Sunday, August 30, 2009

Monograph #7 Max Weber

Che Guevara, the Symbol of Charisma


About 60 years ago, there was a medical student who was interested in many of intellectual studies like philosophy, sociology, political science and history. His name was Che Guevara. As he grew up, he became interested especially in Latin America.

In 1951, he took a year off from his medical study to travel to Latin America. Nobody knew at the time that this ordinary college student who loved Latin America would be the one who would make a great stroke in the History of not only Latin America but all over the world. As he traveled around Latin America he was struck by the crushing poverty of the remote rural areas, where peasant farmers worked in small plots of land owned by wealthy landlords. Such things he experienced totally changed his life and his dream.

During the journey he visited the mining town that was owned by an American capitalist and he saw the burial grounds for the laborers and Indios who worked like an animal but were not treated as they deserved. He felt great compassion to those workers and at the same time he felt abhorrence and angry against the ones who sucked the blood of Indios and laborers. Likewise he many times witnessed the life of Indios of Latin America who were being seized by bourgeois and capitalists. Such experiences made Guevara give up his life as a doctor and take the life of a revolutionist who would fight for the rights of the suffering people under bourgeois and achieving equality among men.

After the fatal meeting with Fidel Castro, Guevara in June 1955 in Mexico, he began to lead guerilla movements in Cuba, the country in Latin America that was suffering under American oppression. He organized an army of 82 men and fought against the millions of army of Batista, the governmental officer.

It is actually not imaginable for an army of 82 to defeat millions of army. After a month there were only 12 people left. However, Che Guevara has made it happen. The united and determined army under the great leadership of Che Guevara and the native Cuban people, who were convinced by charismatic but generous leadership of Che Guevara, were the motive power of his victory. Finally he and his people succeeded in freeing the Cuban people from the dictatorship of Batista.

Even after the victory in Cuba he didn’t stop working for Utopia in which everyone is happy and enjoys life. He did not enjoy the authority and power he got after the revolution. He was able to live a wealthy life and did have to get involved in such movements again. But then he again went to Bolivia to set the fire of revolution against the spoilt government and the unjust rulers. Also in Bolivia there were a number of followers of Che Guevara. However in this guerrilla movement, Guevara was captured and executed.

Regardless to the matter of ideology, Che Guevara is still being remembered as a brilliant charismatic leader of 20th century who fought for the people who were suffering under unjust authority and spoilt traditions.

The charisma of Che Guevara is still affecting many young people and it is still setting a fire of revolution in the hearts of the people who remember him.



It is not a matter of wishing success to the victim of aggression, but of sharing his fate; one must accompany him to his death or to victory.

- Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.

- Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

Each spilt drop of blood, in any country under whose flag one has not been born, is an experience passed on to those who survive, to be added later to the liberation struggle of his own country. And each nation liberated is a phase won in the battle for the liberation of one's own country.

- Ernesto 'Che' Guevara



Source:

Che Guevara(August 30, 2009). In Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:47 August 30, 2009 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara Quotes & Sayings Retrieved August 30, 2009 from
http://www.just-quotes.com/ernesto_che_guevara_quotes.html

Che Guevara. Retrieved August 30, 2009 from http://blog.naver.com/rlathdwk59?Redirect=Log&logNo=90045518050

3 comments:

  1. :-). You're topic is on charismatic leadership. That's good, but what Weber inputs as an approach to writing history is thematic. In the sense that the agents of change are narrated in terms of the development of social systems rather than individuals or great men. You're monograph here imho is more Hegelian than Weberian.

    When dealing with history written in the social scientific perspective, you would have to unlearn the narrative approach and go back to your original approach. :-) I told you before to use a narrative-literary approach, this is the time to go with the essay type of history.

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  2. I am really confused when I am writing monograph.. I tried to write my monograh in a narrative approach.. But when i am dealing with a philospher like Collingwood, it is hard for me to approach with narrative writing.. So do you mean that i am allowed to write monograph with essay type of history that i used to do?

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  3. With Collingwood, I suggest to stick to narrative. Weber, Hempel, & Braudel - essay.

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