Myers, Phillip

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Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) Department of History 6-1-2007 Che Guevara: Maoist or Leninist? Phillip Myers Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his  Part of the Latin American History Commons, and the Political History Commons Che Guevara:Maoist or Leninist?By:Phillip MyersFor:Dr. John RectorJune 1,2007Iln the 1950's and 60's, revolutions were occurring across the world. ErnestoGuevara de la Serna born June 14, 1928 was commonly known as Che Guevara orEl Che. He was an Argentine-born Maxist revolutionary, medical doctor, politicalfigure, economist, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. Che Guevarawas an idealist with the zealfor social change and during his time traveling throughLatin America, he was exposed to the impoverished lifestyles of which many of thepeople lived. These experiences during his journeys brought him to the conclusionthat the inequality that existed within Latin America could be fixed through socialrevolution. This thinking led Che to study Maxism in all its forms to implement withinhis homeland.The conceptualization of Che's Marxist views culminated in his Foco theory.The main purpose of his theory was to attempt to overthrow the region's governmentby gathering support of local peasants in a remote location and then moving on thecapitol. The question remains; where did this theory evolve from? Was it based offthe pure Marxist thought from the Manifesto? Was the Foco theory based off Maoistor Leninist revolutions in the past? Examining the origins and likeness of these veryseparate but similar revolutions may give insight into the inner working of Guevara.The Foco, or Focus, theory was Che's ideological approach to how a revolutionshould occur. First, before any sort of revolution may occur, the conditions must beright. Before there can be any type of insurrection against a corrupt government,there must be a single point that the people have had enough before social reformmay be introduced. Second, all other avenues to address the problem must beexhausted prior to revolutionary measures being introduced. This includes legalmethods,because violence is truly a last resort. Thus, the government has theappearance of legitimacy and any violence used prior to these actions being takenwill be viewed as inappropriate. These three conditions must be met prior to arevolutionary foco may introduced into the region.lChe's goals were not to create an autonomous and global communist regimeas was believed in the United States, but was geared towards improving the lives ofthe people living in horrific conditions. The vision that Max produced though hisideological Manifesto was designed in such a way to promote equality and justice forall men, not just those with wealth. This applied directly to the living conditions withinLatin America as the social inequalities were rampant. Thus, the goal of hisrevolutionary Foco was to set the people free to living a happier and more fruitful lifeafter all options have been explored.The question as to why lhe Foco theory is used rather than a directconfrontation is more based on the region rather than the motivation of the people.By gathering a small base of operations as outlined in Che's autobiographyrr andworking to secure the support of the local populace, the Foco would build supportand a network of information and defense sources. As the Foco expanded, thesupport of the local people would spread, adding new members to the guerillainsurgency and the ability to put pressure on the government.To answer the question as to why this approach is used, mainly the region'sterrain is the reason. Latin America is largely undeveloped, leaving vast swaths ofthe countryside wild with many places for a rebellion to occur. Mostly, the foco mustbe fairly isolated so that not to blend the local populations within the city in the initialstages of growth. ln the latter stages of development, Che states that sendingemissaries into the cities to gather support from the base of population. At this point,the guerilla fighters are no longer just a military unit fighting against a corruptI Jose A. Moreno, "Comparative Studies in Society and History",12 (1970) 114-133II Ernesto Guevara, Che Guevara on guerrilla warfare. New York: Praeger (1967)government, but a symbol around which people may flock to. Che's understanding ofthe common people was integralto the development of his revolutionary concept.However, where this originated from is still not fully understood.The original format for Marxism came from Karl Max. Max was a Germanphilosopher who addressed a multitude of topics but was most famous for hisanalysis of history in terms of class struggle. This topic was summarized in theCommunist Manifesto. His ideas were the primary cause for the revolt of the RussianBolsheviks in the October Revolution of 1917. Max-Leninism is marked by a distinctdifference in the approach that is used than that Guevara theorized. Leninismfocuses reform from inside the government to implement change. Leninism was agood approach to the situation in Russia as the population there was quite large.During the Bolshevik Revolution, it is marked that through political motivation leadingto open revolt rather than political separatism accomplishing revolution is achieved.The classic approach to Russian Populism was the concept that a single entityof "the people" as a single entity supported by overall social goals. The major longterm goal of Leninism was defending the people against capitalist infiltration. Thiswould eliminate the village community that is the basis of Russian peasant life. Asthis was motivated more from fear in the "pre capitalist" phase, it preempted any truethreat that was perceived.rrr The relationship between Russian Populism versus theFoco theory is very unlikely due to the goals being based on different desires.Within the idea of revolution, much is the same goal, but the methodology isdifferent. Leninism's approach to Maxism is based on the desire to removecapitalism and eventually morph the culture into one where social class is not anissue. This being the core of socialism, but the aspect that evolved in Russia leftIII Maurice Meisner, "Leninism and Maoism: Some Populist Perspectives on Mqrxism-Leninism in China",The China Quarterly, 45 (1971)2-5.more towards Communism with the advent of Stalin coming to power. Another majordifference in the delineation from Guevara's Foco theory is the approach toviolence.lv The Bolsheviks used violence as a means to an end, not as a last resort.The October Revolution advocated for the rising up of the multitudes of peasantsagainst the bourgeoisies in that country. Guevara advocated for violence against thenationalist forces that sought to stop a revolution, but not to harm those that did notactively oppose the revolution. Lenin's forces did not adhere to this. Capitalisticgovernment was the enemy, not the corrupt governments that are seen in LatinAmerica.The similarities between Leninism and the Foco theory are slim, but most areideological in nature. Leninism actively incorporated itself into the governmental bodyto attempt political change from within, but Guevara advocated revolution fromoutside. The use of violence prior to all avenues being exhausted was implementedby the Bolsheviks whilst the Latin American revolutionaries sought a dialogue prior tobecoming guerilla fighters.v The Leninist thought was geared more towards thedefense against a social and economic change that would enhance the differencebetween the classes. Guevara was more concerned with the evolution of equality inoppressive atmosphere with military style governments that were ruling in LatinAmerica during the 50's and 60's.Maoism on the other hand, which was based more on the countryside ratherthan in the cities. Maoism embraced the countryside, as this is where its base was. ltdiffered from Leninism due largely to the fact that the proletariat and its supporterscould lead the revolution. The opposite is true with Leninism where the proletariat isinfluenced by its supporters. Rural development was the priority, rather than theIv Guevara, ibid.v Guevara, ibid.cities. Mao felt that this was an appropriate stratagem due to the majority of thepopulation of China were peasants. Maoism was inherently violent as it connectspolitical ideology with that of military structure. Mao Zedong was quoted as saying"political power comes from the barrel of the gun" and he encouraged this thought byorganizing the peasantry into a fighting force.The Foco theory is more closely related to Maoism simply based on the regionof its origination. ln Latin America, much of the nation is considered peasantry, butas China is a much larger nation, the two cannot be compared because of thedemographics is not similar as far as population numbers are concerned. However,the idea of origination in a rural area, supported by peasantry is more likened toMaoism rather than Leninism. However, as seen with Leninism, the use of violenceis advocated prior to all other means of social recourse as been attempted. lndeed,within Maoist theory, the struggle against capitalism was the primary concern and touphold the continuous class struggle.vlThe major difference between Maoism, Leninism and the Foco theory is whathappens after the struggle for social reform is complete. Leninism advocated for aproletariat with heavy influence to create a self-responsible government. The hopefor this would be that the influence over the proletariat would prevent abuse of powerand an equalization of power across the governmental body. Within Maoism, theopposite is true. Maoism actively encourages the continual revolution to keep itssocial order intact. These two focuses on post-revolutionary paths to how agovernment should rule do not reflect on how Guevara's Foco theory and hisendeavors in Cuba reflect themselves.The most proper assumption based on how the Foco theory is approached isthat Guevara took into account both Leninism and Maoism. As reviewing the historyof both of these revolutions, Guevara may have seen that the strength of the peopleof the countryside is integral as was the case with Maoism, but also a strongheadman to govern on behalf of the people as seen with Leninism in needed. Thus,Guevara was neither a Maoist nor Leninist, but both, taking what worked in onesituation and not another and incorporating it within his experiences in Cuba.vr lfGuevara had been successful in Bolivia, there may have been more explained to hisFoco theory, but unfortunately, that was not the case as he was killed by Bolivianrangers.However, up until his death in 1967, we do see how the Foco theory hadaffected the international politics of Cuba. The Foco theory became the guide bywhich Cuba's organizations such as the Organization of Latin American Solidarityand Tri-continental, which goal was to end the isolation of Cuba.vrrr ln addition to thiseffort on the part of Cuba to end its solitude, Guevara's ideologies also helped serveas defining characteristics between the Maxist-Leninism of the Soviets. Thedistinctions between the two were noted as being the Soviets advocacy of theprimacy of subjective conditions, the ability to speed up history, and the mockingattitude of d6tente.rxThe concept of revolution has been with humanity since the beginning of timeas we, as people, always are seeking a better life for ourselves. The unfortunate factof the "utopian equality" as seen within the Communist Manifesto will most likelynever be achieved as Max described it as people are inherently greedy, selfish andabove all, opportunistic. The goals of these revolutionaries may have been pure atu Maurice Meisner, ibid.uI Guevara, ibid.url Jorge J. Dominguez, To Make a World Safefor Revolution: Cuba's Forgeign Policy (Cambridge,Massachusetts, 1989), pp. 6-7.* Matt Childs, "An Historical Critique of the Emergence and Evolution of Ernesto Che Guevara's FocoTheorll' Journql of Latin American Studies,2T (1995),pp.593-624.one time, and I believe that Che Guevara was a true believer in his cause untiltheend, but the corruption that followed in the wake of any of these revolutions is trulydisheartening. The Bolshevik revolution in Russia transmuted into the horrific reign ofStalin. The revolution in China caused the deaths of millions of people based on fearand fanaticism. What can be learned from the Foco theory is this: The path of peacebefore war must be exhausted until no compromise can be accommodated.Works CitedChilds, Matt. "An Historical Critique of the Emergence and Evolution of Ernesto Che Guevara'sFoco Theory" Journal of Latin American Sfudies 27 (1995):593-624.Dominguez, Jorge J. To Make a World Safe for Revolution: Cuba's Foreign Policy Cambridge:Massachusetts, 1989. pp 6-7.Guevara, Ernesto. "El Dairio del Che en Bolivia" Ocean Press 2006.Meisner, Maurice, "Leninism and Maoism; Some Populist Perspectives on Marxism-Leninism in China" The China Quarterly 45 (1971) pp 2-5.Moreno, Jose A. "Che Guevara on Guenilla Waffare: Doctrine Practice andEvaluation" Comparative Studies in Society and History 12 (1970) pp. 114-133

Che Guevara: Maoist or Leninist?

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Che Guevara: Maoist or Leninist?

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