Che Guevara Biography

Intro

Che Guevara met an undignified death in a dilapidated school house in Bolivia, at the hands of a CIA backed counter revolution. The generation that would see him the most had not been born yet, and many of that generation would not know why this well drawn face is on hats, shirts and posters at Hot Topic. They won't know the face was communism's last best hope, shot down after the imperialist world joined forces to crush the possibility of true communism in the known world.

Adolescence

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 14th, 1928. He was the eldest of five children, and was of Irish and Spanish decent. He was a ferocious and avid rugby player, despite being asthmatic. His ferocity earned him the nickname "Fuserh, a slang for the raging. Like many Latin American adolescents of his generation, he was enthusiastic about poetry, writing and reading it. He was also a zealous reader, and loved everything from Jack London to Sigmund Freud(Wikipedia).

Motorcycle Diaries

In 1952(The Motorcycle Diaries), a semester before he would receive his doctorate, Ernesto decided to go on a cross continent motorcycle trip with a long time friend and biochemist, Alberto Granado. Che's trip was life changing. His trip was very rough- they lost their tent early in the trip, and had to ask complete strangers for places to sleep. In his travels he saw the poor and oppressed, in particular a day or two spent with a homeless communist couple, who's land was repossesed by a land speculator and had to leave their son behind and go on the run looking for work(The Motorcycle Diaries).

Ernesto and Alberto volunteered at a leper colony on the Amazon. When they went to treat the lepers on the other side of the river, they were ordered to wear gloves, which wouldn't actually make a difference, and was really more of a symbol of segragation. To the anger of the nuns who ran the colony, they refused to wear the gloves, and shook the hands of everyone they met. One of the nuns would later refuse to feed them(The Motorcycle Diaries).

On his brithday and final day at the colony, Ernesto made a toast to a united South America, to the stunned silence of his party. They rafted down the Amazon, and Ernesto returned to Argentina by flight in April 1953.

Events and Travels in Guetemala

Ernesto, convinced of his destiny as one of a revolutionary, descided to travel Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and American Popular Revolutionary Alliance El Salvador in 1954, with the goal of becoming a hardened revolutionary when he reached Guetemala, where leftist president Jacob Arbenz Guzman was phasing out US control with his populist government and land reform. This is where Ernesto met his first wife, Hilda Gadae Acosta, a high ranking member in the socialist (APRA) who also had ties to high ranks in the Guetemalan government. He was also re-introduced to Fidel Castro and his Cuban exiles, who he had already met in Costa Rica. In this time he earned his famous nickname "Che" which is equivelent to interjetions like "pal" or "mate".

In this time, money was in short supply, and he could not attain any medical work, so he pawned some of his wife's jewlrey. Suprisingly, he refused to align himself with a political party, even though he was clearly a communist. When he returned from El Salvador where he was getting a new visa, he found himself only a few days from a CIA backed coup. Ernesto was ready to fight on Arbenz's behalf, and joined a militia group. He returned to medical duties shortly, annoyed with the militia's inaction(Wikipedia). Arbenz was overthrown, and while Ernesto was ready to continue fighting, Arbenz took refuge in the Mexican Consulate, and asked all foreign supporters to vacate the country.

The Coup de'tat against Arbenz convinced Ernesto that the U.S. was an imperialist power that would never accept socioeconomic equality, let along flat out communism.

Cuba

Ernesto was invited to Mexico City in 1954 where he rejoined the Cuban exiles he met in Costa Rica and Guatemala. Some time later, Fidel Castro joined the group. After an all night conversation with Fidel, Ernesto became convinced that Fidel was the kind of revolutionary he could follow into battle. He joined the 26th of July Movement instantly. Hilda Acosta came to Ernesto at this time, and told him she was pregnant. He proposed on the spot*, and they were married August 18th 1955. Their daughter, Hilda Beatriz, was born on February 15th 1956.

The 26th of July movement set sail for Cuba on the rickety cabin cruiser, the Gramna from Tuxpan, Veracruz. Shortly after landing, the movement came under fire, and about half the movement was lost. The 20 or so left fled to the mountains to wage Guerrilla war.

Ernesto gained respect quickly among the ranks for his courage and know-how, and was promoted to commandante, the equivelent of a major. Although he is often painted as a very kind, romantic man, he did order the executions of several men accused of being spies and deserters(Wikipedia, Time). As their foothold in the mountains increased, they began to set up military training bases, and Ernesto was tasked with directing one of the camps. Although bitter he had been given a stationary role, he used the position to gain moral supporters in the neighboring communities.

His stationary role did not last long though, and he was given command of the Suicide Squad, tasked with the most dangerous jobs in the army. Guevara led the Suicide Squad on an attack on Santa Clara that had great military significance(Wikipedia). In the following period Batista would flee the country, and the 26th of July movement would march into Havana.

Post Revolution Cuba

Ernesto divorced Hilda Acosta, since they had been seperated since he left on the Gramna. On June 2nd, 1959, he married Aleida March, a member of the 26th of July movement. He became commander of the La Cabana fortress prison earlier in the year(sic?) where he oversaw the trial and execution of anywhere between 150-500 people, many of which were mock trials, with pre-determined punishment(Wikipedia).

After his 5 month tenure was over at La Cabana, he became the president of National Bank of Cuba. His post at the bank is somewhat ironic, considering that he thought money was evil and should be abolished(Time, Wikipedia[now revised]). Nevertheless, he worked his post, but refused his salary, and instead wished to live off his small Commandante salary, to set a "revolutionary