Che Guevara's revolutionary involvement: perspectives from Cuba, Africa, and superpowers

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 attitude that was devoid of pragmatism. Bella has been reported to have remarked that the reason for Guevara's decision to help the revolutionaries in the Congo was to defeat capitalism in Africa because he probably though that Africa was where capitalism had weaker roots and would be easier to defeat than elsewhere such as Latin America, where Guevara had himself seen the exploitation of the indigenous populations and the poor at the hand of white settlers and the corporate interests of the United States. He had underestimated the power of the capitalists and imperialists in the Congo and had overestimated the discipline and passion of the Congolese rebels who had faced a crushing defeat just a few years ago (Harris 2010, 140).

The Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, another close friend of Guevara's and one of the most notable leaders from Africa also expressed a pessimistic view of Guevara's adventures in the Congo. He was also quick to apprehend the passion for confrontation and idealism over pragmatism that had become a defining trait of Guevara. Having met Guevara on one of his earlier visits to Egypt, Nasser was well aware of the romantic ideals that Guevara nurtured with regard to communism and the armed struggle for the assertion of the proletariat over the exploiting class (Harris 2010, 140).

Also, being a visionary world leader himself, Nasser was well aware of the dynamics and social forces in the Congo than Guevara was. He felt that Guevara was mistaken in his belief that he could transplant the experience of the struggle in Cuba in the geographically, politically and culturally different landscape of the Congo. He felt that Guevara was being driven more by persona ideals and ambition rather than a clear understanding of the dynamics and momentum of the power struggle among the classes in the Congo. Nasser felt that Guevara was trying too hard to become a hero and this desire would lead him to failure in his revolutionary attempts and ultimately to his doom. Unfortunately, his views proved to be right when Guevara was arrested and executed for trying to organize an armed struggle against the government in Bolivia just two years later (Harris 2010, 143).

It can therefore be said that Castro and other world leaders did not have a very favorable view of Guevara's participation in attempted revolutions around the world. They felt that Guevara was motivated more by personal ambition and passion rather than a rational commitment to a global movement.

What Countries Thought of Che Guevara

During his term as minister of industry for the newly established Cuban government, Guevara was also sent abroad on diplomatic missions. As a key participant and leader in the armed struggle, it was though that Guevara would be the right person to build diplomatic ties with other communist and non-communist states around the world and to strengthen the communist bloc. During that period, Guevara made several visits to important countries of the time including China and the Soviet Union that were both communist nations inspired by the ideas of Marx but had modified those ideals to suit their local conditions.

The Views of China

Disillusioned with the way communism was being practiced in the Soviet Union, Guevara warmed up towards China in an attempt to strengthen relations with the emerging power and to validate the shape communism was taking place in China. He visited China in 1961 where he met with the leader of the Chinese revolution, Mao Zedong, and developed a warm friendship with him (Anderson 2010, 147). This became a concern for Castro and the regime in Cuba that was trying to stabilize itself by entering into economic cooperation arrangements with the Soviet Union, which was the leader of the communist block at the time (Anderson 2010, 150). Guevara's stint at the National Bank had not done much to help the Cuban economy to recover and there was a need to get external help for it to stand on its own two feet.

China itself was in a period of isolation with the West, in particular with the United States. Guevara was also anti-American and this concordance of ideas brought China and Guevara closer. At home, Guevara advocated policies to align the economy of the country with China and to wean it away from the Soviet Union, which according to him had corrupted the ideals of Marxist communism. This caused problems at home for Castro and his government which had already entered into assistance programs for providing exceptionally generous financial aid with the Soviet Union (Anderson 2010, 150).

Another place where Guevara and China shared ideals was in their position over the Cold War. Incidentally, China and the Soviet Union had adopted different stances on the issue of the Cold War. Being an ally of the Soviet Union, Castro wanted to Cuba to side with the Soviet Union. However, the speeches and writings of Guevara during that period reflected the ideas being voiced by the Chinese leader Mao at the time, causing great embarrassment to Castro back home. This shows that Guevara was friendlier towards China because of his anti-American and anti-Soviet stance, which was well supported by China but was unpopular within the more pragmatic circles back home (Anderson 2010, 155).

It is likely that Guevara wanted to prove his ability at strengthening the power of the communist philosophy by taking a more aggressive stand on international issues. This was recognized by China and the Soviet Union among other countries.

The Views of the Soviet Union

The views of Guevara about the Soviet style of communism were well-known to the Soviets. Like the Cuban government led by Castro, they were more interested in stability than a regular overthrowing of governments around the world. They were for a peaceful coexistence with the United States while Guevara vocally opposed this stance as a betrayal to the cause of communism and to the suffering of the people being exploited by the exploiters in the capitalist countries. Guevara made this disillusionment quite clear at a speech made in Algeria. In that speech he proclaimed that the Soviet Union had let down the cause of communism by adopting a revisionist approach towards the original ideas of Marx and had by virtue of these actions, become a partner of the United Sates and the capitalist world in the exploitation of the poor of the world. He divided the world into the exploiting Northern Hemisphere led by the United States and the Soviet Union, and the exploited Southern Hemisphere characterized by the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America (Anderson 2010, 590).

Obviously, these ideas were not very favorable to the Soviets and they were not to take too kindly to them. The remarks also caused embarrassment to Castro who had had high expectations of Guevara after his successful role in leading the armed struggle against the rule of Batista. It appeared to the Soviets and Castro that Guevara was still idealizing the life of the armed struggle and could not see any other peaceful means of championing the cause of the exploited class. However, due to the moderating influence of Castro, relationships between the two countries did not become worse and the two continued to cooperate in economic and military activities.

The Soviets were also offended by the omission of Guevara on making complimentary remarks about the progress of the Soviet model upon a visit to Moscow as he had praised China on an earlier visit to that country (Anderson 2010, 468). This, given the ideological schism between the Soviet Union and China went further in deteriorating the Soviet perception of Guevara. They believed that Guevara was motivated by his independent and adventurous nature to take an independent stand on the role of armed struggle and the Cuban relationships with other countries of the world.

The Views of the United States

The United States was very watchful of the activities of Guevara. They were aware that Guevara's opposition to western and American capitalism went back in time to when he had toured Latin America on his Harley-Davidson. They were also aware of his charismatic appeal among the peasant class and his ability to organize and command an armed revolt. They were also sensitive about the effectiveness of the regimes they had supported across Latin America in dealing with any resistance or revolution that Guevara might be able to initiate with the help of rebels in the local population.

The United States government was wary of the activities of Guevara and his associates in Latin America after the success of the revolution in Cuba which had dislodged an established ally of the United States from power. The United States felt that emboldened by this victory Guevara and his allies would try to replicate their success in other countries of Latin America especially those that were perceived to be exploited by the United States. The United States sought to preempt any mass rebellion by supporting governments that would bring about economic reforms so that the demand for regime change would diminish and Guevara would find it more difficult to get support from the locals. One such ally of the United States was the president Estenssoro of Bolivia who had been elected after another movement had toppled the military dictator General Hugo Ballivian (Salmon 1990, 216).

The CIA had been cooperating with the Bolivian government after coming to know of Guevara's attempts at starting a revolution in the country by building up a guerrilla army among the peasants in the rural hinterland. However, this attempt of his proved to be fruitless as the local population was unwilling to cooperate and the CIA received a tip from one of them that led to his capture and execution in 1967 (Salmon 1990, 120).

The view of the United States as far as the participation of Guevara is concerned was that he was motivated by his passion and the success of his experience in Cuba. They were also aware of his dissatisfaction with the interests of the United States in Latin America and his opposition to the exploitation by American corporations of the poor populations of Latin America. They viewed Guevara as an aggressive communist militant.

Why Guevara was Interested in Starting Revolutions in Latin America

In 1952, while still studying for a career in medicine and reading up the economic theories of Marx in his free time, Guevara embarked upon a motorbike trip across South America with his friend. While travelling outside the settler dominated home country of Argentina where the indigenous population was relatively non-existent, Guevara observed first-hand the exploitation and suffering of the native population and the large-scale devouring of the natural resources of South America at the hands of European settlers and American corporate interests (Castaneda 1998, 13).

He also observed that attempts toward increased unification among South American countries were frustrated by the collusion between the American corporate interests, local capitalist and political leaders. The effect was to keep Latin America divided into smaller states that were easier to exploit by the United States. These observations shaped his thoughts that an international armed struggle was the only way to bring an end to the exploitation of the poor by the capitalist and imperialist powers.

Along his travels, Guevara also met with influential people who shaped his thoughts towards a communist and socialist revolution across South America. In Chile he met with members of the Chilean Communist Party and was moved by the stories of the hardships they had to face when voicing their demand for freedom from exploitation. In Peru, he met with an important leader of the Peruvian Communist Party, Doctor Hugo Pesce. The meeting with Doctor Pesce helped to make him aware of the plight of the poor and exploited classes (Castaneda 1998, 40).

In 1954, when he was in Guatemala, he witnessed a popular non-violent struggle failing to succeed in winning rights for the masses. He then began to strengthen his faith in the effectiveness of armed struggle as the only means for the success of the exploited and downtrodden classes.

In 1966, Bolivia was under the rule of the military dictator general Barrientos. He had assumed power after public opposition against the economic policies of the previous elected government had intensified. Guevara wanted to replicate the success of the Cuban revolution in Bolivia by organizing a revolution against the military regime.

There was a resistance to the military regime in Bolivia and Guevara wanted to support it. However, he had not taken into account the cultural and political situation on the ground. As a result, he was not able to inspire the local people to join in the armed struggle. Guevara was unable to communicate with the local people and to align their interests with the interests of the armed struggle. Because of his inflexible approach, the local communist party that had initially come to support Guevara and his men chose not to align themselves with his aides. Subsequently, one of the local people informed the authorities of his presence in the area which led to his capture by joint Bolivian and CIA forces (Salmon 1990, 216).

Why Guevara was Interested in Starting Revolutions in Africa

The history of the exploitation of Africans by the capitalists, colonialists and imperialists of Europe and America is well-known. Guevara also came to know of the continued exploitation of the African people at the hands of the French, Italian, British, Dutch and Belgian imperialists. However, there had been no successful communist struggle against imperialism in Africa like there had been in Asia and Latin America. Guevara wanted to support revolutions in Africa in order to strengthen the presence of communism in the continent.

Other reasons for his desire to start revolutions in Africa included his disappointment with the leadership that the Soviet Union was displaying towards the communist world. He felt that the ideals of Marxism were being diluted by revisionist attempts of the Soviet Union. He further felt that a successful communist revolution in Africa was necessary to free the exploited classes from the exploitation of both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Even before attempting to start a revolution in Latin America, Guevara had his eyes set on Africa. Another reason for this was that he was not satisfied with the direction that the government in Cuba was taking with regard to the alignment of the goals of the revolution and the economy with major powers of the world. In particular, he was disappointed that Castro was aligning Cuba with the Soviet Union instead of with China. In a letter addressed to Castro, he resigned from his government posts and gave up his honorary citizenship of Cuba and left for Africa.

His chosen destination was Congo where he arrived in 1965; just months after a popular revolt led by Lumumba had ended in a crushing and humiliating defeat for the rebels and the death of their leader. Guevara was determined to have the local rebels gain victory this time and he arrived with twelve allies to support a local rebellion against the Belgian imperialistic powers who controlled the region. Guevara had decided to offer guerrilla training and support to the local revolutionary group led by Kabila to organize an armed revolt against the rival Mobutu to seize power from the president Kasa-Vubu (Harris 2010, 138).

However, Guevara once again failed to assess the chances for success. He found quite late in his expedition that there was little desire and discipline among the rebels to conduct a sustained armed struggle against the oppressors. They were difficult to train and did not have a high morale to defeat the enemy forces. There were inefficiencies on his part too. He had come unprepared and had underestimated the intelligence and power of the local army. The CIA and a group of exiles from Cuba had begun to cooperate with the Congo army to quell the revolt that Guevara was organizing. As a result, Guevara was once again disillusioned and escaped from the country just seven months after his arrival (Harris 2010, 150).