A Man and a Legend: Che Guevara

Che Guevara was a man who left a huge legacy left behind him. He is a hero to some, and a terrible man to others. His drive to convert the world to Marxist-Leninism and his success with a revolution in Cuba makes him an icon to young revolutionaries around the world. Che’ deep hate for the U.S. was one of the reasons the U.S. saw Che as a large threat and even sent men to search for him near the end of his time in Cuba and his time fleeing in Bolivia. But on one fact about Che that is without argument: Che is an icon whose accomplishments will never be forgotten.

    Ernesto “Che” Guevara was born to a middle class Argentine family where lots of opportunities awaited him. He started reading very advanced books by people like  Mahatma Gandhi and Karl Marx. After almost finishing medical school, Che Guevara went on a motorcycle trip with a friend towards Chile to see the world’s largest copper mine. After seeing other South American countries like Guatemala and their government, Che Guevara vowed that he would try to change the government for the people and detach these countries from the U.S. support and make them independent.

    What Che Guevara is usually most remembered for is his success in the revolution in Cuba. After Che met is future wife in Guatemala, Helda Gidea, he was introduced to followers of Fidel Castro who had just led an attack on the second largest military barracks in Cuba. Guevara was intrigued by him and his rebellion for a revolution. He left Guatemala and went to Mexico City, looking for a revolution that he could fight in. In Mexico City, Guevara met Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother, who was attempting to rebuild Fidel’s organization. When Fidel was released, Che wanted to meet him and went to an organized meeting of Fidel and his group. After the birth of his child, Guevara poured his heart into the Cuban Revolution. Che, Castro, and 80 other men went to Cuba and attempted to overthrow the dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Upon becoming popular among people they were around in the jungle, Castro had enough power to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. After Castro admitted the true nature of his government, nationalized U.S. business-owned properties and companies in Cuba, and Guevara had openly affiliated with Khrushchev and Mao, the U.S. started to see him as a major threat. Because of this, Che and Fidel knew that it was time for him to leave.