Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, otherwise known as “Che” was born in June 14, 1928 in Rosario, Argentina into a middle class family.

He studied medicine at Buenos Aires University and during the time of studying traveled widely throughout South and Central America.

After traveling and seeing a great deal of poverty with his interest in Marxism he then realized to himself that the only solution to the South and Central American problems was armed revolution.

In 1954 he went to Mexico and the following year he met with Fidel Castro a Cuban revolutionary leader.

After joining the July 26th movement of Castro’s Guevara played an important role which lead to he success of its guerilla war against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

In 1959 Castro overthrow Batista gained power into Cuba. From 1959–1961 was president of the National Bank of Cuba and then minister of industry

As a strong opponent of the United States Guevara helped guided the Castro regime towards the alignment with the Soviet Union.

Three years later he was appointed minister of industry.

Guevara left his post in 1965 to export the ideas of Cuba’s revolution to other parts of the world. In 1966, he began to try to incite the people of Bolivia to rebel against their government, but had little success.

With only a small guerrilla force to support his efforts, Guevara was captured and killed in La Higuera by the Bolivian army on October 9, 1967. Guevara was buried in a secret place in Bolivia.

In 1997 his remains were discovered, exhumed and returned to Cuba where he was reburied.

Since Guevara’s death many remember how ruthless he was by ordering Cuban prisoners execution without trial. While others look at him as a legendary political figure. Guevara’s name is often equated with rebellion, revolution, and socialism.