Ernesto Che Guevara

Revolution and politics

1. He was executed not for his crimes, but for his ideas. After his capture in Bolivia, Che had diaries with him, proving that he had not committed any crimes on Bolivian soil that warranted the death penalty. His execution was a political decision to eliminate a "living symbol" of the revolution.
2. He signed Cuban banknotes as "Che." As president of the National Bank of Cuba, he was required to sign new banknotes. Instead of his full name, "Ernesto Guevara," he, with his characteristic humor and disregard for formalities, simply wrote "Che." Thus, the Cuban peso received the world's only signature-nickname.
3. His famous portrait is the result of cropping. The legendary photograph "Heroic Guerrilla" was taken by Alberto Korda at a rally in Havana. In the original photograph, a man's profile is to the left of Che, and a palm tree to the right. The photographer cropped the image to create a powerful, concentrated portrait. Korda never demanded royalties for this photograph, considering it a gift to the world revolution.
4. He was an "honorary pioneer" of the USSR. In 1962, during a visit to the Soviet Union, he was ceremoniously awarded a pioneer tie and the title of "honorary pioneer."

Personality and habits

1. The nickname "Che" is his Argentine calling card. The word "Che" is a common Argentine interjection, like "hey," "listen," or "compatriot." His Cuban comrades began calling Ernesto this because of his habit of using the word in speech. It stuck with him so much that it became part of his name.
2. He was an asthmatic who despised his illness. From the age of two, Che suffered from severe asthma. The attacks were so severe that his mother learned to give him injections and apply mustard plasters. Instead of resigning himself to it, he toughened up his body through sports: rugby (where he earned the nickname "Fuser"), swimming, football, and hiking. He saw his battle with asthma as a metaphor for overcoming any challenge in life.
3. He adored chess. He had a passion for it since childhood; he participated in tournaments and even gave simultaneous exhibitions. During the Cuban Revolution, he organized a chess club for guerrillas, believing the game developed strategic thinking.
4. He had a passion for poetry. The stern comandante's image concealed a subtle nature. He knew poetry by heart and constantly recited it, especially those by Pablo Neruda, Federico García Lorca, Antonio Machado, and Walt Whitman. He himself wrote poetry in his youth.
5. He hated onions. This strange, yet very human detail is known from the memoirs of his comrades. In the field, when food was scarce, he couldn't stand it when onions were added to the communal dishes.

6. Bolivian campaign and death (1966-1967)

· The Last Crusade: In November 1966, posing as a Uruguayan businessman, he arrived in Bolivia to establish a guerrilla foco that he hoped would spread to neighboring countries (including his native Argentina).
· Failure: The campaign was disastrous from the start. His unit was poorly prepared, lacked support from local farmers, and was isolated in difficult terrain. The Bolivian army, trained and armed by the CIA, tracked them down.
Capture and Execution: The wounded Che Guevara was captured on October 8, 1967, in the Quebrada del Yuro ravine. The following day, October 9, he was executed by firing squad on the orders of Bolivian President René Barrientos in the village of La Higuera. His last words, according to legend, were: "Shoot, cowards! You'll kill a man, but not an idea!"

4. At the pinnacle of power in Cuba (1959-1965)

After the victory of the revolution, Che Guevara occupied key positions in the new government:

· Commander of the La Cabaña fortress: He oversaw revolutionary tribunals and the execution of Batista's supporters. This period is one of the most controversial in his biography.
· President of the National Bank of Cuba: On the banknotes of that period, instead of his signature, there was only the famous “Che”.
· Minister of Industry: Sought rapid industrialization and the elimination of money, but his economic policy, based on central planning and moral incentives, largely failed due to a lack of expertise and the American embargo.

He also became one of Cuba's main faces on the international stage, delivering fiery speeches at the UN and representing the island on trips around the world.

5. Revolutionary internationalism and withdrawal from Cuba (1965-1966)

Che believed in the idea of ​​"exporting revolution." He believed in creating "not two, not three Vietnams," but numerous pockets of resistance around the world.
In 1965, he mysteriously disappeared from public life. In his farewell letter to Fidel Castro, he renounced all his posts and Cuban citizenship to devote himself to revolutionary struggle in other countries.
· His first such mission was in Congo, where he tried to help the rebels but failed.

2. Guatemala and radicalization (1953-1954)

· After graduating from university in 1953, Che went to Guatemala, where President Jacobo Arbenz was implementing progressive land reforms.
There, he witnessed the CIA-organized coup that overthrew Arbenz. This event finally convinced him that the United States was an "imperialist predator" and that revolution through armed struggle was the only path to Latin American liberation.
· It was in Guatemala that he received his famous nickname "Che" - an interjection that Argentines often use in speech (like "hey", "listen").

3. Cuban Revolution (1955-1959)

Meeting with Fidel Castro: In 1955, in Mexico, Che met Fidel and Raúl Castro, who were preparing an expedition to Cuba to overthrow dictator Fulgencio Batista. Che, a doctor, joined them in that capacity.
· Guerrilla Warfare: The Granma landing in 1956 was unsuccessful, but the few survivors, including Che, founded a guerrilla movement in the Sierra Maestra mountains.
Military Leader: Despite his initial role as a doctor, Che proved himself to be a brilliant, albeit stern, tactician and commander. He was merciless to deserters and traitors, but commanded immense respect for his personal bravery and willingness to share all the hardships of his soldiers.
· Key victories: Under his command, the guerrillas won several important victories, culminating in the decisive battle for the city of Santa Clara in December 1958, which opened the way to Havana.

Ernesto Che Guevara (1928-1967) – Biography

Birth name: Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna
Known aliases: Che, Che Guevara, Comandante Che, "Federico" (in Bolivia)

1. Early years and formation (1928-1952)

· Origin: Born June 14, 1928 in the Argentine city of Rosario to a wealthy and aristocratic, but left-wing family.
Family: His parents (Ernesto Guevara Lynch and Celia de la Serna) were of mixed Spanish and Irish descent. Their home had a liberal and anti-clerical atmosphere.
Illness: At the age of two, Ernesto was diagnosed with severe asthma, which plagued him throughout his life. This illness greatly shaped his character, strengthening his will to overcome his weakness.
Education: His illness did not prevent him from receiving a good education. He was interested in philosophy, poetry (especially Pablo Neruda), and chess. In 1946, he entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires.
Formation of views: His political consciousness began to take shape under the influence of his travels through Latin America, the most famous of which he took in 1952 on a motorcycle with his friend Alberto Granado. These trips opened his eyes to the appalling poverty, exploitation, and social injustice that reigned on the continent. He later wrote about his experiences in The Motorcycle Diaries.

General image and style

Ascetic and stern: His appearance was not the result of following fashion, but rather a consequence of his convictions. He rejected formal dress codes, preferring a simple, often worn military uniform, emphasizing his solidarity with ordinary people.
· Iconic elements: Berets with a star, Cuban guilloches (gaucho shirts), the ever-present cigar.

2. Hair and beard:

Hair: Dark brown, thick and curly. He wore it quite long by the standards of the time, which was part of his rebellious image. (The length was about shoulder length or slightly shorter.)
Beard: His thick but unkempt beard became his signature look. It's important to understand that it wasn't so much a stylistic choice as a necessary measure during the guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra: the guerrillas didn't have razors. He later retained this look as a symbol of the revolution.

3. Body type:

Che Guevara was thin and wiry, with a somewhat stooped posture. His physique was not heroic, but he possessed tremendous endurance, which was especially surprising given his asthma.
· Height: Approximately 175-180 cm, which was considered above average for his era.

Contradictions and "dark sides"

The image of Che Guevara would not be complete without mentioning the criticized aspects of his activities:

Role at La Cabaña: As commander of the La Cabaña fortress in 1959, he oversaw the revolutionary tribunals and executions of hundreds of supporters of the ousted Batista regime. His justification—"military necessity and revolutionary justice"—remains the subject of fierce debate.
· Economic policy: As Minister of Industry, his attempts at rapid industrialization and the abandonment of money in favor of central planning failed, damaging the Cuban economy.
· Revolutionary dogmatism: His belief that the guerrilla foco itself could create a revolutionary situation proved to be mistaken (which led to his death in Bolivia).

Che Guevara's personality is an alloy of:

· Reason and fanaticism
· Romance and cruelty
· Intellectual sophistication and military asceticism
· A doctor by training (who must save lives) and a revolutionary (who took them)

3. Intellectual and romantic

Behind the image of the stern comandante lurked a well-read and sensitive man.

· Erudition: He loved to read from childhood, his interests were very broad - from classical literature (Cervantes, Verne, Dostoevsky, Jules Verne) to philosophy (Sartre, Camus) and, of course, works on Marxism, economics and military affairs.
· Love of poetry: He wrote poetry himself and loved poetry, especially that of Pablo Neruda.
· Diaries: Throughout his life, he kept detailed diaries, which are not only historical documents but also literary works full of personal reflections.

4. Will and self-overcoming

Che Guevara struggled with severe asthma from childhood. This illness greatly shaped his character.

· Fighting illness: He didn't resign himself to asthma, but rather strengthened his body through sports (rugby, swimming, football) and dangerous journeys. He strove to prove that his will was stronger than his physical weakness.
· Motorcycle Travel: His famous journey through South America, described in The Motorcycle Diaries, was not just tourism, but an act of self-discovery and confrontation with the harsh reality of the continent, which awakened in him a revolutionary consciousness.

5. Military ascetic and strict leader

As a military leader, Che Guevara was very stern.

Strict discipline: During the guerrilla war in Cuba and later in Congo and Bolivia, he demanded iron discipline, courage, and a willingness to sacrifice from his soldiers. He personally participated in the execution of deserters and traitors.
· Personal example: He never demanded of others anything he wouldn't do himself. He marched in the front ranks, shared all the soldiers' hardships, and was wounded in battle several times.

1. Ideological fanaticism and irreconcilability

This is perhaps the central trait of his character. Che Guevara was absolutely convinced of the correctness of his Marxist-Leninist ideas and was prepared to go to the end.

"The New Man": He believed not simply in a change of political system, but in the creation of a "new man"—altruistic, selfless, driven by moral rather than material incentives. This idea is outlined in his work "Socialism and Man in Cuba."
· Rejection of compromise: He was opposed to any concessions to capitalism or imperialism. In a famous speech at the UN in 1964, he declared, "We must shoot! Yes, we have shot, and we will shoot until the end." This was his position on the war criminals of the Batista regime, but it illustrates his radicalism.
· "Hatred as a Factor of Struggle": In his famous essay, he wrote that hatred of the oppressors is a powerful weapon that turns a soldier into an effective killing machine.

2. Asceticism and self-discipline

Che Guevara consciously rejected material goods and comfort, which was in sharp contrast to his bourgeois origins.

· Rejection of privileges: After the victory of the Cuban Revolution, he held high positions (chief of the La Cabaña fortress, minister of industry, president of the National Bank). However, he always wore a simple military uniform, refused higher wages, and worked on subbotniks (workdays) alongside ordinary workers.
· Demanding of himself and others: His asceticism extended to those around him. He was adamant about the integrity and moral purity of revolutionaries.