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1928, 1952, 1967: The man behind the myth
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
What you need to know before your trail
Che Guavara became a myth in his own lifetime and an international martyr-figure upon his death; he was a revolutionary fighter, a military strategist, a social philosopher, an economist, a medical doctor, and a friend and confidant of Fidel Castro. Che Guevara’s dream was an epic one – to unite Latin America and the rest of the developing world through armed revolution, and to end once and for all the poverty, injustice and petty nationalisms that had bled it for centuries. In the end Che failed in his quest but he is recognized as that one-in-a-million personality who just might have pulled it off.
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Travel Booktrail style through the life and locations of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro
Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, guerrilla leader, and was also a keen traveller and author. He was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution.
As a young medical student, Guevara travelled throughout South America and was radicalized by the poverty, hunger and disease he saw whilst on his travels. He wanted to help reverse the USA’s capitalist exploitation of Latin America. In Mexico City, Guevara met Raúl and Fidel Castro, joined their 26th of July Movement and sailed to Cuba aboard the yacht Granma with the aim of overthrowing the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Following the Cuban Revolution, Guevara performed a number of key roles in the new government. He played a central role in training the militia forces who repelled the Bay of Pigs Invasion and bringing Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missiles to Cuba, which precipitated the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Guevara remains both a revered and reviled historical figure. His face has been used on posters and in campaigns as a revolutionary figure for the dispossesed across the world.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Chasing Che: Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
Destination: Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Cuba Author/guide: John Lee Anderson Departure Time: 1928, 1952, 1967
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