Che and the Cuban Revolution

After Che was persecuted for his political views under the new CIA made authoritarian government of Guatemala, he would find safety in Mexico and for the first time meet a young Fidel Castro. (McCormick 341)

What happens next is the beginning of his role in the movement to remove the Cuban dictator Batista. Conspiring with the young Castro, they would plot and then spend over a year assembling a group of like minded comrades (which numbered under one hundred), to boat to the island nation. The trip would fester illness with many of the members on the boat, for what would become a week long journey. By the time they arrived close to the island they would be forced to leave all their prepared materials on the boat as it got stuck close to but not actually on shore. To top this off, once on land they were unable to navigate the unfamiliar terrain for more than a day. The first event which this group of revolutionaries were involved in to be considered an event of war, was when Bastia’s forces were notified of the group being present on the island and decided to ambush them. The group was caught off guard by Batista’s forces who then executed all of the revolutionaries who they captured or those who naively surrendered. Those lucky enough to survive would find relative safety in the remote, wooded mountains of the island, despite losing all fighting equipment. (McCormick 342).

Their fate would change when their forces were able to recuperate and eventually began gaining ground in rural areas. Combined with the other anti-Batista groups already active in the region, Batista’s forces increasing found the resistance to be a powerful force. (McCormick 343). Che and Fidel’s small military successes eventually culminated with their victory in the Battle of Santa Clara. Batista’s regime finally fell almost immediately after this battle when Batista decided to withdraw from his government and take up residence in the United States. In the end, Che would preside over their proclaimed victory in the island’s capital, pushing other resistance groups to the side (McCormick 343). Despite the role other “urban” groups played in the revolution, Che and Castro would soon become in the minds of many the primary stars in Cuba’s revolutionary drama (Childs 594).