Che Guevara and the Injustice of Communism
90 minGuiding Questions
- What is just?
- What is unjust?
- What role do governments play in providing justice?
- Was the Cuban Revolution just – why or why not?
Objectives
- Students will understand Che Guevara’s role in the Cuban Revolution.
- Students will analyze the injustices perpetrated by Guevara and the Communists.
- Students will compare/contrast legitimate efforts to create change with illegitimate ways.
Student Handouts
- Just or Unjust? Activity
- Injustice: Che Guevara and the Injustice of Communism Essay
- Discussion Guide: Che Guevara and the Injustice of Communism Essay
- Virtue in Action: Che Guevara and the Injustice of Communism
- Che Guevara: “The Social Ideas of the Rebel Army” Primary Document and Discussion Questions
- Injustice in Dystopian Fiction Writing Activity
Educator Resources
- Che Guevara
- Fidel Castro
- Cuban Revolution
- Communism
- Justice
- Injustice
Citations
Anderson, Jon Lee. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life. New York: Grove Press, 2010.
Conquest, Robert. Reflections of a Ravaged Century. New York: Norton, 2001.
Guevara, Ernesto Che. Guerrilla Warfare.
Guevara, Ernesto Che. The Motorcycle Diaries.
Guevara, Ernesto Che. Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War.
Llosa, Alvaro Vargas. The Che Guevara Myth and the Future of Liberty. Independent Institute, 2006.
Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto.
Panné, Jean-Louis, et al. The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999.
Pipes, Richard. Communism: A History. New York: Modern Library, 2001.
Service, Robert. Comrades! A History of World Communism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007.
Option 1: Have students complete the Just or Unjust? activity.
Option 2: Have students write a paragraph recounting injustice that they’ve experienced in school or at home, whether small (a sibling getting something when they didn’t) or large (another student winning a scholarship, though they cheated in writing the essays).
Have students read the Che Guevara and the Injustices of Communism essay with a partner and have them consider the questions on the Discussion Guide.
Lead a full class conversation about the Discussion Guide questions and transition students to the primary source activity.
Have students read though the Che Guevara’s “The Social Ideas of the Rebel Army” Speech excerpts and answer the discussion questions at the end.
Ask students to list injustices in American society on the board. Then ask students to individually select the one they consider the most important. Next, ask them to provide a possible policy idea or civic action to correct this injustice.
Have students complete the Injustice Worksheet writing prompt.
Virtue in Action online research from VictimsofCommuism.org
