3. Guevara’s activities and how his relationship developed with Fidel Castro
Guevara first met Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother, through a common friend, Nico Lopez, and they became instant friends as Raul Castro was described as being “a dedicated revolutionary” (Anderson 165). In the coming weeks, Raul arranged for Guevara to meet his older brother Fidel who, during the first night of knowing Ché, offered Guevara to join the 26th of July fighters, as their doctor, on their expedition to Cuba to begin a revolution. Guevara accepted and became officially one of the future “expeditionaries”.
4. Guevara’s role in the 26th of July Movement and involvement in the invasion of Havana
From that night in July of 1955, Guevara would become solely dedicated to the cause of the Cuban Revolution. With the plans and connections ready, soon Guevara and about 80 other Cubans began combat training on a ranch 20 miles outside Mexico City (Kellner 37). On November 25, 1956, eighty-two men, including Guevara and Castro, set sail from Tuxpan in Mexico, bound for Cuba. Within a couple of days of their landing, the rebel forces were forced to retreat to Sierra Maestra Mountains, where they discovered that only 17 of them remained. As the rebels began mounting small scale attacks on their opposing forces, they began to increase in numbers as talk of their cause began to spread to Cuba and the world (Kellner 41).
Through all of this, Guevara had emerged as one of Castro’s most valuable men. Politically, Ché assumed the role of mentor and leader second only to Castro himself. His involvement and leadership by example was an important addition to his developing military prowess. Together with being the troop doctor, he took an active part in the fighting, often leading the assaults. On July 12, 1956, six weeks after a major victory at the Battle of El Uvero, Castro gave Guevara the rank of commandante, or commander, which had been previously assumed by only Castro himself (Anderson 267). Guevara was then put in charge of the Second Column of the Rebel Army, and simultaneously assumed more military responsibilities as Castro’s most trusted aid (Kellner 46). As the war developed and the rebels began taking the upper hand, Castro decided to divide his troops and converge again at Havana. Fidel and his brother set out with 200 men for Santiago while Guevara led 148 men, west to the city of Santa Clara. With a third army traveling parallel to Guevara’s, their goal seemed to be a reality when the forces led by Ché pulled off an ‘astonishing victory’ at Santa Clara on December 31, 1958 (Kellner 48). With Castro also victorious at Santiago, Batista was by now certain of defeat and arranged for his departure from the country at 3:00 AM on January 1, 1959 (Kellner 48).
C Evaluation of Sources
Two of the sources used were:
Anderson, Jon Lee. Ché Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. The Bantam Press. Great Britain. ©1997.
This book, just released recently in 1997, contains crucial information that has never been released previously about Guevara. Jon Lee Anderson has been given unprecedented access to the Cuban Government’s archives and has had total co-operation from Ché’s widow, Aleida March, who has never previously spoken for publication about her late husband. The source was compiled also using unpublished documents, including Ché’s personal diaries. The purpose of the book would seem to be to create a portrait of a “largely unexplored historical figure.” (Anderson 4) Being released almost a decade after the end of the Cold War and almost three decades after the death of the man himself, the book seems a highly honest and well-researched account of Guevara’s life. It is widely acknowledged to be one of the most valuable sources available on Ché Guevara, and has helped to clear the details that were not provided in other sources (New York Times quote on back cover). Even though the book deals with Guevara’s life in its entirety, its value to this investigation is very important as without it, the focus of the investigation could not be addressed. The book provides crucial details that clarify the exact nature of Guevara’s impact, role, and relationship with the other rebels during the revolutionary war. A limitation of the book to the investigation is that it does not provide an overview of the events; however, this limitation was overcome by using other simpler sources. Another limitation to the credibility of the source itself could be that Anderson appears as a supporter of Guevara and his cause and as a result could be not providing a balanced view.
Kellner, Douglas. Ernesto “Ché” Guevara. Chelsea House Publishers. United States of America. ©1989.
This source was written by an American in 1989, accounting for the life and times of Ché Guevara. The purpose of it was to trace Guevara’s life and document it as it was one of the most unexplored figures at the time. The main value of the source to this investigation is that it provides a wide overview of the man’s life while giving the simple background facts and what transpired in the battles. It has been primarily useful as a resource for general knowledge about the main events such as the time and nature of Batista’s departure from Cuba. A limitation of the source is the fact that it is not an analytical account; it is simply a retrace of footsteps without providing any investigative information. It also contained limited details on Ché’s actual impact on the war struggle and the important role of leadership he assumed with the rebels. Overall, the book is sufficient when considering the chronological battles and Guevara’s role after the revolution; however, it is weak in providing information on his political and military involvement in the war.
D Analysis
When examining Ché Guevara's influence on the Cuban revolution, one must first consider his relationship with the movement's initiator, Fidel Castro. Despite numerous differences in their personalities, Castro crucially harbored the same dislike for the United States and had natural inclinations towards revolution. (Anderson 178) Their relationship soon developed prior to the movement as Ché gained the respect of Castro and many others. This respect was soon multiplied during the conflict as time and time again Guevara proved himself to be the noblest, most righteous, and surprisingly one of the best guerrilla fighters of the group (Anderson 271). Even though publicly quiet, Guevara's frequent political conversations with Castro began to influence Fidel’s opinions on everything from policies exerted in the group, to the method of conducting the guerilla war after landing on the mainland. (Anderson 183, 184) This apparent influence on him was undoubtedly a noteworthy contribution to the political organization and planning of the movement. Castro's opinion of Guevara and his importance to the cause was never more evident than when he promoted Ché to commandante, being the only one other than Castro himself. Guevara was even favored over Fidel’s brother Raul Castro, who had been with Fidel since the movement began.
The success of the Cuban Revolution came about as a result of two traits that were rarely present in other revolutionary attempts in Latin America: “organization and heart.” (Anderson 179) Ché contributed to both. Being commander of a whole division, he obviously had a significant role in the organization of the troops. In addition, his second division was the first to arrive in Havana, thus being the first to officially claim the victory (Anderson 333). However his contribution was much more than excellence in planning. During the long months of the war, Guevara began to develop an aura of leadership among his men; leading by example on and off the battle field (Anderson 286). Off the field, his devotion and idealism towards the cause influenced all those around him including Castro himself (Anderson 287). He personified the character that all the men strived to be with his dedication and code of honor; later even having groups of youths that newly joined the movement emulating him (Anderson 321). His influential persona undoubtedly had a positive effect on the movement as a whole and assisted in the success of the revolution.
This investigation is significant when considering the events in historical context; the problems that developed later in Cuba domestically and the Cold War as a whole in later years can be traced back to this revolution. Guevara’s influence on Castro affected many of his policies, even more so in the reconstruction of the Cuban government. He is primarily responsible for Cuba’s socialist leanings (Kellner 52). In addition to his contribution of political organization, Ché’s military leadership of his troops was also a deciding factor. The leadership of his troops to the ‘astonishing victory’ in Santa Clara on December 31, 1958 was perhaps the last straw for Batista’s regime, and is obviously a demonstration of his battlefield contribution (Anderson 331). This clearly important involvement coupled with his consistent display of ‘heart’ would undeniably make him a significant contributor to the revolution. Perhaps it would be too adventurous to state that the movement would have failed without him, however, it is certainly safe to say that he was a prominent and influential figure.
E Conclusion
Ché Guevara’s importance and relevance in the Cuban Revolution was crucial. He provided a type of leadership which was lacking in Latin American movements of the sort. His style of leading by example and self-sacrifice was not even present in the likes of Fidel himself or his brother. This contribution undoubtedly makes him a unique addition to the forces and was important in controlling the revolution, making sure that it served its initial aims. His close relationship as friend and confidante of Castro was also important in the leanings of the tactics to guerrilla warfare and even more so after the war would end.
Word Count: 1,989F List of Sources
Anderson, Jon Lee. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. The Bantam Press. Great Britain. ©1997.
Kellner, Douglas. Ernesto “Ché” Guevara. Chelsea House Publishers. United States of America. ©1989.
Sierra, Jerry A. “The Timetable History of Cuba: Batista”. 10 Oct. 2003
<http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/batista.htm>.
Suárez, Andrés. Cuba: Castroism and Communism, 1959 – 1966. The M.I.T. Press. United States of America. ©1969.