Guerrilla warfare in both Cuba and China led to the ultimate success of both armies that employed it. The differences in their tactics were mainly caused by the different contexts of the two conflicts, but otherwise the guerrilla practices were very similar. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The reasoning behind Cuba and China's use of guerrilla warfare originates from the specific basic elements and ultimate goal of guerrilla warfare. In all cases, guerrilla warfare is the result of the oppressed no longer being able to bear being oppressed by a much larger aggressor. Guerrilla warfare is what a nation inferior in weapons and military equipment will use when faced with a larger aggressor. The oppressed generally had the upper hand when it came to understanding the terrain, climate, and society in general. This was very important when it came to defeating the oppressor's army. The ultimate goal of guerrilla warfare was to be able to gradually develop into normal forces and eventually be able to participate in traditional mobile warfare. Guerrilla warfare can be formed by the combination of various forces. Some of these include the popular masses, regular army units temporarily assigned for the purpose, permanently assigned regular army units, the combination of a regular army unit and a recruited unit, local militia, deserters from ranks of the enemy and former bandits and groups of bandits. The Cuban Revolution, like the Chinese Civil War, was based on the popular masses and on voluntary leaders and revolutionaries. The Cuban revolutionaries wanted to overthrow the already established oppressive government, but they were in a weaker position, since they did not have an organized army power. Guerrilla forces were formed primarily in less urbanized areas and under less pressure from oppressive government forces. Guerrilla warfare was therefore necessary in this situation, because a large conventional army could not be raised without arousing suspicion. An important aspect to consider when evaluating guerrilla warfare in China and Cuba are the differences between the initial use of guerrilla warfare and the similarities in their tactics. Guevara recognized that the ideal conditions for a revolution very rarely arise spontaneously. This led to Guevara's theory of “foquismo” or “foco,” according to which these conditions can be achieved through guerrilla warfare, which was ultimately effective in the Cuban revolution. Moa, on the other hand, had to wait until the oppressed had reached the limits of oppression and were ripe for revolution. Another difference between the two conflicts was that Guevara's purpose in using guerrilla warfare was to overthrow the Cuban government, while Mao began using guerrilla warfare against the Japanese invaders. Their tactics were very similar in that neither force was ever willing to take part in a guerrilla war. battle they weren't sure they could win. Furthermore, both Cubans and Chinese followed the rule described in Mao's quatrain: "The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy encamps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue" ( Lin Biao). Furthermore, the success of both forces depended largely on the country's population and their knowledge of the landscape. Guerrilla tactics were effective in bringing the Cuban and Chinese armies to the next phase of the war. In the case of both Moa and Guevara, the guerrilla armies managed to win, but only after part of their.