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Why is Che Guevara so famous? What was his major achievement? Was propaganda all that made him famous? Why are people told that he was a "revolutionary"? Was he that wise?

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Pretty much same reason Kim Kardashian is. Western youths admiring someone with no positive qualities to speak of. – DVK Nov 3 '12 at 20:45
@Anixx - He is famous in the USA at least, in as much as "famous" means that lots of people who have no other clue about him recognize his image and name. – T.E.D.♦ Nov 5 '12 at 18:54
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This question does not really fit our guidelines because the answer will be subjective in nature. Generally, questions that ask "why" will not be a good fit because they invite opinion and discussion. – Steven Drennon♦ Nov 7 '12 at 23:08
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Vote up. Che is an asshole. @DVK Kim Kardashian has tons of positive qualities. She got big boobs. She's pretty. She's extremely beautiful. She make the world a better place. She gives hope for those who are singles that hot babes exists. Did I mention she's hot. She doesn't condemn porn. She doesn't judge people harshly based on being normal men. If all women are like that the world will be much better places. – Jim Thio Feb 8 at 5:35

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2 Answers

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I suspect that the Guerrillero Heroico picture of Che Guevara is what most people associate with him. In my not so humble opinion, Che is famous because of this picture of him and not because of either his actions or character.

The original photo: Guerrillero Heroico

The photo that is most commonly known of him based on the above: Che

A few may know of his involvement in Cuba or of his motorcycle diaries but that is all. Few will have any more in depth knowledge of who he really was.

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This addresses Che's popularity (mainly in the Western world), but doesn't really explain the source of his fame (or infamy). – Yannis Rizos Nov 8 '12 at 13:27
@YannisRizos: In my not so humble opinion, he was made popular by the photo. Most people have no idea who he actually was and only know of him from derivative work from the photo. If they are lucky, they might have heard that he rode a bike across South America since there was a movie about it. – Sardathrion Nov 8 '12 at 13:44
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I agree that the photo was significant in Che's popularity, however popularity != fame. Hitler is famous, but not popular, for example. – Yannis Rizos Nov 8 '12 at 13:47
I am not really interested in discussing the semantic of famous and popular. In my not so humble opinion, Che is famous because of this picture of him and not because of either his actions or character. Answer edited. – Sardathrion Nov 8 '12 at 13:58
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-1 Because you don't explain why the picture was famous. There are lots of pretty pictures who made their objects no more famous than my sister - and she's pretty. – astabada Dec 31 '12 at 9:55
up vote 4 down vote

Che is famous for 2 reasons:

  • Historically, because he was a major historical figure (an important leader of an anti-Batista Cuban revolution that resulted in Castroist Cuban regime and a big shot in that regime after Castro won). His Wiki entry covers all the important details.

  • Propaganda/brand recognition. He was picked as a symbol/icon by some western youths who never had a misfortune of growing up in a communist country and thus romanticised a murderous racist thug and his ideology (define irony: Carlos Santana, who got rich and famous by exploiting free market capitalist system to gain wealth unheard of for musicians in Socialist countries, prasing Che who prohibited Rock'n'Roll and jazz in Cuba)

But hey, why listen to a whacked out poster on some internet site? Let's go straight to the source:

"Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any enemy that falls in my hands! My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood. With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl!" - Che Guevarra

"I don't need proof to execute a man, I only need proof that it's necessary to execute him!" - Che Guevarra

"We will march the path of victory even if it costs millions of atomic victims...We must keep our hatred alive and fan it to paroxysm." - Che Guevarra (referring to his idea to nuke NYC)

"The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations."

"The episode upset us a little because the poor man, apart from being homosexual and a first-rate bore, had been very nice to us, giving us 10 soles each, bringing our total to 479 for me and 163 1/2 to Alberto." (bet you didn't know that Cuba wasn't exactly a good place to be gay).

To address OP's specific wording:

  • Che is called a "revolutionary" for the very literal reason that he was a member of a revolutionary movement in Cuba (in a "change the government" meaning of 'revolutionary').

  • While his wisdom can be debated and is too subjective to address, he was clearly was sufficiently smart both in regular IQ (since he was originally a medical doctor by education) and in emotional IQ (since he was a successful leader and later a diplomat).

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@ihtkwot - most of them come from his "Motorcycle Diaries" memoir, except for IIRC one that may have been from his speech at the UN (#3) and #4 from his diaries. – DVK Nov 4 '12 at 20:14
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@Sid - Churchill allied with Stalin against Nazis; doesn't mean he was any less an anti-Commie person than before 1941. The same way, Che allying himself with blacks against "imperialism" and gringos doesn't make him any less racist – DVK Nov 6 '12 at 3:00
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@James - so???? – DVK Nov 6 '12 at 12:34
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This is a horribly biased answer, and I don't really think it's suitable for a site called History. While I don't necessarily disagree with your opinions, I don't think your (or my) opinions have any place here. How about you let the historical facts do the talking instead? – Yannis Rizos Nov 7 '12 at 14:53
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-1 Because there's no history in the answer, apart from a bunch of out-of-context quotes. – astabada Dec 31 '12 at 9:53
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