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Guyau, Jean-Marie (1854-1888)

French philosopher. The son of Augustine Tuillerie, the author of the most famous of French children’s books “Le Tour de France par Deux Enfants,” and stepson of the philosopher Alfred Fouillé, Guyau was a precocious genius. He translated Epictetus while still a teenager, and wrote studies of Epicureanism, stoicism and Utilitarianism shortly thereafter. His teaching career was cut short by his poor health, but he produced a number of important works in the few years left to him, including a volume of poetry called “Vers d’un philosophe” (“Verses of a Philodsopher”). His masterpiece was his 1885 “Esquisse d’une morale sans obligation ni sanction,” (Sketch of a Morality Without Obligation or Sanction), which posited a morality free of any artificially imposed notions. The book was admired by Nietzsche, whose copy of the book was covered with annotations.

See Jean-Marie Guyau Archive.

Guchkov, Alexander Ivanovich (1862-1936)

Moscow landowner and industrialist, organiser and leader of the Octobrist party. President 3rd Duma. Following the February revolution of 1917, Guchkov was first Minister of the Army and Navy in the Provisional Government. Resigned 31st May 1917. Guchkov was a social-chauvinist during WWI. In August, 1917, he supported Kornilov in his rebellion against the Provisional Government. After the October Revolution, Guchkov fought against the Soviet government, and later became a white emigre in Berlin.

Guesde, Jules (1845-1922)

French socialist. Leader of the Marxist wing of the French workers' movement. From 1877 onwards he published the socialist paper Égalité. In 1879-80, together with Lafargue, among others, he founded the French Workers' Party [Parti ouvrier], the programme of which, in its fundamental points, was formulated with Marx's help. In the 1880's and 90's Guesde led the fight against the Possibilists and came out decidedly against Millerandism [Socialists taking office in bourgeois governments] but in the 1890s he was already beginning to retreat to social-chauvinism and reformism. Later he was one of the most prominent Centrist leaders in the Second International, during the war a social-chauvinist and in 1914-15 a member of the government.

See Jules Guesde Archive.

Guest, Haden Leslie (1877-1960)

Extreme right-wing Labourite. A doctor of medicine who worked mostly in the public health system in schools, and in the Boer War and First World War. Became active in the Labour Party; Secretary of the 1920 Labour delegation to Russia, later expressing himself utterly hostile to the new regime, On London County Conned 1919-22; MP for Southwark 1923-7. Opposed the General Strike in 1926; expelled from the Parliamentary Labour Party the following year for speaking against Labour opposition to the intervention of British troops against the Chinese Revolution. Stood in a by-election with the support of the local Tories, though without success, and in 1928 was formally admitted to the Conservative Party. In 1929 stood as a Tory against Ben Ti1lett in Salford, again without success. Despite this record he was readmitted to the Labour Party, fighting seats in the 1931 and 1935 General Elections as a Labour candidate, and eventually being re-elected to parliament for North Islington from 1937 to 1950. In 1950 he entered the House of Lords, where he became a Labour whip.

Guevara, Che (1928-1967)

Argentinian doctor; joined Castro in Mexico in 1954; a leader of the 1956-59 Cuban Revolution. Che served as president of Cuba's national bank and as Cuba's minister of industry in the period immediately following the Cuban Revolution.

Towards the end of his formal affiliation with the Cuban government, Che came to implicitly criticize Soviet bureacracy. His positions put him at odds with the party line of the Cuban CP. In 1965, Che realized that the defence of the Cuban revolution and the creation of revolutions abroad were naturally not always in sync, and this ultimately led to his resignation and his return to revolutionary work abroad.

During Che's subsequent revolutionary campaigns, he wrote his Message to the Tricontinental (1967) in which he openly criticized the Soviet Union; claiming that the Northern hemisphere of the world, both the Soviet Union and the US, exploited the Southern hemisphere of the world. He strongly supported the Vietnamese Revolution, and urged his comrades in South America to create "many vietnams".

In 1965 Che left Cuba to set up guerrilla forces first in the Congo and then later in Bolivia, where he was ultimately captured and killed in October 1967. Accounts of his execution have varied over the years, but many contemprary accounts indicate some degree of collaboration between Bolivia's government troops and the United States CIA.

Guevara developed a theory of primacy of military struggle, in particular concept of guerilla foquismo. Many of Che's theories regarding guerilla tactics are articulated in his 1961 work "Guerilla Warfare."

Further Reading: Che Guevara Archive

Guillaume, William (1844-1916)

James Guillaume was born in London in February 1844. He became interested in anarchism when he was a student in Zurich, and later as a printer in Neuchatel. He became one of the leading members of the Jura Federation of the First International. Having accepted anarchist beliefs, he associated himself with Bakunin, with whom he was expelled from the International at the Hague Congress in 1872. Later he was active in founding the Anarchist St.-Imier International. He played a decisive role in Kropotkin's conversion to anarchism, and worked with him at anarchist agitation in Switzerland during the later 1870s. Early in the 1880s, Guillaume withdrew from anarchist activity, to become active again twenty years later in the anarcho-syndicalist movement. The four-volume work he wrote during this later period, L'International: Documents et Souvenirs, is the most important source of information from the anarchist point of view relating to the First International. Guillaume also edited Bakunin's Collected Works published in French in 1907.

See James Guillaume Archive.

Guizot, Francois (1787-1874)

French monarchist statesman and historian, was premier 1847-48, when he was turned out of office by the February revolution of 1848.

Gunasekera, Vernon H. (1908– 1996)

Born into a prominent family with links to the first Ceylonese Governor General, Sir Oliver Goonetilleka. Joined Lanka Mahajana Sabha, 1926. Secretary, South Colombo Youth League, 1931-35. Active in Suriya Mal campaigns. Secretary, Wellawatte Mills Union, 1932. General Secretary, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, 1935-40. Sent to London to work with the LSSP cell, 1938. Editor, Young Socialist , monthly publication of Lanka Students Socialist League, 1936. Editor, Samasamaja, 1937-40. Contributed reports and articles to the Congress Socialist journal, starting 1936. Affiliated with LSSP (Philip Gunawardena group), 1945-48. LSSP candidate for Ceylon Parliament, 1947. Joined VLSSP (Philip Gunawardena group). Chairman, Board of Review, in MEP government 1956-59. Wrote a regular column for the Sunday Observer . Later abandoned Marxist politics. Practiced law in Kandy. Author: Life and Times of Sir Oliver Goonetilleke (1981).