I’ve been listening to Guerrilla Warfare this week and it’s just had me thinking about Che more generally, particularly how he was essentially killed trying to replicate the Cuban pattern in Bolivia.
Was his strategy adventurist? Did it become adventurist by applying it in the wrong conditions? Were the Cuban revolutionaries just adventurists that got lucky - (Fidel wasn’t even communist at the time so it’s hard to say they were following some kind of Leninist line)? Do we just call armed insurrections adventurism if they fail, heroism if they win?
I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on Che or the movements he fought in, I know a decent amount about Cuba, but very little about his time in Africa or elsewhere. Looking to start a discussion and hopefully be educated by comrades who are more well-read on this topic.
Che and the Cuban revolutionaries were not adventurists in either case because their primary strategy was in building a base of support among workers. Adventurists only do violence, with no attempt at building a base or community outreach. The same was true of Che’s efforts in Bolivia, he was trying to build a local base of support first and foremost.
To add context, as based as it was, the recent assault on the Israeli embassy was adventurist in essence because it was disconnected from any greater project, and had no association with the people in general.