Che Guevara, whose real name is Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, stands among the most recognizable figures of the 20th century. Being famous for his contribution to the Cuban Revolution, Che served as an eternal symbol of rebellion, anti-imperialism, and socialism. The image of a man in a beret with a stern look had been used too extensively, appearing on millions of T-shirts, posters, and murals worldwide, making it impossible to include it in the Constitution. A very complicated, multivalent human being lies behind the symbol crusading for social justice and pursuing revolutionary change. One of the following blogs deals with the life, success, personal dimension, and lasting legacy that the iconic figure Che Guevara marked.

Quick Facts

• Full Name: Ernesto Guevara de la Serna
• Birth Date: June 14, 1928
• Birthplace: Rosario, Argentina
• Education: Graduated from the University of Buenos Aires as a physician in 1953
• Role: Prominent Marxist revolutionary, guerrilla leader, and major figure in the Cuban Revolution
• Died: October 9, 1967, La Higuera, Bolivia (aged 39)

Che Guevara’s Early Life

Ernesto Guevara was a firstborn son, born on June 14, 1928, in Rosario, Argentina, to a middle-class family of Spanish and Irish extraction. His father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch, worked both as an architect and a civil engineer, while his mother, Celia de la Serna, had some political activism running in her family. When Che was very young, he revealed the first signs of intellectual curiosity and developed a deep feeling of empathy that later guided him on his revolutionary path.

The attacks of asthma had become a recurring feature since he was a child and one that remained with him all his life. He was still an adventurous boy, then, fond of sports, with a special interest in literature and philosophy. His family kept moving frequently due to his father’s work, thus exposing Che to different social environments and realities.

In 1948, Che enrolled in the University of Buenos Aires for his medical studies. These were educating years, but they were much interrupted by long journeys across Latin America that became a turning point regarding his worldview. He made the most important South American trip on a Motorcycle in 1951-1952, during which he wrote a memoir called “The Motorcycle Diaries.” During this trip, Che encountered extensive poverty, disease, and social injustice, which influenced him much before sowing the seeds for his revolutionary zeal.

Career and Major Achievements

In 1955, in Mexico, he met the Castro brothers—Fidel and Raúl—and his revolutionary career began to take shape. The Castro brothers, exiled Cuban revolutionaries, prepared for the overthrow of then-Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar. Che Guevara became a part of their 26th of July Movement, impelled by the vision of social justice and anti-imperialism.

In November 1956, Che, Fidel, and about 80 other revolutionaries sailed from Mexico to Cuba in a small yacht called the Granma. The landing was a disaster; Batista’s forces ambushed them, and only a few of the original group survived. Che, who had started as the group’s medic, quickly became one of the leaders in the wake of that disastrous landing, on account of his bravery, tactical genius, and inspirational powers.

For the next two years, Che played a very significant role in the Cuban guerrilla campaign. He led several successful battles – emerging as a fearless and feared fighter. He captured Santa Clara in December 1958, which was a decisive victory and helped clear the way for the toppling of Batista. The revolutionary forces, led by Fidel Castro, took over Cuba as Batista fled on January 1, 1959.

Che Guevara was the first President of the National Bank and later Minister of Industry of the new Cuban government. Added to this long list of his initiatives, he oversaw and facilitated agrarian reform, the nationalization of industries, and programs aiming to improve literacy and education. He spoke internationally for Cuba in the advocacy of Third World solidarity with support for anti-imperialism movements.

Personal Life

The personal life of Che Guevara was colorful and as complicated as his revolutionizing career. He had two marriages, with five children to his name. First, he married Hilda Gadea, a Peruvian economist and fellow revolutionary. Guevara met her in Guatemala, where he resided after the 1954 CIA-instigated coup against the democratically elected government headed by Jacobo Árbenz. With Hilda, Guevara had a daughter, Hilda Beatriz Guevara, born in 1956.

The second marriage of Che was to Aleida March, a Cuban revolutionary who would later become his fellow combatant in the Cuban Revolution. They married in 1959 and had four children: Aleida, Camilo, Celia, and Ernesto. All these strenuous revolutionary activities did not deter Che from being a loving father. He maintained close ties with his family while continuing to embark on the revolution.

Asceticism and personal discipline were two hallmarks of Che’s personal life. He was living most simply, denying himself often personal comforts as a regime to be able to share in the hardships of the people he was fighting for. Such commitment to living out ideals helped endear him to many and added to his reputation in a very controversial way.

Legacy and Impact

He left behind a deep and polarizing legacy. He was, to his admirers, a hero who all his life had wrestled with oppression and imperialism. Quite especially, his writings—for example, “Guerrilla Warfare” and “The Motorcycle Diaries”—keep on firing up countless activists and revolutionaries around the world. It was, and still is, an ideal worth fighting for: Che’s vision of ONE Latin America free from foreign domination.

His image has become an internationalist symbol of rebellion and resistance. His famous photo, taken by Alberto Korda, was reproduced day in and out, meaning all sorts of causes and movements. This iconized status sometimes overshadows the intricacies and contradictions of this human’s life and actions.

A good part of the criticism against him focused on his commitment to revolutionary violence and his role in the executions of political opponents exposing a more ruthless, dogmatic Che Guevara. Regarding his economic policies, centralization, and industrialization in Cuba, he was bedeviled by huge problems and won plenty of criticisms. In this way, the controversy surrounding his bequest reflects the broader debates about the nature of revolutions and the relations between idealism and pragmatism.

Conclusion

It is hard to refute that the whirlwind that was Che Guevara’s life was sustained by a consistent commitment to his ideals and a very costly struggle for social justice. From those nascent days of his childhood in Argentina through his revolutionary acts in Cuba and thereafter, Che’s journey is underscored by his innate belief in the necessity of radical change.

The controversy-laden, complex legacy that he has left behind acts as a very strong reminder of the eternal quest for a world that is better, where there is justice and equity. To some, he is a hero, although for many others, he remains controversial. However, the impact that Che Guevara had on history and his symbolic status as the icon of revolution remains very alive across both time and space.

You May Also Like: