Che Guevara
Ernesto “Che” Guevara, more popularly known simply as Che Guevara was born on June 14, 1928. He is perhaps the most controversial Argentine Marxist Rebel and Revolutionary in the books of history. His controversial stance does not diminish his popularity as an individual thinker, a politician, physician, military strategist and guerilla chief. He passed away on October 9, 1967, not before leaving a significant change in the cultural trends within Argentina, Cuba and even the United States amongst other territories
Guevara’s early school life was a very dynamic one. Even though, he suffered from regular Asthma attacks, but never let those stop him from being a very active youngster. He was always involved in sports like soccer, golf and rugby. His aggressive nature and style also earned him the nickname of “de la Serna.” Guevara studied medicine and upon his medical travels across Latin America proved to him that what the country needed was a drastic reform at all the economic and industrial levels. He believed that the trends of free enterprise and imperialism were resulting in huge social gaps and were allowing the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. These incidents instigated in him a drive to initiate change which was why he got involved in the movement in Guatemala and visited the United Nations sessions to promote the belief that he though was necessary for the kind of change that would initiate a more balanced economical division across the world. These incidents will be discussed in detail later in the paper
Body
It is as common knowledge that culture is an influential and strong force. Cultural forces lead the relationship of an individual with the society and vice verse. Many researchers assert that culture operates as a cerebral and emotional standard, which has the power to impede and oppose other cultural values, which are in direct conflict with their cultural values. Furthermore, cultural standards/values can single out certain individuals from the rest of the group. This can include but is not limited to colleagues, family members, religious associates and other members of the society. In the same way, culture also has the power to unite people and make them a cohesive force. Trust is considered to be the key in the later; i.e. trust can allow mutual understanding amongst people and unites them on a single platform. Che Guevara’s exposure to the cultural and social structures was one of the driving forces for his revolutionary approach towards bringing about a just change
One such impact that his family had on Guevara was the exposure that they gave him to the world of good literature and poetry. Guevara’s interest in poetry and books was sparked from a very young age and he was influenced by the poetic stances of the likes of Pablo Neruda, John Keats, Antonio Machado, Federico Garcia Lorca, Gabriela Mistral, Cesar Vallejo, and Walt Whitman. His favorite authors included Andre Gide, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, William Faulkner, Franz Kafka, Emilio Salgari and Jules Verne as well as Friedrich Engels, Jawaharlal Nehru, Albert Camus, H.G. Wells, and Jean-Paul Sartre; as well as Anatole France, and Robert Frost. What is important to note here is that all of these poets and writers were ahead of their time in the way that they saw the world and were also very revolutionary in their stance of what the social structure needed to be and how the current structure was worth serious criticism. With such thoughts in the back of his mind, Guevara’s medical visits across Latin America strengthened his resolution for a change and drove him towards using his aggressive nature in turning the tides of the time irrespective of the controversies and criticisms that he had to face along the way
This is where we see one of the most important traits if Che Guevara i.e. incubation. Researchers identify incubation as a process of contemplating an idea. They assert that incubation is, “ideas churn around below the threshold of consciousness.” Researchers assert that incubation leads to discovery of various new relationships that had previously gone unnoticed and further recognize incubation as an inherent attribute of any and every leader, revolutionary or otherwise. They give a multi-dimensional definition of incubation i.e. simmering of opportunities that had been recognized over time. They recognize two important features of incubation:
Intuitive
Non-intentional
We can clearly see incubation throughout Guevara’s life as an integral part of all the actions he took and all the people he associated with in order to attain the idea he had. His the aforementioned influences he has in his life through the poetry and books he read as well as the medical visits he made. The intuitive incubations include Guevara’s associations with Jacobo Arbenz Guzman – President of Guatemala, Hilda Gadea Acosta – Peruvian economist, Fidel Castro — revolutionary leader who was planning to defeat the autocracy of Fulgencio Batista, APRA – American Popular Revolutionary Alliance, amongst others
At this stage we can also consider insight as an inherent characteristic for Guevara. Insight occurs when there is a conscious recognition of a need for profitable or just opportunity by an individual. Insight can also be defined as an emotional and mental experience when the opportunity is recognized or simply as a “point of vision.” Analyzing Guevara’s pattern of activities, we can define insight as a discovery that ruptures the and an idea that is driven under the influence of social networks. What’s also interesting to note here is that the insight the Guevara had for the necessity of the economic and political reform was portrayed by him with a high level of logic and confidence. Relative traits that can be recognized as part of Guevara’s insight here are:
Creativity
Innovation
Creativity and innovation can be placed as the essence of all of Guevara’s movements under the definition that most researchers believe that strong creative skills and innovative thinking lead to effective problem solving. Barron and Harrington (1981) in an un-related study present a six dimensional model of creativity which supports the overall characteristics of Guevara’s activities:
Imagination;
Spontaneity;
Self-confidence;
Resourcefulness;
Enthusiasm; and Independence
Innovation can be very visibly seen in the military strategies that and guerilla warfare techniques that Che Guevara used when developing the revolution that freed Cuba and Guatemala from the dictatorship of governments.
Even though Guevara’s medical visits set the tone for what he needed to do, it was his visits to Guatemala and Cuba that really set him on his way.
It was on December 10, 1953 that Che Guevara sent an aggressively-styled message to his Aunt Beatriz in San Jose, Costa Rica before he left for Guatemala. He addressed the free enterprise owners as “octopuses” who were draining entire communities for personal gain and how horrible this feat was. He explains in this message that the reason for his harsh tone was because he needed to wake up the conservatives within his family and the society to wake up before it was too late. His message ended with an even stronger tone of wiping the capitalists out from the social structure and finishing their monopoly even if that was the last thing that he did
Guevara then settled in Guatemala and trained himself under the leadership of President Jacobo Arbenz Guzman to “perfect himself and accomplish whatever may be necessary in order to become a true revolutionary.” The association that Guevara made with President Arbenz was because he was leading a democratic-structured government to end the latifundia structure within the region through the introduction of land reforms in order to shut down the system of enforced labor employment and land donations to fulfill the military purposes
Here, in an effort to associate him with the Arbenz government, Guevara sought the help of a Peruvian economist by the name of Hilda Gadea Acosta who was also a member of the left-aligned political group: Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA, American Popular Revolutionary Alliance). She made Guevara aware or the workings of the APRA and used her connections with the Arbenz government to introduced Guevara to the important personnel within the structure. It was here that Guevara’s regular use of the slang “Che” gave him the same nickname and used his alliance with the Arbenz government to not only help improve the conditions in Guatemala and eradicate the latifundia structure but also used the same connection to lead necessary revolutions in Cuba and help the exiles escape from the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba in 1953
In this stage, one of the important personal traits of Guevara that needs to be highlighted in his hunger for appropriate preparation. Csikszentmihalyi (1996) in an a four dimensional model of preparation that is also applicable here. These four dimensions are as follows:
Preceding experience
Acquired knowledge
Heightened interest in the specified area
Increased effort based on self-interest
Guevara knew that the revolution he wanted to bring was not going to be easy or a short-lived effort which is why he knew that he needed to be appropriately prepared for whatever came his way. Hence, the model of preparation applies to Guevara’s situation and choices perfectly because all of the prior knowledge and experience he had through his medical visits across Latin America motivated him to be absolutely prepared for a long battle, hence he not only stayed in the area where he could learn the most, he associated with people who had been pursuing the same goal longer then him and knew more about the things that he wanted to be aware of .
Domain knowledge that Guevara gained by staying in Guatemala and preparing was also of significant importance to sharpen the technical skills he needed to possess to succeed. Two of the most important aspects that Guevara aimed to gain through the domain knowledge were:
To familiarize himself with the rules with which a revolution or change within different societies operates in differing environments and the practical wisdom to compete in and change the negative aspects of the chosen environment; and Prior experience and knowledge of how revolutions succeed is high.
Another aspect that is very visible in Guevara’s approach, particularly his military strategies is the aspect of experimentation. Experimentation, pertinent to the circumstances that Guevara underwent, can be referred to as trying out new ideas that had not been tested in the real world. Certain aspects that motivated Guevara to experiment with new ideas were:
He knew that even if he filed, the knowledge would help him gain the experience he needed to ring about the right kind of change;
The risks involved in trying out the new ideas, military and social, were minimal at best; and,
He understood that failure, setbacks and successes were part of any and every revolution and were necessary for its longevity and for loyalty from its practitioners
It was n 1954 when Guevara traveled to Mexico City and rekindled his association with some of the major exiles that he had met and helped escape in Guatemala. The exile who played the most prominent influence on Guevara was Nico Lopez who introduced him to the brothers Raul Castro and Fidel Castro. The latter of the two was a revolutionary head who was planning to end the autocratic rule of Fulgencio Batista and started the ’26th of July Movement’ for that purpose. Guevara recognized this movement as one that was similar to his aims and joined it the same day that he met the brothers
The fight against the combatants of Batista was led by Castro in late 1956 from Cuba through the Granma which was an old and abandoned cabin ship. Guevara had already undergone military and guerilla warfare training even though he was in the army as the physician. Guevara was already acknowledged as the best guerilla combatant in the training and numerous references quote Guevara explaining the scene as the most blood-wrenched he had ever seen; so much so that this was the first time that he abandoned his physician tools and picked up a war weapon and engaged in the battle, transitioning from a physician to a warrior
In an effort to spread the movement’s purpose, Guevara analyzed the initiation point of the autocracy and concluded that it was the U.S.-controlled colonies that were the main cause of the autocratic militant rule in not only Latin America but across the world. So in essence, his aim to overthrow against Batista, who he called a puppet ruler for the U.S., was actually an effort to end the indirect U.S. dominance in the region.
To further this purpose, in 1964, Guevara visited New York City with an entire panel from Cuba and addressed the United Nations. His speech to the United Nations that year is known as one of the most heartfelt and truthful in the history of speeches. He fearlessly disapproved of the lackluster efforts of the United Nations to end the ruthless state of “apartheid” that plagued the region of South Africa. Furthermore, he criticized the United States every openly on their policies against the black people in their community saying:
“Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men — how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?”
Che Guevara also made appearances on various TV shows, one of which “Face the Nation” was aired on CBS Sunday news at the time. In this program he was accompanied by numerous prominent American personalities like Malcolm X and U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy. Malcolm X has been quoted as stating that Che Guevara was “one of the most revolutionary men in this country right now” and giving Guevara his respect and admiration for all his efforts
Che Guevara revolution formation was inherently dependent on the outcome of the evaluation. He used his evaluation and assessment skills to:
Declaring his ideas and philosophies on what was needed,
Test his ideas by talking to like-minded people as well as opposing thinkers,
Refining his ideas by consulting social networks, and Practically implementing his ideas in dominant societies
Here again, we can refer back to Guevara’s creative thinking skills, problem solving skills, aggressive style as the backbone for why he was able to not only proclaim the facts that needed to be heard but also reducing the level of risks and protests that he could have faced through pure logic and innovation. Many researchers assert that this approach was one of the main reasons why Che Guevara is such a legendary revolutionary leader. He was able to bring together what was needed at the time and what was beneficial for the future together by simple evaluation of the conditions he was facing
Furthermore, many researchers further assert that Che Guevara’s elaborative approach helped him attain the kind of change and revolution he aspired to get as quickly as he did. Many researchers assert four main reasons for that, which are:
Extended planning covering every aspect of the social structure, positive aspects and negative aspects;
Constant brainstorming to find solutions to the problems;
Constant feedback and testing of ideas;
Actual startup of the revolution;
Voicing the need and application of the idea and the revolution;
Focusing on all political and social feedback to initially create and steadily formalize organizational procedures needed for the revolution; and,
Focusing on trial and error procedures in order to constantly change the procedures to attain quicker and prominent results in the form of changes in eth political and social structures.
Conclusion
Che Guevara has been claimed to be a hero by many and a slaughterer by many. His efforts like any other controversial leader are open to interpretation.
Nelson Mandela has talked about Che Guevara in the positive sense and has called him “an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom.”
Jean-Paul Sartre states that Guevara was “not only an intellectual but also the most complete human being of our age.”
The state of Cuba still loves respects and even adores Che Guevara and claims him to be their savior, their hero. He has been sculpted on the $3 Cuban Peso and the national anthem for Cuban school going children is the oath “We will be like Che”
. Argentina pays tribute to the native revolutionary leader through naming schools after him, building his statues and building museums.
In the contrary, there are many who believe that Che Guevara failed miserably in attaining his purpose or his revolution and was only able to present himself as a heartless assassin. There are many who claim that the militant rule got even more brutal and ruthless due to the introduction of the revolution by Guevara and the revolution did not eradicate the militant rule but made it stronger. There are also many who claim that the revolution initiated by Guevara was the reason for prolonged conflict in Latin American for many of the years to follow. Many people in the opposition refer to Guevara as “the butcher of La Cabana”
Despite all of the hatred and controversy that the legend of Che Guevara still faces, there is no denying the visibly global legacy he leaves behind in the form of the or image of his face on different, shirts, caps, posters, and accessories in the form of bracelets or tattoos which further contributes to his influence in today’s society as both a political and culture icon. The irony however, in this form of legacy is that he is now being showcased on the very platform of consumerism that he had spent his life fighting against
References
Anthony DePalma. The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of the New York Times. New York: Public Affairs, 2006.
Barron, F. And Harrington, D.M. “Creativity, intelligence, and personality,” Annual Review of Psychology, 1981, 32: 439-476.
Che Guevara. “Colonialism is Doomed” speech to the 19th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City, 1964.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1996.
David Sandison. The Life & Times of Che Guevara. Paragon, 1996.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara (editor Waters, Mary Alice). Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War 1956 — 1958. New York: Pathfinder, 1996.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara (editors Bonachea, Rolando E. And Nelson P. Valdes). Che: Selected Works of Ernesto Guevara, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1969.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Motorcycle Diaries. London: Verso Books, 1995.
Ernesto Lyuch Guevara. Aqui va un soldado de America. Barcelona: Plaza y Janes Editores, S.A, 2000.
John Dorschner and Roberto Fabricio. The Winds of December: The Cuban Revolution of 1958. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegen, 1980.
Jon Lee Anderson. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. New York: Grove Press, 1997.
Joseph Hart. Che: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of a Revolutionary. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2004.
Michael Moynihan. “Neutering Sartre at Dagens Nyheter.” Stockholm Spectator. Accessed April 26, 2009.
Paquito D’Rivera. “Open letter to Carlos Santana by Paquito D’Rivera.” Latin Beat Magazine. 2005. Accessed April 26, 2009.
People’s Weekly World. “World Combined Sources.” “Che Guevara remains a hero to Cubans,” 2004. Accessed April 26, 2009.
William Galvez. Che in Africa: Che Guevara’s Congo Diary. Melbourne: Ocean Press, 1999.
Anthony DePalma. The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of the New York Times. New York: Public Affairs, 2006.
David Sandison. The Life & Times of Che Guevara. Paragon, 1996.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara (editor Waters, Mary Alice). Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War 1956 — 1958. New York: Pathfinder, 1996.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara (editors Bonachea, Rolando E. And Nelson P. Valdes). Che: Selected Works of Ernesto Guevara, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1969
Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Motorcycle Diaries. London: Verso Books, 1995.
Ibid 5
Barron, F. And Harrington, D.M. “Creativity, intelligence, and personality,” Annual Review of Psychology, 1981, 32: 439-476.
Ibid 5
Ernesto Lyuch Guevara. Aqui va un soldado de America. Barcelona: Plaza y Janes Editores, S.A, 2000.
Ibid 5
Csikszentmihalyi, M. Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1996.
John Dorschner and Roberto Fabricio. The Winds of December: The Cuban Revolution of 1958. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegen, 1980.
Ibid 12
Jon Lee Anderson. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. New York: Grove Press, 1997.
Ibid 14
Che Guevara. “Colonialism is Doomed” speech to the 19th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City, 1964.
Ibid 16
Joseph Hart. Che: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of a Revolutionary. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2004.
Ibid 18
William Galvez. Che in Africa: Che Guevara’s Congo Diary. Melbourne: Ocean Press, 1999.
Michael Moynihan. “Neutering Sartre at Dagens Nyheter.” Stockholm Spectator. Accessed April 26, 2009.
Ibid 21
People’s Weekly World. “World Combined Sources.” “Che Guevara remains a hero to Cubans,” 2004. Accessed April 26, 2009.
Paquito D’Rivera. “Open letter to Carlos Santana by Paquito D’Rivera.” Latin Beat Magazine. 2005. Accessed April 26, 2009.
Ibid 24
