Che Guevara?

I have seen people wear his t-shirts and he seems to be more famous than churchill. I read that he was a revolutionary and died young. What exactly did he do and why people see him as a great figure?

Ernesto Guevara De La Serna was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1929 and grew up under the rule of dictator Juan D. Peron and his popular reforms.
He became a physician and after traveling through South America on his 23rd birthday, he started to develop Marxist ideas due to the extreme poverty and oppression Latin America suffered under the rule of the US and its Latin collaborators.
He spent some time in Mexico where he met Cuban exile Fidel Castro and other dissidents that hated the US control of Cuba through dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Ernesto was called "Che" since this is the way Argentineans call each other ( a slang word for "pal")
Che, Fidel and 80 other revolutionaries traveled from Mexico to Cuba in an old boat called "Grandma".
The 26th of July movement started its guerilla war against Batista in the Sierra Maestra, hiding, fighting and training from there.
When the revolution was won, Fidel and the revolutionaries took La Habana and took over the country. Che worked in many government jobs, including Minister of Industries and head of the National Bank (which he really didn't know much about)
Che was a man of the people, and believed that the success of the Cuban Revolution should be repeated in the entire world. He helped some revolutionaries in Congo, but their guerillas lost their battle.
Che then went to Bolivia, where he also unsuccessfully led the guerrillas. He was captured and wounded in the Bolivian mountains by the national army and some CIA operatives who believed him to be a national threat (specially because of his participation during the Bay of the Pigs and Cuban Missile crisis). Che was executed and buried in 1967 (he was 38 years old)

This is just a summary of his life. He did many different things and wrote several books discussing his thoughts on Marxism, Global Justice, economy, etc.
I suggest you should look more information in bios about him, the internet (www.el-comandante.com is a good source) and his own works like "Motorcycle Diaries", "Bolivian Diary" "Global Justice", etc. (right now I'm reading "Che speaks to the youth.")
He is known in most of the world. Unfortunately, Capitalism used him as a merchandising symbol, despite his fervent Marxism. T-shirts, mugs, posters, etc. are used by lots of people, including those who don't even know who he is. Sad.

This picture is his most famous.

Too bad the boat didnt sink on the way back to Cuba.

Yeah, I understand your feelings NGE. Sometimes I wish Dubya had suffered of a cocaine overdose or a car accident while drunk driving.

With respects,
El Koki

Che Guevara and Fidel Castro are revolutionary heroes who overthrew one of the most brutal dictators ever. Che shirts are EVERYWHERE, but I'm having trouble finding a Fidel shirt. -Pat

Last year half my damn school had his shirts, and they did'nt know shit all about him. Go figure. So I bought one but Che was wearing golden sun glasses with dollar signs on em'. They did'nt undertsand that either. If I could find a Fidel shirt that would kickass.

If anyone here is interested in Che Guevara, I strongly recommend you check out The Motorcycle Diaries . It is the best film I have seen all year.
And also, there is a film coming out next year about him (thanks again Pat) called Che

Posted by Pat:

I wonder why? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Pat being a liberal is one thing but saying Castro is a revolutionary hero is way over the line. It's pretty funny that he is a hero to lots and lots of people, none of them who are actually Cuban.

Sorry my opinion differs from yours. I'll ask for permission before I post about the present subject again. -Pat

I wonder why? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Pat being a liberal is one thing but saying Castro is a revolutionary hero is way over the line. It's pretty funny that he is a hero to lots and lots of people, none of them who are actually Cuban. [/quote]Damn straight...

I don't consider Castro, a man who's murdered thousands of political enemies and just people who were against him a hero.

I hate Che. I hate Castro even more.

I wonder why? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Pat being a liberal is one thing but saying Castro is a revolutionary hero is way over the line. It's pretty funny that he is a hero to lots and lots of people, none of them who are actually Cuban. [/quote]Che Guevara was indeed a hero. He fought for his ideas, he wanted to stop the opression of the capitalist system in Latin America. Once he felt he had done his job instead of staying in cuba and living large he decided to go fight at another foreign country: Congo, and then Bolivia.

I might not agree with his ideas but you can't deny that giving his life for the life of others is a heroic act.

Many of the people that history considers heroes were the same. They fought for political ideologies.... What makes them different?

Fidel Castro is a dictator though... I can see the connection between Che and Fidel but that doesn't make them the same.

Don Giorgio,

Your sharing with us the story of Che was an excellent post and a very informing post that I personally thank you for. I had no idea who this guy Che was until you educated me on the subject of this Che.

Then I scroll down and Bang! You have another post wishing a terrible horror on our President. Now why in the world would you wish such a horrible thing like that?

While reading your first post, I got the feeling that you are a pretty educated person. But when I read the second post, I was a bit dissapointed.


Don Cardi

Thanks for your replys.

Communism takes a fall!

Don Giorgio,

Your sharing with us the story of Che was an excellent post and a very informing post that I personally thank you for. I had no idea who this guy Che was until you educated me on the subject of this Che.

Then I scroll down and Bang! You have another post wishing a terrible horror on our President. Now why in the world would you wish such a horrible thing like that?

While reading your first post, I got the feeling that you are a pretty educated person. But when I read the second post, I was a bit dissapointed.


Don Cardi [/b][/quote]My apologies Don Cardi, but due to NGE's response, I wanted to post some sort of comeback. I thought that the one I posted was good, kinda funny and brutal.

Please don't take it personal and I appreciate your compliment. I wrote the bio in about 20 minutes.

Pat et al-
My uncle (who is married to a Cuban and lives in Mexico) will spend Christmas in La Habana. I asked him if he could get me a couple of Cuban-related things. I believe (maybe I'm wrong) that Fidel shirts may be sold. As a matter of fact, 2 years ago I saw a guy wearing a Fidel shirt in school several times.

Regards.