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Ernesto "Che" Guevara, born on June 14, 1928, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. He emerged as a central figure in the Cuban Revolution, and his stylized image has since become an iconic symbol of rebellion and counterculture worldwide.

As a young medical student, Guevara journeyed across South America, deeply moved by the poverty, hunger, and illness he encountered. His growing outrage at what he perceived as the capitalist exploitation of Latin America by the United States drove him to participate in Guatemala's social reforms under President Jacobo Árbenz. The CIA-backed overthrow of Árbenz, orchestrated at the request of the United Fruit Company, solidified Guevara's political convictions.

In Mexico City, Guevara crossed paths with Raúl and Fidel Castro, becoming a key member of their 26th of July Movement. Together, they embarked on the yacht Granma to Cuba, aiming to topple the US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Guevara quickly rose to prominence among the rebels, eventually becoming second-in-command. His strategic acumen and leadership were instrumental during the guerrilla campaign that ultimately ousted the Batista regime after two years.

Ernesto Guevara was born into a middle-class Argentine family and received a privileged education. He studied medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, where his exposure to leftist ideas deepened. Guevara's travels across South America in the early 1950s exposed him to the plight of the impoverished and marginalized, shaping his revolutionary worldview. His medical training would later influence his approach to guerrilla warfare, emphasizing the welfare of fighters and civilians alike.

Guevara's career trajectory is defined by his pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution and subsequent efforts to export revolution across Latin America and beyond. Following the success in Cuba, he held various governmental positions, advocating for agrarian reform and revolutionary internationalism. Guevara's revolutionary activities extended to Congo and Bolivia, where his efforts met with mixed success and ultimately led to his capture and execution by Bolivian forces in 1967.

Che Guevara's legacy remains deeply polarizing. To many, he is a symbol of resistance against imperialism and capitalism, an icon of selflessness and commitment to social justice. His writings, including "Guerrilla Warfare" and "The Motorcycle Diaries," continue to inspire revolutionaries and activists worldwide. However, critics view Guevara as a ruthless ideologue who contributed to authoritarianism and human rights abuses. Despite his death over half a century ago, his legacy continues to influence leftist movements and discussions on revolution and social change globally.

1. Guevara, Che (8 October 1960). "Notes for the Study of the Ideology of the Cuban Revolution". Verde Olivo – via Marxists Internet Archive.
2. Man and Socialism in Cuba Archived 2010-11-28 at the Wayback Machine by Che Guevara
3. "Latin America Report". Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS). 23 March 1984. p. 24. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
4. "Economics Cannot be Separated from Politics" speech by Che Guevara to the ministerial meeting of the Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES), in Punta del Este, Uruguay on 8 August 1961.
5. The Oxford Handbook of Greek Drama in the Americas. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2015. ISBN 978-0-19-163733-9.