Che Guevara and the Injustice of Communism
90 min- What is just?
- What is unjust?
- What role do governments play in providing justice?
- Was the Cuban Revolution just – why or why not?
- To understand Che Guevara’s role in the Cuban Revolution.
- To analyze the injustices perpetrated by Guevara and the Communists.
- To compare/contrast legitimate efforts to create change with illegitimate ways.
Educator Resources
- Che Guevara and the Injustice of Communism Answer Key
Student Handouts
- Just or Unjust Intro 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
- Che Guevara
- Fidel Castro
- Cuban Revolution
- Communism
- Justice
- Injustice
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: 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).
Injustice Reading and Discussion Questions
Ideas of the Rebel Army Reading and Discussion Questions
Injustice Writing Activity
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.
Writing prompt for homework: “How might Guevara have tried to achieve his goals justly? Considering his goals, was achieving them justly even possible? Why or why not?”
Virtue in Action online research from VictimsofCommuism.org
