50 years after Che Guevara

Lots of folks are posting things about the late great Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Che was not a Maoist. He was not all that found of China. But he also had vast differences with the Soviet Union. Over all he did more good than bad for world revolution. He was not successful, but he has inspired generations of would be revolutionaries both in Europe and Latin America. In his many world adventures he was not successful as a revolutionary but his inspiration is worth noting. Here are a few items to honor Che. -សតិវ អតុ

Understanding Che Guevara — 42 Years After His Murder

Kasama:

Posted by Mike E on October 13, 2009

Che was executed in cold blood 42 years ago by a U.S. lead death squad that captured him in Bolivia. Then, as now, he had emerged as a prominent symbol of  self-sacrifice, armed struggle, internationalism and uncompromising opposition to U.S. domination. His death stands as a glaring example of the role the U.S. and its agents play in the  brutal repression of humanity’s highest aspirations. The torturers of the CIA were not invented on 9/11 — but have a very long and bloody history.

Che is a highly romantic martyr of the people’s cause. But he was also a revolutionary leader and thinker  in a particular complex time; he was associated closely with a specific series of approaches and strategies.

Che (and the Cuban  movement he was part of) had a particular line on the role of the people in their own emancipation. It was  a view that exalted the actions of small military groupings of “heroic guerrillas” (called focos) in galvanizing revolution. Unlike the Maoists at that same time, Che and Fidel Castro were not advocates of a “land to the tiller” agrarian revolution, but sought to nationalize the existing plantation structure of Cuba and similar countries.

The fact that so many people revere him is a testimony to the deep desires for liberation throughout the world. And at the same time, revolution is not made by symbolism alone. The controversies surrounding Che’s strategies have contemporary significance.

The following piece was written over ten years ago in appreciation of Che’s impact — while also making a critical assessment of his strategic concepts. There has been considerable excavation of these events since this piece was written. Kasama intends to  publish other essays on Che reflecting a number of different assessments.

For more on this click here.

From Democracy and Class Struggle:

"Socialism and man in Cuba" (by CHE GUEVARA, 1965)