Do you ever wonder when you see young men wearing t-shirts with Che Guevara's image on them, if they really know the true history of the revolutionary? Or do they just know that Guevara was a leader in the Cuban Revolution, and that will suffice to make him a hero? Few Communist revolutionaries have been as idealized as Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Wherever you see the far-left, you will find the image of Che, the bearded revolutionary with the beret. Guevara was by all accounts, a brave fighter. Yet many of his latter-day admirers may not be aware that not all of Guevara's victims fell in the heat of battle.
Guevara was actually not a Cuban, rather an Argentine by birth. He was born in 1928 in Argentina and studied medicine during his university years. He took time off from his studies to travel by motorcycle around South America, where he saw much of the poverty that existed on the continent. This, reportedly was his inspiration to become a revolutionary.
After finishing his medical studies, Che left Argentina, first to Guatemala, where he wanted to study the reform policies of President Jacobo Arbenz Guzman. In 1954, he went to Mexico, where he made the acquaintance of Fidel and Raul Castro. After becoming a quick convert to Fidel's cause, he joined forces with the Castros, and in 1956, left by boat to Cuba with approximately 80 other Cuban revolutionaries who were intent on overthrowing the brutal and corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Guevara's initial role was to serve as a medic. However, almost immediately after landing, they were attacked by government troops. Guevara later said that it was during this battle, that he picked up the rifle of a fallen comrade and took on the role as active fighter.
As stated above, Guevara was a brave and ruthless fighter, and took on a commander's role as Castro's army took refuge in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. One of his roles was to carry out executions of suspected informers, deserters and spies.
On January 1, 1959, after a series of reverses, Batista fled Cuba into exile, and Castro achieved the victory of his revolution. Guevara was awarded a series of posts by Castro in the Cuban government. The first was as commander of La Cabana Prison (January-June 1959). In this capacity, Guevara supervised the trials and executions of hundreds of prisoners associated with the Batista regime and Cuban Army. Under Guevara's supervision, trials were nothing more than a "kangaroo court". It is estimated by various sources that from 156-550 prisoners were executed in this manner. Later, he was put in charge of the National Bank of Cuba and the National Institute of Agrarian Reform. He also traveled extensively as Cuba's representative overseas. As part of Castro's program of supporting revolutions in Africa, Guevara traveled to the Congo with Cuban mercenaries in 1965.
In 1967, Guevara was in Bolivia attempting an insurgency in that country. He was captured by Bolivian forces and executed the following day.
So that, in a nutshell, is the life of the man who spawned an entire industry dedicated to glorifying his name and the cause that he served-namely, Communist revolution. Since his death, Guevara has been lionized by the left, by Hollywood, and by many radical professors in US universities, as well as thousands of foolish Europeans who have no clue about problems in the Americas. Never mind the fact that his cause-Communism- has been totally discredited as a political and economic system since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Never mind that he was responsible for at least hundreds of murders and sham executions carried out far from the battlefields. Never mind that weeks after the Cuban missile crisis, Guevara told the Communist British Daily Worker newspaper that, if Cuba had been in control of the missiles, they would have launched those missiles against US cities. Never mind the fact that thousands of Cubans have fled their homeland in rafts to live in freedom in America. Never mind the fact that today, in Cuba, thousands of European tourists flock to the island to enjoy sex with teenage and child prostitutes. (You didn't know that did you?)
There is a web site called "Che Lives". Check it out. It gives the typical glorified account of Che's "fight for justice". In the biography part, there is no mention of Guevara having executed deserters and suspected informers during the revolution. There is no mention of Guevara's running of kangaroo courts and executions of hundreds at La Cabana Prison. No mention of his comments to the British Daily Worker about launching missiles against US cities. If these people are so proud of Che Guevara, why not put it all in there? Why do they hide this part of Guevara's biography?
It is undeniable that during the Cold War, the US cozied up to many dictators throughout Latin America in order to resist Communist encroachment. The odious Fulgencio Batista was one of them. Yet, in recent decades, the US also exerted pressure on Latin American countries to establish true democracies-an effort which has borne fruit. Until a few years ago, Cuba was the only nation in Latin America that could not be called democratic. Now, with Chavez in Venezuela, Morales in Bolivia, we see the slow erosion of those successes. However, as we watch Chavez in action-egged on by his ally Castro, it should be obvious that Communist dictatorship is not the answer.
The next time you see someone wearing Guevara's image, you might ask that person just how much he/she knows about the man on the t-shirt.
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