Death of a Revolutionary

by Harris, Richard L.

• ISBN13: 9780393320329
• ISBN10: 0393320324
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-01
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc

Summary

For many people, Ernesto Che Guevara symbolizes the movement for social change that swept the world in the 1960s--a man who gave his life for his ideals. Whether the man made the legends or the legends made the man, a romantic aura has attached to Che, obscuring the political realities that motivated him. In this astute study of Che's life and his doomed campaign in Bolivia, which draws on extensive field research, Richard Harris considers the essential question: When Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian Army in October 1967, did he die a hero, a martyr, or the victim of his own errors? Harris explores Che's youth and early political indoctrination and his association with Fidel Castro and the Soviet Communist parties. He follows Che as he traveled to China, to Africa, to Moscow, seeking to create an anti-imperialist front among the neutral nations of Asia and Africa. And he interviews politicians, government officials, and journalists in Bolivia, where Che went hoping to lead a peasant uprising and instead met his death. Death of a Revolutionary offers a rare, balanced look at the man behind the legend--and the circumstances that created him and shaped his choices.

Author Biography

Richard L. Harris is professor of global studies at the Monterey Bay campus of California State University.

Table of Contents

Maps	8	(3)
Preface to the Revised Edition	11	(8)
Introduction	19	(4)
Profile of a Revolutionary	23	(28)
Che's Theories on Revolutionary Warfare	51	(17)
Why Che Left Cuba	68	(14)
Why Che Chose Bolivia	82	(12)
Preparation of the Guerrilla Foco	94	(16)
The Discovery of the Guerrillas	110	(8)
The Capture of Regis Debray and Ciro Bustos	118	(11)
The High Point of Guerrilla Activities	129	(14)
The End Nears	143	(13)
How Che Died	156	(11)
The Absence of Popular Support	167	(12)
The Betrayal And Abandonment of the Guerrillas	179	(31)
U.S. Involvement in The Guerrilla Episode	210	(12)
The Publication of Che's Diary	222	(21)
Che Becomes an Icon of Popular Culture	243	(6)
Che's Legacy	249	(14)
Bibliography	263	(2)
Index	265