The foco theory of communist revolution by way of guerrilla warfare, also known as focalism (Spanish language: foquismo), was developed by Ernesto "Che" Guevara, based upon his experiences surrounding Fidel Castro's 1959 victory in the Cuban Revolution. Its central principle is that vanguardism by cadres of small, fast-moving paramilitary groups can provide a focus (in Spanish, foco) for popular discontent against a sitting regime, and thereby lead a general insurrection. Although the original approach was to mobilize and launch attacks from rural areas, many foco ideas were adapted into urban guerrilla warfare movements by the late 1960s. It has been suggested that Proletarian revolution be merged into this article or section. ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Che Guevara Dr. Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna ( June 14, 1928¹ – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolutionary war in Cuba culminating in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s government on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement and other revolutionary elements in the country. ... In the context of revolutionary struggle, vanguardism is a strategy whereby an organization (usually a vanguard party) attempts to place itself at the center of the movement, and steer it in a direction consistent with its ideology. ... Look up cadre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... Insurrection could refer to: * in a general sense, it means Rebellion * it is also a title of a Star Trek film, see Star Trek: Insurrection ... Urban guerrilla refers to someone who fights a government or dictatorship using unconventional warfare in an urban environment (see: guerrilla warfare). ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

While focalism drew from previous Marxist-Leninist ideas, including a unique, adaptive blend of the Stalinist tactics of the popular front and the Maoist strategy of "protracted people's war," it also broke with many of the mid-Cold War era's established communist parties. Despite Nikita Khruschev's eager support for "wars of national liberation" and the focalists' own enthusiasm for Soviet patronage, Cuba's own Partido Socialista Popular had retreated from active confrontation with the Fulgencio Batista regime, so Castroism/Guevarism substituted the foquista militia for the more traditional vanguard party. Vladimir Lenin in 1920 Leninism is a political and economic theory which builds upon Marxism; it is a branch of Marxism (and it has been the dominant branch of Marxism in the world since the 1920s). ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ... Popular Fronts comprise broad coalitions of political and other groups, often made up of oppositioners or left wingers, and often united against particularly stringent circumstances. ... Maoism or Mao Zedong Thought (Chinese: 毛澤東思想, pinyin: Máo Zédōng Sīxiǎng), also called Marxism-Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), is a variant of communism derived from the teachings of Mao Zedong (1893&#8211... Peoples war (also called protracted peoples war) is a military strategy invented by Mao Zedong. ... The Cold War was the period of protracted conflict and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies from the late 1940s until the late 1980s. ... A Communist party is a party which promotes Communism. ... Nikita Khrushchev in 1962 Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Russian: Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв) (nih-KEE-tah khroo-SHCHYOFF) (April 17, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union... Flag of Mozambique — independent since 1975, with the kalashnikov as symbol of the armed struggle against the Portuguese empire, the book as symbol of instruction and a farm instrument as symbol of economic growth. ... Soviet redirects here. ... General Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (pronounced ) (January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was the de facto military leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1940 and the de jure President of Cuba from 1940 to 1944. ... One of the leading figures of the Cuban Revolution was Ernesto Guevara. ... Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker A militia is the activity of one or more citizens organized to provide defense or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront, or that wants to be at the forefront, of a mass action or movement. ...

In power, Castro sided with the USSR in the Sino-Soviet split, while Guevara sympathized with the People's Republic of China. Perhaps accelerated by this divide, the latter man shifted his energies away from Cuba to adventurism, promoting guerrilla focos overseas. Though this method had triumphed in Cuba, Guevara saw it subsequently fail in Africa and Latin America. Despite the backing of the Castro regime, an attempt to forge an insurgency in Bolivia led to his capture and execution in 1967. The Sino-Soviet split was a major diplomatic conflict between the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), beginning in the late 1950s, reaching a peak in 1969 and continuing in various ways until the late 1980s. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

The failure dampened Cuba's overt support of focalist uprisings internationally for several years, and many revolutionary movements split into different factions, particularly New Left, Maoist and/or ubran guerrilla breakaways from previous Moscow-line parties and/or foco groups. By the mid-1970s, however, Cuba revived and further escalated its previous zeal, directly deploying its military in Africa before the collapse of detente--e.g., propping up the embattled communist state of the MPLA guerrillas in Angola--while revinvigorating its insurgent proxy war policy in the Caribbean region by the end of the decade. After victories for a once-divided, recently-reunited Sandinista movement in Nicaragua and the united front-style New Jewel Movement in Grenada in 1979, Castro effectively created the FMLN of El Salvador by merging five other communist factions between December, 1979 and October, 1980; similarly, Cuba supported four rival guerrilla groups' decision to form the URNG coalition of Guatemala in 1982. Revolutionary, when used as a noun, is a person who either advocates or actively engages in some kind of revolution. ... The New Left is a term used in political discourse to refer to radical left-wing movements from the 1960s onwards. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... For the Spanish amulet, see: Detente bala. ... This article is about a form of government in which the state operates under the control of a Communist Party. ... The MPLA flag The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (Movimiento Popular de Libertação de Angola) is an Angolan political party that has ruled the country since independence in 1975. ... A proxy war is a war where two powers use third parties as a supplement or a substitute for fighting each other directly. ... World map depicting Caribbean : West Indies redirects here. ... Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ... In Leninist bogus, a united front is a coalition of Clinton likeleft-wing working class forces which put forward a common set of demands and share a common plan of action, but which do not subordinate themselves to the front, retaining their abilities for independent political action and continuing to... The New Jewel Movement was a populist, Marxist-Leninist political movement in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Shafik Handal Revolution or Death, We will win! El Salvador in struggle. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Partido Guatemalteco del Trabajo Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes Ejército Guerrillero de los Pobres Organización Pueblo en Armas The Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (in Spanish: Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca) (initials: URNG) was a guerilla movement which emerged in Guatemala in 1982. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Che Guevara's involvement in the Cuban Revolution
• Guevarism

Che Guevara was a key figure in the Cuban Revolution, an uprising that successfully removed the longstanding dominance of General Fulgencio Batista over the island. ... One of the leading figures of the Cuban Revolution was Ernesto Guevara. ...

References

• Guevara, Che : Guerrilla Warfare, Souvenir Press Ltd, paperback, ISBN 978-0-285-63680-4.

External links

• The stength of an idea Revolution in the Revolution.