Che Guevara was a key figure in the Cuban Revolution, an uprising that removed the government of General Fulgencio Batista over the island. One of only four non-Cubans sailing with Fidel Castro on the Granma in 1956, he became a rebel Comandante (Major), then, after the victory, was instrumental in cutting Cuba's traditional economic ties with the United States and re-directing the flow of trade to the Soviet Union. Guevara also played a primary role in shaping Cuba's foreign policy, advocating an "anti-imperialist" position and supporting leftist revolutionary movements in Latin America and Africa. He played a big role in leading a guerilla group into Cuba. In Mexico Castro met Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a proponent of guerrilla warfare. Guevara joined the group of rebels and became an import