Che Guevara - The Picture Encyclopedia of Cultural Images

Che Guevara - The Picture Encyclopedia of Cultural Images

Che Guevara was born as Ernesto Guevara de la Serna in Argentina in 1928. He studied to become a doctor, and during his studies, he traveled around in South-America and was struck by the poverty of many countries.. After graduating from the University of Buenos Aires, he ended up in Guatemala. Here Guevara gained his famous nickname “Che” for using this word indigenous to Argentina and Uruguay only (“che” means “buddy” or “pal” in English).

While in Guatemala, he also tried to help the social revolution led by President Guzmán, and met Hilda Gadea, his future wife. After Guzmán’s government was overthrown by a coup with the help of the CIA, Che Guevara left to Mexico and joined the Cuban exiles. He also became convinced that the USA is against the abolition of poverty in South-America, and that Marxism and the revolution is the only way to a better life for the people.

Che Guevara was accepted to the Cuban exiles of Fidel Castro as a medic, but he also received military training. He soon became one of the chief members of Castro’s “26 July Movement.” Before sailing out to overthrow the Baptista regime in Cuba, he married Hilda Gadea in 1955.

The invasion of Cuba did not go as planned, and the decimated guerilla army was forced to retreat into the mountains. Until 1958, when they finally succeeded and took over the country, Che Guevara planned and participated in many guerilla attacks and was noted as one of the most ruthless soldier among his comrades.

After Baptista was chased away in 1958, Che Guevara served in many positions under the Castro government. He was a prison commander, responsible for the execution of many of the old regime’s officials. Later on, in the assault of the Bay of Pigs, Che Guevara commanded a military post which fended off an American decoy force. Even later, he was minister of industries in the Castro government. During this period, he wrote a book entitled “Guerilla Warfare,” describing the methods and tactics, and provided help to revolutions in other countries.

In the mid-1960’s Che Guevara traveled around the world, at first speaking in the United Nations’ Congress in New York in 1964, then moving on to Europe, the socialist countries of Asia, and ending up in the Middle-East. Wherever he went, he promoted the communist revolution and a war effort against the West.

In 1965, Che Guevara led a Cuban military operation aimed to overthrow the government in Congo by helping the local guerillas. Although he made every effort to train the locals in guerilla warfare, this venture remained a failure due to the poor learning abilities of the rebel forces, and Guevara decided not to return to Cuba. By this time, he caught the attention of the CIA and the United States was seeking an opportunity to eliminate him.

After some months spent in the eastern bloc, Che Guevara’s way led to Bolivia, as leader of a small Cuban force of about 50 men. They aimed to help the local communists to overtake the country, but after some initial successes against the poorly trained and equipped Bolivian army, they faced difficulties. The communist party declined to help them as they expected assistance from Russia rather than Cuba, and the Bolivian army received training, equipment, and probably even special forces from the CIA.

Che Guevara was subsequently captured, and Bolivian president Barrientos ordered his execution promptly to avoid a public trial which would have made Guevara even more of a hero. Che Guevara was executed in October 1967, in a military camp not far from the place where he was captured. His body was exposed in a public hospital for the press to take photos, to publicize the fall of the great communist revolutionary.

At the same time the photos spread all over the world, the legend of Che Guevara started as an acknowledgement of his personality, bravery, and the efforts he made to further the life of the people of South America. The many diaries Che Guevara wrote during his life had also been published during the following years. In 1997, his remains were transported to Cuba and buried in a mausoleum under military ceremony.

Picture 1: Che Guevara