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Reminiscences Of The Cuban Revolution Summary

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The book, Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolution by Ernesto Che Guevara is a firsthand account of the Cuban insurgency in the Sierra Maestra. Guevara’s recollections about the revolution provide important information about the challenges the rebels faced when they first landed in Cuba as well as the diverse roles the peasantry played during the insurgency. Also, Che illustrates why the Cuban army was unable to defeat the rebels and the advantages and limitations of waging guerrilla warfare in the Sierra Maestra.
When the rebels landed in Cuba they faced many difficult challenges. The Granma Expedition from Mexico took seven days and most of the men experienced severe seasickness as well as constant hunger due to the lack of food onboard. The …show more content…

The rebels had superior knowledge about the geography of the Sierra Maestra, which allowed them to stay off the army’s radar until they were ready to attack. The insurgents also had significantly less combatants and inferior weapons than the army so the Sierra Maestra, with its numerous hiding places proved to be a perfect place to set up ambushes and made retreating easy. Another advantage of fighting in the Sierra Maestra was the harsh weather. “The enemy soldiers were more concerned with the rain than with the possibility of an attack.” The rain, cold and mosquitos demoralized the army troops who were not used to living in such harsh conditions. Also, Batista could never send his full army to crush the insurgency in the Sierra Maestra because doing so would leave the cities vulnerable to other rebel groups looking to overthrow him. However, waging guerilla warfare in the Sierra Maestra also had its limitations. The rebels had limited manpower and firearms while the army had thousands of soldiers and top-notch weaponry provided by the United States. Guerilla warfare in the Sierra Maestra also limited the rebels’ ability to have influence in Havana where other rebel groups such as the Revolutionary Directorate operated. Another limitation of guerilla warfare in the Sierra Maestra was the inability to attack and occupy major cities such as Havana and Santa Clara, which would have sped up the

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