The Commodification of Revolution

Ernesto “Che” Guevara has been mentioned and will be mentioned throughout this paper.  Without going to deeply into his history, Che assisted Castro in the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and later went on to attempt revolutions in the Congo and Bolivia.  In late 1967, Che was captured in Bolivia and executed shortly there after.  This “martyr’s death” allowed Che to become a symbol of the “revolutions” of 1968. 

            The “Cult of Che,” as it has been called,* was, and continues to be, fueled by the photograph taken by Alberto Korda, arguably one of the most recognized images of the 20^th century.  How this photo became so famous is typical of the Commodification of Revolution and the power of capital.

* Sean O’Hagan, “Just a pretty face?,” observer.guardian.co.uk, July 11, 2004, http://observer.guardian.co.uk/ review/story/0,6903,1258340,00.html (accessed April, 2007).

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