Che Guevara is Widely Known Latin American Revolutionary Leader

Throughout Latin American history, there have been a large amount of revolutionary leaders. Some are exceptionally famous such as Simon Bolivar, and Francisco de Miranda, but none of those are as well known as, none other than Ernesto Guevara, or Che Guevara. Che Guevara is one of the most, if not the most iconic Latin American revolutionary leader. Che Guevara is widely known for what he achieved and what he believed in, however, he is also a controversial figure. Some believe that he is a legend and an idol, while others believe that he is a failure and oppose him.

To start off, Che Guevara was born in Argentina in the city of Rosario in the year of 1928 as Ernesto Guevara de la Serna. He was a “theoretician and tactician of guerrilla warfare, prominent communist figure in the Cuban Revolution, and guerrilla leader in South America” (Brittanica). Although he was an athlete and a medical scholar, when he had the chance, he often travelled around Latin America. He viewed Latin America “not as a collection of separate nations, but as a cultural and economic entity” (Brittanica). He believed that the only way to liberate Latin America was to revolt with violence. He eventually went on a long journey to many Latin American countries that lasted a little more than half a year, where he had many encounters that turned him into a Marxist. First, he saw Jacobo Arbenz be overthrown from Guatemalan presidency and later met Fidel Castro, who at the time was trying to free Cuba from dictatorship. These events were the focal points of his admiration for the Soviet Union and his belief in Marxism (PBS).

Che Guevara represented the freedom of Cuba from dictaroship. Che Guevara ended up siding with Castro and wanted to liberate Cuba from Fulgencio Batista. He fought in the mountains so well that he earned Castro’s respect and earned himself a higher ranking. Guevara took over the city of Santa Clara in 1958 when he took over a train that had many of Batista’s men. This was the final attack on the Batista’s dictatorship (PBS). After this, people saw him along with Fidel Castro and his brother, as the most powerful Cuban leaders.

Che Guevara went on to become an overseer of executions in prison where he personally harmed and questioned the prisoners. He also became the Minister of Industries and was criticized by the CIA for taking Cuba’s economy to its lowest point while Castro was in power. Eventually, Guevara left Cuba, ended his Cuban citizenship, and went to Bolivia in an effort to start revolutionaries there (PBS). However, things did not go according to plan. Guevara ended being caught by the CIA in 1967 and was executed. (PBS).

Many people nowadays either praise or oppose Guevara.

Cite this page