Biography of Che Guevara (Биография Че Гевары)

” I think, Che was not only

the intellectual, but also the most

complete person of our epoch.”

Jean-Paul

Sartre.

This is a short essay about Che Guevara's life. It was made in order to

obtain a good grade for my Writing English class, and, because I had wanted

to know more about this man. I decided to talk about him, because I think

he is a perfect example of a man who never gives up, no matter what, that

believes in equality for everyone and that is disposed to die, if he has to

defend his ideals. Nowadays, Che Guevara becomes a legend. I am going to

talk about his life, and how he died for the world deeply convincing in his

thoughts. He reflected of his mission in this life like helping out others

to be free and to get their rights back from oppressive governments, and

even though of his failure, his ideals are still alive.

Ernesto Guevara was born on June 14th, 1928 in Argentina. His parents

were members of privileged middle class. Elder Guevara engaged in a

campaign to stop Nazi propaganda in the America. His mother was equally

outspoken. Several times she had been arrested for her political activism

and, like her husband, would always support her son in his revolutionary

career.

When Ernesto was 2 years old, he turned asthmatic and his family had to

move to the countryside, where his father tried to heal him teaching him

sports like football, baseball, swimming, and rugby. During grade school

Guevara’s decease forced him to receive much of his education at home from

his parents. Che became interested in literature, philosophy and physical

activities. Especially, he was fond of travelling. In fact, in 1952, he

decided to travel through Argentina with a friend riding a motorcycle. In

1947 he entered to the University of Buenos Aires in order to become a

doctor. In 1951, after taking his final exams from the university, he made

a much longer journey: he visited Chile, where he met Salvador Allende,

Peru, where he worked for some weeks in the San Pablo leprosarium,

Colombia, where he was arrested but soon released, Venezuela, and Miami. He

returned home with his absolute sure of one thing, that he did not want to

become a middle-class ordinary doctor. He qualified, specializing in

dermatology, and went to La Paz, Bolivia, during the National Revolution

which he condemned as opportunist, because those revolution established

proamerican government. From there he went to Guatemala, earning his living

by writing archaeological articles about Maya ruins.

In Guatemala, Ernesto worked as a doctor in a health program. Suddenly,

the American troops invaded Guatemala. In these days he became "Che". He

got this nickname from some his Cuban friends in 1953. The most important

thing of this trip was that he got to know Marx's theory. Guatemala’s

government made him outlaw as a dangerous communist and he escaped in the

embassy of Argentina, and two months later, went to Mexico. He arrived to

Mexico on September 21st, 1954.

There, in Mexico-City, Ernesto met Fidel Castro, who convinced him to

participate in the Cuban Revolution. They began to prepare for a revolution

in the special camp, where they learned combat and tactic training. After

few months, Fidel decided to invade Cuba. There were eighty-two men when

they boated in the ship and secretly sail to the Cuba. They got land in

December 3, 1956, but were assaulted by Cuban army and, unfortunately, only

fifteen men survived. Castro’s rebels waited till recovering wounds in the

mountains and then started to act. Country population supported rebellions

by giving them food and new recruiters. They began to take some areas under

their control and Castro carried out agrarian and social reforms that were

hold by Cuban people. Che was one of the best and lucky commanders who won

few important fights against Batista’s army. In addition, he served as the

troop doctor. This civil war lasted for three years (1956-1959), and

finally, on January the 1st, the rebels won. They entered to Havana, and

dictator Batista fled to Dominican Republic.

Che Guevara became the second man in Cuban government after Castro. He

got Cuban citizenship, and organized and directed the National Institute of

Agrarian Reforms to carry the new agrarian laws expropriating the large

landholders; ran Department of Industries and occupied President of the

National Bank of Cuba. He negotiated and signed commercial contracts with

the Soviet Union and others socialistic countries. When there was Caribbean

crisis, he got bad attitude for the Soviet Union, because of Khrushchev’s

decision to remove nuclear weapon from Cuba. He thought that USSR was on he

wrong way using their principle of peaceful co-existing.

Soon, Che lost his interest in management of Cuban economy, because of

some fails in the results, and in the end of 1963; his duties were limited

to international relationships. He was like a “revolutionary ambassador”.

He undertook government’s diplomatic tour visiting many countries and was

sent to represent Cuba at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

However, revolution movement called Guevara, who tired of being political

figure. It was better for him sneaking in the jungles with AK-47 than

sitting at the bureaucrat’s table. He disappeared from social life and went

to Africa trying to raise revolution forces. Regrettably, his African trip

was unsuccessful. He couldn’t organize left forces there and was compelled

to return back to America.

Che's final revolutionary adventure was in Bolivia. In April 1967 he

illegally came to Bolivia with small group of guerrilla’s fighters. At the

beginning, everything was good: there was organized strike of the

mineworkers and rebels won several fights. Soon, CIA came to help o

Bolivian dictatorship regime, and in the October Che’s group were seized

and almost terminated. Che Guevara was wounded and captured. The next day

he was executed. His body was hidden and only in 1997 it was found and

buried in Cuba.

After his death, he was instantly transformed into an icon of the

revolutionary commitment and heroism. He was type of man who persistently

moves to the aim. His aspiration to life didn’t have the borders. Che

Guevara was “a man of total integrity, a man of stoic and Spartan living

habits”. Despite of his failures in economic and diplomacy, he served as a

convincing symbol of the dedicated revolutionary whose actions were always

in harmony and moral ideals. He died for these ideals.

Selected bibliography:

1. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. – Che Guevara. NY, 1989.

Internet web sites:

1. http://www.che-lives.com/