Few historical figures have achieved mythical status as an icon of the freedom struggle of the oppressed like the Argentine Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (1928–1967). At a young age, Ernesto Guevara decided to fight for the many poor and oppressed in Latin America, who he believed were being held down by a powerful and imperialistic United States. 'Che' Guevara, as he was nicknamed, went on to play a leading role in the Cuban Revolution, which in 1959, after years of guerrilla warfare, brought Fidel Castro and his communist regime to power.