessly in the revolution. He states that he disliked the lack of legitimacy that the elite who were currently incumbent in the government to lead the country. The channels used in governance also created tension in Cuba and all legal avenues that could be used to change the government had closed the situation. As such, Guevara gave his opinion to the world which helped to prove that he was not a man who sought to disrupt world peace but he was only interested in ensuring justice and proper governing structures.
In the book, he also offers advice to other fighters and encourages them to try peaceful negotiations before opting for guerrilla warfare (Adams 110). He also tells them about the need for flexibility as different measures success in particular regions. Guevara also wrote a memoir known as ‘The Motorcycle Diaries' where he described his experience in South America. As they were seeking to learn more about the country from what had been outlined in the books, he was transformed by the social injustices he came across.
The journey exposed him to exploited mine workers, ostracized lepers, persecuted communists and this helped home realize that he could have a solution to the issues in South America (Adams 135). Guevara immediately developed a dream for Latin America which made him willing to fight and even die for the sake of the poor Latin Americans. Therefore, the literary works of Guevara open up his personality to the world. He is seen as a man who only seeks to ensure that justice and good governance prevails regardless of the measures he had to take. As such, Guevara was a true patriot not only to his country but others where the poor were being oppressed.
Global Commitment
Guevara continued with his study of Marxism-Leninism political ideologies (Price). They were policies that were majorly upheld by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and they promoted the need for communism in societies. As such, Guevara concluded that problems, underdevelopment of the third world countries are mainly caused by imperialism, neocolonialism, and capitalism (Price). He decided that it was only the ideas of proletarian internationalism and communism that would bring a world revolution in third world countries. He vowed to take his convictions to Congo and later in Bolivia where he was executed by the armies of the land (Cantor 125).
Guevara was an international leader who only focused on ensuring that the issues of humanity were met (Price). He was moved by issues related to human suffering, underdevelopment, and failure of government systems to deliver quality services to their people. Although he was fierce in his tactics, he believed that was the only way he would reach out to the governments. When he attacked the governments, he felt that they would reach out for negotiations and he would get a platform to air his policies to them. As such, improvement of the lives of citizens was his core business.
Public Figure
The execution of Guevara was viewed as martyrdom by many people worldwide (Chomsky, Carr and Smorkaloff 175). They felt that he died fighting for the lower class society in a country he did not belong. As such, a lot of literary works such as memoirs, essays, songs, films, and documentaries have been composed to bring out the heroic acts of Guevara. He has also been seen as an icon of socialism and leftist movements. He has also been named as one of the most influential people. The Maryland Institute College of Art used a photograph of Guevara taken by Alberto Korda and labeled it as the most famous photo globally (Lessmann 196). The people who understand the motivation for his actions end up loving Guevara because they can acknowledge his sincere need to help the human race.
Conclusion
Guevara has received both positive and negative criticisms. However, it is important to appreciate that he was a man who can provide insight on how to deal with bad government structures. He is also a man who can inspire current leaders on the need to meet the needs of their people and improve their standards of living. Guevara gave his life not only for his home country Cuba but also for others including South America. He also played a critical role in the governance of Fidel Castro which led to improvement in the literacy levels, development of agriculture and better standards of living for Cubans. The literary works done by Guevara and other people about him show that he was a man who had committed his life to human service. As such, Guevara is a public figure and a man worthy of honor.
Works Cited
Adams, Jerome R. Liberators, Patriots and Leaders of Latin America: 32 Biographies. New York: McFarland and Company, 2010. Web.
Anderson, Jon Lee and Armando Durán. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. Ohio: Findaway World Publications, 2009. Web.
Cantor, Jay. The Death of Che Guevara: A Novel. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2005. Web.
Chomsky, Aviva, Barry Carr and Pamela María Smorkaloff. The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, and Politics. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003. Web.
Lessmann, Robert. Che Guevera. Kreuzlingen: Hugendubei Publications, 2006. Web.
Price, Dan. Love and Leadership: Lessons from Che Guevara. 10 February 2017. Web. 3 August 2017.
