Was Che a Communist?

[EL Revolucionario]

Well this may seem like a dumb question but I need to have a definite answer. Was Che a Communist or anything of the sort? I know he didn't consider himself a communist at one point but he did read Marx and agreed with his ideas. I am totally confused on this topic. What do you all think about his ideology?

[Subversive Pessimist]

Che was a communist, yes. I think he was a Marxist-Leninist.

[RJRevolution]

I think that Che was a communist and considered himself one.

BUT, I think that people dont think he is because he disagreed with many of the Communist countries around at the time(USSR).

[bunk]

The USSR was never a communist country nor was China or any of the eastern bloc i think they stalled at socialism.

[rahul]

BUT I THINK CHE WAS NOT A COMMUNIST......IN THE SENSE HE DOESNT FOLLOWED ALL THE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNISM..........THAT IS HE LEFT SOME BAD PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNISM......................

AND A COMMUNISM WITH OUT ANY DRAW BACKS AND A COMMUNISM WHICH IS SET FOR THE PRESENT DAY SITUATION IS THE THING CHE FOLLOWED....THAT WOULD BE A REAL ONE.

[Hiero]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 08:36 AM
BUT I THINK CHE WAS NOT A COMMUNIST......IN THE SENSE HE DOESNT FOLLOWED ALL THE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNISM..........THAT IS HE LEFT SOME BAD PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNISM......................

AND A COMMUNISM WITH OUT ANY DRAW BACKS AND A COMMUNISM WHICH IS SET FOR THE PRESENT DAY SITUATION IS THE THING CHE FOLLOWED....THAT WOULD BE A REAL ONE.
What principles didnt he follow.

[rahul]

principles doesnt mean actually "the principles" i mean that he gave an exact defenetion for communism which is greater than that of conventional marxism

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

Che was a keen follower of Mao I think.

He looked to these countries only in an economic sense.

[RJRevolution]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 02:30 PM
Che was a keen follower of Mao I think.

He looked to these countries only in an economic sense.
yes, i know that Che preferred China much more than the USSR. And always wanted to meet Mao.

[Kurai Tsuki]

Che was definately a communist, communism was a part of his broader anti-imperialist and nationalist personality. To think about Che only in terms of his political ideology would be to simplify him.

There is of course the famous joke that happened at a meeting where it was asked whether there was en economist present, and Guevara thought he heard the word communist and raised his hand, and was then made president of the Cuban national bank.

[rahul]

good joke!

and is there no difference between communism che believed and lenin/marx/mao followed?

[Kurai Tsuki]

Guevara did believe that some adaptation was needed when for using Marx's beliefs in Latin America.

<edit> "Say" was changed to "Believe"

[Karo de Perro]

Was Che a communist? ... in the Marx-Engels sense - NO&#33;

To date I am yet to witness one shread of evidence that Che was a card-carrying communist,nor do I believe he personally considered himself a communist in the bare essence of the word.

What Che seems to have done,is quite the same as I myself strive to do,and this is to assimilate every sound socialist idea and concept of strategic and tactical information necessary to make oneself fit as both a socialist and revolutionary.

Of course various writers have pointed out the fact that Che admired Stalin initially insomuch that he use to sign himself as StalinII ... however,this admiration did wane in time as Che became more and more familiar with the ideology and especially the methodology of Chairman Mao,even calling his baby daughter &#39;Little Mao&#39;.

In regards to communism it must be understood that Marx and Engels envisioned communism as the last stage of social transformation,one in which the dictatorship of the proletariat having cast off every shackle of imperialism in turn melts away into a fully classless society wherein the state is no longer necessary to govern people in that all have become integrated into an undeniable egalitarian society.

In this respect communism is nothing more than anarchy,for neither communism nor anarchy wish to recognize any authority,both are expressive of unrestrained liberality concerning individualism though Marx appears to have attempted to wed this notion of individualism to communal conscious,while its evident that the two aspects are locked in dire opposition to one another ... for those who think constantly of themself see no cause to consider the welfare and condition of others.

Those who wish to term Che as a communist have a massive amount of editing to do in regards to his writings so as to make Che fit into this mold they have cast for him.

Simply read his writings and the reports of those who personally knew him,but then again if one is a fanatic they will surely let their eyes float past anything which may disagree with their preconceived notions ... for as in most cases of gods and famous personalities ... the admirer as a rule tends to mold the idol in their own image.

I myself believe Che was a revolutionary socialist,an authoritarian,a strict disciplinarian,a statist and an internationalist,and though he was in agreement with certain aspects of Leninist-Stalinist doctrine which he combined with aspects taken from Maoism,still he cannot rightly be placed in any of the ISMs pertaining to such men,no more than he can be called a Trotskyite simply because Che himself personally believed and espoused permanent revolution.

This I will say ... show me the evidence supporting any claim that Che was indeed a communist and we ll discuss this issue much more indepth ... til you can do this I will not bother myself with such petty nonsense.

[Hiero]

Originally posted by Karo de [email protected] 27 2004, 10:20 PM
the admirer as a rule tends to mold the idol in their own image.

Oh yeah a bit like you.

[Colombia]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 07:50 AM
The USSR was never a communist country nor was China or any of the eastern bloc i think they stalled at socialism.
Can you name one true socialist country?

[Wiesty]

he was mostly a Socialist

[Manos]

Why is there even discussion on this topic? Che numerous times idenitfied himself as a "Marxist Leninist"(his critique of the USSR has nothing to do with his opinion on communisim, rather the USSR&#39;s execution of the idea of communism vs. China&#39;s). Wheather or not Cuba turn out to be a "true communist country" is besides that point. For example: someone who claims to identify with Christ but has sex before marriage can still consider themselves a Christian. It&#39;s amazing how many of you take solice in labels.

[AC-Socialist]

Originally posted by comrade [email protected] 26 2004, 08:49 AM
What principles didnt he follow.
The Self Emancipation of the Working Class&#33;&#33;&#33;, oh, and the early Stalin fetish certainly didnt help. :D

[FriedFrog]

TV interview

Q: "Are you a Communist?"

A: "If you consider that the things that we are doing in the people&#39;s interest represent manifestations of communism, then call us communists. If you are asking whether I am a member of the Partido Socialista Popular, the answer is no."

[Scottish_Militant]

Partido Socialista Popular

what is this?

[Latin American Socialist]

in english it means, "The Popular Socialist Party"

[FriedFrog]

Partido Socialista Popular

This was the official Cuban Communist Party. It is also called &#39;Partido Comunista de Cuba&#39;. A quick Google and a bit of exploring takes you to this page:

Partido Comunista de Cuba Britannica Article (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=25395)

As you can see it dates back to 1923, so it was not founded by Castro and his guerrilla forces when they came to power.