1928
Rosario beginnings
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 14, 1928, into a middle-class family with left-leaning sympathies and a strong culture of reading and argument.
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Che Guevara
Che Guevara, born Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, was an Argentine-Cuban revolutionary, Marxist theorist and guerrilla commander. He helped Fidel Castro overthrow Fulgencio Batista in Cuba, served in the revolutionary government, promoted armed anti-imperialist struggle, and died in Bolivia in 1967 while trying to ignite another revolution.
- Born
- 1928 CE
- Died
- 1967 CE
- Role
- Argentine-Cuban revolutionary and guerrilla theorist
Argentine-Cuban revolutionary and guerrilla theorist (1928-1967)
Quick facts
Profile details
Additional identity and tagging details that are not already covered in the introduction.
- Full name
- Ernesto Guevara de la Serna
- Also known as
- Ernesto Guevara, El Che
Facts
Che Guevara timeline facts
Selected specifics from this profile's life story.
- 1928
- Rosario beginnings
- 1953-1954
- Guatemala and radicalisation
- 1959-1965
- Power after victory
- After 1967
- Icon and argument
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 14, 1928, into a middle-class family with left-leaning sympathies and a strong culture of reading and argument.
In Guatemala, Guevara watched the elected government of Jacobo Arbenz fall after U.S.-backed pressure and a CIA-supported coup.
After Batista fled, Guevara held senior posts in revolutionary Cuba, including at the National Bank and Ministry of Industries, while representing Cuba abroad.
Che Guevara became one of the most recognisable political images of the twentieth century, admired as an anti-imperialist martyr and condemned as a dogmatic revolutionary.
Life Journey
Revolution, myth and the price of purity
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1951-1953
A continent becomes political
Journeys through Latin America exposed Guevara to mining camps, Indigenous poverty, leper colonies and the shared vulnerability of countries shaped by foreign capital and local inequality.
1953-1954
Guatemala and radicalisation
In Guatemala, Guevara watched the elected government of Jacobo Arbenz fall after U.S.-backed pressure and a CIA-supported coup.
1955-1956
Meeting Castro
In Mexico, Guevara met Fidel Castro and joined the 26th of July Movement, which was preparing to overthrow Fulgencio Batista in Cuba.
1956-1959
Commander of revolution
During the Cuban Revolution, Guevara became one of Castro's most important commanders, helping turn a small guerrilla force into a successful insurgency.
1959-1965
Power after victory
After Batista fled, Guevara held senior posts in revolutionary Cuba, including at the National Bank and Ministry of Industries, while representing Cuba abroad.
1966-1967
Bolivia and death
Guevara went to Bolivia in 1966 to build a guerrilla movement, but his force became isolated and was destroyed by the Bolivian army with U.S. intelligence assistance.
After 1967
Icon and argument
Che Guevara became one of the most recognisable political images of the twentieth century, admired as an anti-imperialist martyr and condemned as a dogmatic revolutionary.
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Content note
This profile is written for educational use and connects to related Stories of History pages. Illustrations are original artistic interpretations.
