While this book may be the driest and less inviting reads we have been faced with this class, it is also fair to say that it is probably the most historically important. As the preface and Fidel Castro’s introduction in particular point out, the events Che describes in his Bolivian Diary and his ensuing execution transformed the revolutionary hero into a martyr, further magnifying his legend. The Diary was a key part of this process, and in spite of the number of descriptions of “uneventful days” spent trekking through the rainforest or worrying about dwindling rations it does help build a certain image of Che and his revolutionary goals.
One of the main things I was hoping the Diary would cover were some of the reasons why Che and his men’s attempted revolution in Bolivia failed, and in this respect it provides some thoughtful insights. The most significant of these lies in the guerrilla’s inability to recruit Bolivian peasants into their forces or as reliable informants. Che argued that the support of local rural inhabitants is vital to a successful revolution in Guerrilla Warfare. While he does seem to have initially counted on this support, it quickly becomes clear that he overestimated their revolutionary potential in Bolivia. As a result, any casualties Che’s column suffers are irreplaceable, and food and supplies remain scarce. Che’s monthly summaries express his growing concern at the absence of recruitments, and his assessment of September is especially bleak: “the peasant masses are not helping us with anything and are becoming informers” (p.248).
Two other points that stand out in Che’s Diary are issues regarding discipline within his troops, and communication with the outside. In spite of Che’s efforts, some of his men (such as Marcos and Camba) show disregard for the orders commandante issues, often resulting in arguments or lost supplies. Food in particular seems to be a major object of desire and contention for the guerrillas. They also have a lot of trouble maintaining contact with their allies both within and outside Bolivia, especially with “Manila”, who nonetheless claim they are receiving news from the guerrilla army, something Che quips is “a miracle of telepathy!”(p.234). The loss of all contact with Joaquín and his column is an even bigger blow for Che, as it eliminates the possibility for the coordinated actions that played a huge role in the Cuban Revolution.
However, in spite of all these difficulties, as well as the terrible conditions and health problems he and his men faced, Che’s writings shows a great deal of composure. His determination in the face of the guerrilla’s dire situation is quite striking, and he seems to retain lucidity and self-control while some of his soldiers appear on the verge of losing their minds. Che’s resilience in pushing forward regardless of circumstances is where The Bolivian Diary comes closest to depicting him as an ideal revolutionary fighter, and does so without a trace of romanticism.
I agree that was was interesting about the text was the tone of composure throughout the diary. Never once does Che “break down”, but instead he drives forward regardless of what the situation actually was. I did feel that at certain points this was foolish, almost like Che wasn’t grasping the reality of the situation.
Although Che maintains his composure and continues to push towards his ultimate goal of revolution, his lack of emotions at times prevents us from seeing the man behind the guerrilla fighter. Even though we learn a lot about the struggles of the Bolivian movement, we lose the Che as the man and only see him as the heartless tactician and guerilla fighter.