Children attending school in Cuba start their day with a chant, “¡Seremo como el Che!”, meaning we will be like Che. To this day, revolutionary character is played upon as a central element to Cuba. Ideology, and popular support are the two central factors in any revolutionary government. Castro is no different in needing to establish both in order to gain power. Or is he? Communist ideology in Cuba is not a given truth to many historians, in this essay we will explore how Castro used ideology, and manipulated popular support in order to rise to power. While at times over-emphasized, guerrilla war, and the revolutionary spirit were part of the initial core of his attaining power.
Guerrilla warfare executed by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, and Fidel Castro, is a foreshadowing of the rest of Castro’s career in establishing power- ambiguous political stance. The version they used -Mao’s model- relied heavily on propaganda, and connecting to the poor people of the Sierra mountains. Besides fighting a dangerous war, both Castro and Che would lend themselves useful to the surrounding communities, in helping to build infrastructure, and instructing basic literacy skills. Extending this past helping directly, the machismo society in Cuba, lent Castro more support than he could have elsewhere hoped. Che, and Castro’s notoriously dramatic style was well-suited to capturing people’s attention, and built-up a movement that otherwise would have been one
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However, these can be addressed in more ways than one- the essential one being revolutionary spirit. This theme connects all of Castro’s decisions, and remains prevalent in contemporary Cuba’s culture. From naming of policies, down to how children start their days at school. It is evident that without the Cuban population’s support, there is no way that the fool who led the Moncada Barracks attack would’ve established a near forty-year long