Ernesto “Che” Guevara is best known for being a somewhat symbolic figure for the Cuban Revolution in the 1950’s. Today he is often seen on t-shirts as a sign of rebellion. In his address to the United Nations in 1964, his “Colonialism is Doomed” speech, he spoke about his distrust of Colonialism. He found that colonialism limited peace with, “Peaceful coexistence cannot be limited to the powerful countries if we want to ensure world peace.” Forced compliance did not necessarily mean peace, it meant submission. He was influenced by his travels throughout South America when he was younger as a medical student. He saw poverty, hunger and disease in these countries that influenced his ideas and desire for revolution.
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It is interesting to view the relationship between Cuba and the United States from the point of view of a Cuban revolutionary. American History textbooks paint Cuba as a dangerous communist threat, although the United States was seen by the Cubans as uncompromising with their failure to recognize communist governments. I agree that peace cannot be achieved without the consent of all countries, and the attempt to oust the communist government of Cuba was a violation of Cuba’s sovereignty. The divide between communist and capitalist governments have a long history, although we are usually presented with a pro-capitalist point of view.