The Marxism of Che Guevara: Philosophy, Economics, Revolutionary Warfare

(Paperback, Second Edition)

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In this seminal exploration of Che Guevara's contributions to Marxist thinking, Michael Lwy traces Che's ideas about Marxism both as they related to Latin America and to more general philosophical, political, and economic issues. Now revised and updated, this edition includes a chapter on Guevara's search for a new paradigm of socialism and a substantive essay by Peter McLaren on Che's continued relevance today. Lwy portrays Guevara as a revolutionary humanist who considered all political questions from an internationalist viewpoint. For him, revolutionary movements in Latin America were part of a world process of emancipation. Lwy considers especially Che's views on the contradiction between socialist planning and the law of value in the Cuban economy and his search for an alternative road to the "actually existing socialism" of the Stalinist and post-Stalinist Soviet bloc.

Che's varied occupationsdoctor and economist, revolutionary and banker, agitator and ambassador, industrial organizer and guerrilla fighterwere expressions of a deep commitment to social change. This book eloquently captures his views on humanity, his contributions to the theory of revolutionary warfare, and his ideas about society's transition to socialism, offering a cohesive, nuanced introduction to the range of Guevara's thought.

Reviews

[The Marxism of Che Guevara] would make an excellent classroom tool for anyone teaching about Latin America or revolution. * Science & Society *
A foreign correspondent interviewing Che Guevara shortly after the revolution had taken over Havana asked him if he was a Marxist. Sensing the covert malevolence of the query, Guevara replied, 'I don't know enough to be a Marxist.' This book proves that he has remedied that. He might be called a creative Marxist rather than a rigid follower or one who seeks quotations merely to further his own dogmatism. It provides us with the picture of a great, flexible, and searching mind. This book helps us to realize more fully the great loss the world sustained by the CIA and Pentagon murder of a noble and brave revolutionist. -- Carleton Beals
Michael Lwy's brief but penetrating book takes Che Guevara not as a romantic adventurer but as a serious revolutionary militant; as a Marxist who sought to develop an anti-dogmatic body of Marxist theory that would transcend both reformism and Stalinism and return Cuban Marxism 'back to the living sources of revolutionary communism.' * Telos *
This short study of the ideology of Che Guevara is an excellent companion to the many anthologies of his life and work. . . . The book gives one a clear understanding of the relationship of Guevara's thought to traditional Russian and Marxist philosophy. This work should prove useful to anyone interested in either contemporary Marxist thought or the Cuban Revolution. * Choice Reviews *

Author Bio

Michael Lwy is research director emeritus in sociology at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and guest lecturer at the cole des Hautes tudes en Sciences Sociales. His many publications include The War of Gods: Religion and Politics in Latin America.