Che Guevara

[Soldier of Macedon]

Che Guevara speech at UN 1964 (English subtitles!!) - YouTube

I watched the first part of the biographical movie 'Che' a few days ago. I found it quite interesting. From what I have read in the past and more recently he seems to have been an influential character who had a significant impact in Latin America. I wanted to get the opinion of others who are more versed with his history. How do you see him, as a hero or a villain? Are his past actions worthy of all of the limelight he receives in this day and age? For our members from the U.S, how is he viewed in your country given the Cuban / Castro links?

[DraganOfStip]

I am surprised in how poor response this gets from the forum members.
In my opinion,Che was an anti-imperialist and anti-neocolonialist fighter that considered the peoples of Latin America as a whole.
He supported the revolutions agains the USA-backed dictators everywhere,and ultimately gave his life for the cause.
Today,he's an icon of the opressed nations and leftist movements worldwide.

[Soldier of Macedon]

I am surprised in how poor response this gets from the forum members.

So I am given the revolutionary element of Macedonian history. Thanks for your response, hopefully it will spark some more interest in the topic.

[Vangelovski]

I am surprised in how poor response this gets from the forum members.
In my opinion,Che was an anti-imperialist and anti-neocolonialist fighter that considered the peoples of Latin America as a whole.
He supported the revolutions agains the USA-backed dictators everywhere,and ultimately gave his life for the cause.
Today,he's an icon of the opressed nations and leftist movements worldwide.

Yeah, but he used guns...doesn't that concern you?

[Vangelovski]

Che Guevara speech at UN 1964 (English subtitles!!) - YouTube

I watched the first part of the biographical movie 'Che' a few days ago. I found it quite interesting. From what I have read in the past and more recently he seems to have been an influential character who had a significant impact in Latin America. I wanted to get the opinion of others who are more versed with his history. How do you see him, as a hero or a villain? Are his past actions worthy of all of the limelight he receives in this day and age? For our members from the U.S, how is he viewed in your country given the Cuban / Castro links?

I think Guevara was genuinely concerned about, and dedicated to, the cause of freedom for the world's oppressed.

However, I think he had a common misconception of capitalism (which still exists today in crony capitalist societies and among naive westerners) by mistakenly believing that crony capitalist systems are representative of capitalism in general and the same system of capitalism that functions in the west.

Granted, there is a degree of corruption in all capitalist systems, but capitalism has proved to generate much more economic prosperity and economic freedom for its people than any other economic system to date. I await all the quasi-socialists (people who promote socialism but refuse to live in socialist countries, even for a short period) to jump on this, but am still to see any socialist experiment that has matched capitalism's economic capabilities.

All in all, I think Guevara would have done much better for the people he helped, particularly the Cubans, if he did not convince Castro (who from what I can tell was indifferent to socialism prior to the Cuban Revolution and was more interested in overthrowing the Batista regime) to implement a socialist model.

[Risto the Great]

What an inspirational guy. I'm no commie, but you have to respect this guy's tenacity and passion and intelligence.

[DraganOfStip]

What an inspirational guy. I'm no commie, but you have to respect this guy's tenacity and passion and intelligence.

Also that he left a good position in the Cuban government to train and fight with other opressed people that ultimately cost him his life.
Not a lot of people would give up a comfortable life to do that...

[makedonche]

His ideals were well intentioned, however his methodolgy left something to be desired!