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At this point in the year we’ve discussed numerous revolutions in history class. The most recent we’ve studied was Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and independence movement. Simultaneously, I’ve been studying Che Guevara and the violent Cuban revolution. It seems only fitting that I should compare these two men’s concepts of revolution. I wrote a post earlier this year about whether or not violence is necessary during revolutions; although this topic may seem similar, I intend for this to differ from my earlier post.
Mohandas K. Gandhi has become a household name. Films, books, and volumes have been dedicated to the life of an individual who drove India’s quest for independence in the early to mid 20
th century. Born in 1869, Gandhi left his native India to study law in England and eventually traveled to South Africa in 1893 to establish his own practice. He wasn’t excessively wealthy in his youth, but came from a somewhat well off family and had a promising future. During his time in South Africa, Gandhi made the choice to pursue a life of activism against the civil rights violations, which he witnessed, and was subjected to on a day-to-day basis. During his time in South Africa he developed the concept of satyagraha, based on the philosophy of
ahisma (non-violence). He returned to India in 1915 and for the next three decades led the struggle for Indian independence from Britain, employing his peaceful revolutionary strategies, such as civil disobedience, hartals, and noncooperation. He is noted for fasting on several occasions, when he attributed his actions for causing even the smallest amount of violence. He rejected violence, even in revenge for events like the Amritsar Massacre, where over a thousand Indians were killed by British troops during a peaceful gathering. Gandhi’s actions did eventually lead to the attainment of Indian independence, but during the partition of India and Pakistan an estimated half million people were killed or displaced. By the end of his life, Gandhi considered himself a failure, as his philosophies of nonviolence seemed to have led to the tremendous violence, which occurred during the partition. Nevertheless, Gandhi’s legacy survives and continues to inspire social reformers across the globe.
Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1928. Famous as a Marxist, physician, and Guerilla fighter, he was a personal friend of the revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and one of his highest-ranking officers during his campaign to overthrow the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Most people only know of Che by the famous image of the Guerrillero Heroico, a famous picture of Ernesto Guevara. Che also grew up to favorable circumstances. His parents were both successful in their respective fields and Che had the opportunity to study medicine. Despite his success in the study of medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, Che never became a doctor. Less than a year before he would become a licensed physician, he decided to traverse the South American continent with a close friend on a motorcycle, ‘
La Poderosa’ (The Mighty One). Che already came from a highly liberal and even revolutionary family, but during his motorcycle journey, (on which the movie The Motorcycle Diaries is based) he chose to dedicate his life to revolution against the oppressive governments of South America. He eventually met Cuban revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro and found himself with a machine gun, and a company of fellow revolutionaries sailing towards the Sierra Maestra mountain range in Cuba. Che chronicled his experiences in the Cuban jungle in
Reminisces on the Cuban Revolutionary War, a riveting read available for free download online. During his time in the Sierra Maestra he devised the Foco theory of revolution. The Foco theory is based on the small, disciplined unit of Guerilla fighters, which, through careful maneuvering and local support can eventually defeat large standing armies. Che is famous for his speech to the United Nations entitled ‘
Patria o Muerte’ (Homeland or Death). His Guerilla strategy eventually succeeded. Despite the violence and suffering of the revolutionary war, Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959.
Both of these revolutionary leaders served as a driving force behind each of their respective revolutions. Both Che Guevara and Mohandas K. Gandhi battled against injustice and strived for civil rights. Their legacies continue to inspire different schools of revolutionary thought to this day: one violent, and one nonviolent. Perhaps the main source of intrigue for these men comes from their leaving behind a promising life for the cause of revolution. But which was more successful? Gandhi viewed himself as a failure, even though he achieved Indian independence through nonviolent means: I would argue that the violence that occurred during partition was out of his control. Che Guevara also succeeded as a lieutenant under Fidel Castro and his Foco strategy has been utilized in several violent revolutions preceding its development. By the same token, Che was captured and executed in Bolivia in 1967, while he was attempting to lead another revolution based on Foco. In a way the philosophies of Satyagraha and Foco are incomparable, but both seem to offer a different means of revolution. Gandhi felt that the path of violence was not only unjust, but was a ‘corner-cutting’ method, but he would most likely have supported Che’s cause. Che on the other hand never enjoyed executing his enemies and offered second chances whenever he could, (according to his own memoirs) but believed that violence was a necessary evil. One must also consider what kind of governments were established after these revolutions succeeded. In the case of India, a democracy, still haunted by the remnants of the caste system and subject to a fair amount of corruption. In the case of Cuba, a communist regime, shunned by much of the modern world. While both men were pioneers and successful in some respect, I believe Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence was more innovative, as violence has predominated for most of history. Horrible atrocities were committed as the direct, or indirect results of these men’s actions, but nevertheless, their legacies continue to inspire millions to this day, which is a success in itself.
