Che Guevara

Ernesto Guevara

Ernesto Guevara was born in l928. When he was two, he moved to

Cordoba, Spain, because of asthma. As a young child, Guevara became

interested in reading Marx, Engels, and Freud found in his father's library.

As he grew up, he watched the Spanish refugees from the Spanish Civil War

fight against the fascist dictator, Francisco Franco. Mr. Guevara was

influenced by the war and refugees. He began to hate military politicians, the

U.S. dollar, and parliamentary democracy. Ernesto's parents were both anti

Franco activists.

In Buenos Aires, Mr. Guevara went to medical school. He graduated

in l953. After several years, Ernesto went to Guatemala writing articles on

the Inca and Myan ruins. During his stay in Guatemala, he had the chance to

become a government medical personnel. He refused this chance because

he did not want to join the Communist party. Therefore, he was penniless

for a number of years.

Ernesto Che Guevara reunited with Simone de Beauvo...

A 22 year old Ernesto Guevara in 1951 while in Arg...

Che Guevara

Shortly thereafter, Guevara met one of Fidel

Castro's lieutenants with whom he fled to Mexico City.

In Mexico City, he also met Fidel Castro, and his brother Raul. In

Fidel Castro, he saw a great Marxist leader that he was seeking. Guevara

joined Castro followers at a farm where they were training for guerrilla war

tactics. The tactics were those first used by Mao Tse-Tung. At this time,

Ernesto Guevara first was nick named 'Che', which is Italian for pal.

The group invaded Cuba, where Che was commander of the

revolutionary army. From then on, he was known as the most aggressive,

clever and successful guerrilla officer. He also got the reputation for cold-

blooded cruelty. One reason for this reputation was because of his orders

to mass execute followers of the former Cuban president Batista. There

after, Che Guevara was second only to Castro in the...