Guerrillerismo

Guerrillerismo (pronounced [geriʝeˈɾismo]), is a Spanish word, sometimes translated into English as guerrilla mentality or guerrilla ethos, which refers to a style of political action and rhetoric that has been heavily promoted by the Cuban government since the Cuban Revolution. It promotes passion and selflessness as a means to solve social problems, rather than methodical planning or institution building. The term is in reference to the guerrillas of the Cuban Revolution who are praised as the original models of guerrillerismo. The rhetorical use of guerrillerismo in describing economic planning, often alludes to how Cuban economic plans are part of the same militant struggle that the Cuban Revolution was itself a part of; thus justifying the militarization of economic activities.

The term "guerrillerismo" was first used by Che Guevara in his 1963 essay Against bureaucratism, which defended the idiosyncratic style of Cuban government, and justified it by stating it existed within the guerrilla legacy of the Cuban Revolution. Since Guevara's essay, historians have used the term to varying degrees when describing Cuban policy. Historian Antoni Kapcia has used the term when describing Cuban policy and rhetoric in the 1960s, while historian Anna Clayfield has argued that the term is applicable to Cuban policy and rhetoric throughout the longer history of the post-revolutionary government.