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

Rodolfo Saldaña (Author), Mary-Alice Waters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

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 in: Spanish

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 was part of a rising wave of anti-imperialist struggle throughout Latin America. Proving "that revolution is possible," the Cuban people and their leadership set an example that accelerated already unfolding battles for land, labor, and national sovereignty across the continent.

Rodolfo 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. Here, Saldaña talks about 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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 86 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Press (NY); 1st edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873489233
• ISBN-13: 978-0873489232
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,597,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Che's Guerrillas Lost, November 21, 2001

By 

Joanne Murphy (Iowa, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fertile Ground: Che Guevara and Bolivia, A First-Hand Account by Rodolfo Saldaña (Paperback)

Did the capture and execution of Che Guevarra prove that the military actions he led in Bolivia in 1966-67 were doomed to failure?

This interview with Bolivian participant Rodolfo Saldaña reveals the opposite. His captivating description of how fertile the ground was in Bolivia and throughout South America for revolution includes the mass support and financial aid given to the guerrillas by tin miners, peasants, and students. He explains how the U.S. backed the military junta, and the real reasons for the defeat.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Che Guerrilla & the struggles of Bolivian Workers & Peasants, September 8, 2001

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fertile Ground: Che Guevara and Bolivia, A First-Hand Account by Rodolfo Saldaña (Paperback)

Saldana's fits Che Guevara guerrilla struggle in Bolivia oin 1966 and 1967 into the context of workers struggles that had been shaking that country since the 1940s. He shows how Bolivian revolutionists, workers, students, and peasants welcomed Che's struggle and how the class struggle in that country advanced by Che's struggle. At the country's biggest tin mines, entire unions pledged one day's salary to support Che. Saldana, a founder and leader of the Bolivian Communist Party until he broke with them to work with Che's guerrilla, shows how the Bolivian CP sabotaged Che's struggle. With economic and social conditions in Bolivia and other parts of Latin America much worse than they were in the 1960s, this book should be read as a manual for future upsurges of struggle by workers and peasants in Bolivia and throughout the Americas.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be like Che, June 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fertile Ground: Che Guevara and Bolivia, A First-Hand Account by Rodolfo Saldaña (Paperback)

Kudos to the Pathfinder editors for finding Saldaña and recording his story before he died. Saldaña describes the day-to-day life of revolutionary organizers among workers and peasants in Bolivia in the early 1960s. The book gave me a deeper appreciation for the revolutionary possibilities that existed in Bolivia, which in turn led to Che opening the guerrilla front there in 1966.