Fertile Ground: Che Guevara and Bolivia, A First-Hand Account by Rodolfo Saldaña

by Rodolfo Saldaña, Mary-Alice Waters

Saldaña was one of the Bolivians who joined ranks in 1966-67 with Ernesto Che Guevara to forge a revolutionary movement of workers, peasants, and young people to overturn the military dictatorship in Bolivia and open the road to socialist revolution in South America. He describes the unresolved battles of the tin miners, peasants, and indigenous peoples of his country that created "fertile ground" for Guevara s revolutionary course and mark out the future of Bolivia and the Americas. Foreword by Harry Villegas, introduction by Mary-Alice Waters, 8-page photo section plus additional photos, map, chronology, notes, index. This book is part of a series, The Cuban Revolution in World Politics from Pathfinder Press. Also available Spanish

Genres: History

106 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2001

Reviews

[Marc Lichtman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rodolfo Saldaña played a key role in the initial arrangements for the launching of guerilla warfare in Bolivia by a variety of Bolivians, and a few Cubans, led by Ernesto Che Guevara. The Communist Party of Bolivia was supposed to supply most of the combatants, but in reality, had no intention of doing so. There were some who were already involved.

Both because of the Communist Party treachery and because the Bolivian government's increasing knowledge of what was occurring, the combatants had to leave their initial location sooner than intended. Some of the people who were supposed to go with them, like Rodolfo Saldaña, were not able to go, but more who were planning on going, like a group of Bolivian members of the Fourth International (Trotskyists) were not able to join. They were receiving training when this occurred. Then there were a few people like Régis Debray were not supposed to go who ended up initially going. (See The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara.

This is essential reading alongside this book, and the edition above besides Che's Diary gives a book-length account of another Bolivian leader who did go--Inti Peredo--"My Campaign with Che."

There is an important additional book by Harry Villegas (Pombo) which gives Pombo's Diary, and then an account of how he and a few other Cubans escaped from Bolivia--Pombo: A Man of Che’s guerrilla: With Che Guevara in Bolivia, 1966–68.

[Austin Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed full of information. From interviews, to summaries, to pictures and timelines. Explains the reasoning behind Che's Bolivian revolution.