The Marxism of Che Guevara: Philosophy, Economics, Revolutionary Warfare (Critical Currents in Latin American Perspective Series)

Michael Löwy examines Che Guevara's contributions to Marxist thought, tracing his ideas about Marxism as they applied to Latin America and to broader philosophical, political, and economic questions. This revised and updated edition includes a new chapter on Guevara's search for a new paradigm of socialism and an essay by Peter McLaren on Che's relevance in contemporary times. Löwy presents Guevara as a revolutionary humanist who approached all political questions from an internationalist perspective, viewing Latin American revolutionary movements as part of a global process of emancipation. The book examines Che's analysis of the contradiction between socialist planning and the law of value in the Cuban economy, and his efforts to develop an alternative to the Soviet model of socialism. Guevara's diverse roles—doctor, economist, revolutionary, banker, agitator, ambassador, industrial organizer, and guerrilla fighter—reflected his commitment to social transformation. This work explores his views on humanity, his theories of revolutionary warfare, and his ideas about the transition to socialism, providing an introduction to the breadth of Guevara's thought.