Samuel Farber Discusses the Politics of Che Guevara

While Ernesto “Che” Guevara is perhaps the most widely recognized revolutionary figure of the twentieth century, little is known about his actual politics. While Che Guevara was politically honest, willing to sacrifice for a cause, and egalitarian both in theory and practice, he was neither a democrat nor a libertarian. Che was a practitioner of a kind of socialism from above notable for its extreme voluntarism, political tone deafness, ascetic and austere elitism, and an extreme revolutionary vanguardism. In this talk, Dr. Samuel Farber addresses these issues and more. Samuel Farber was born and raised in Marianao, Cuba and came to the United States in February 1958. He received a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969. His scholarship on Cuba is extensive and includes many articles and three books: Cuba Since the Revolution of 1959: A Critical Assessment (2011), The Origins of the Cuban Revolution Reconsidered (2006) and Revolution and Reaction in Cuba: 1933-1960 (1976). He and Haymarket Books just published The Politics of Che Guevara: Theory and Practice.