The works of Karl Marx have had a great effect on the world. They influenced many people including Vladimir Lenin. The works of Vladimir Lenin were also influential. Together they influenced the African Che Guevara who is called Thomas Sankara. Thomas Sankara was a revolutionary hero who implemented radical social and economic changes throughout Burkina Faso and inspired many people to believe that Africa could be self-reliant and self-reliant. Thomas Isidor Noël Sankara was born on 21 December 1949 in Upper Volta (Thomas Biography, n.d.). Thomas Sankara attended primary school in Gaoua and high school in Bobo-Dioulasso (Thomas Biography, n.d.). He received basic military training in secondary school in 1966 and began his military career at the age of 19 (Who Killed, n.d.). A year later he was sent to Madagascar for officer training in Antsirabe. He witnessed popular uprisings in 1971 and 1972 and read the works of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, greatly influencing his political ideas for the rest of his life (Biography of Thomas, n.d.). He returned to Upper Volta in 1972 and fought in the border war between Upper Volta and Mali in 1974 (Burkina Faso, 2012). He became famous for his heroic performance but later gave up the war. Sankara was appointed Secretary of State for Information in September 1981 (Burkina Faso, 2012). He resigned from his post in 1982 in opposition to what he considered the anti-worker drift of the regime. After another coup on November 7, 1982 that brought Dr. Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo to power, Sankara became prime minister in January 1983 (Burkina Faso, 2012). He was fired on May 17 and placed under house arrest after a visit by the son of the French president and Africa...... middle of paper ...... resident of Burkina Faso made people believe that Africa could be autonomous and self-confident and inspired many others to defend themselves, even giving his country a name meaning "the land of the righteous" in Mòoré and Dioula. Works Cited Biography of Thomas Sankara. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2012 from the AfricanSuccess website: http://www.africansuccess.org/visuFiche.php?id=59&lang=enBurkina Faso. (2012). Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/85420/Burkina-Faso/54898/Independence?anchor=ref516563Pike, J. (n.d.). Sankara coup in the 1980s. Retrieved March 7, 2012, from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/burkina-faso.htmWho Killed the Lion King? (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2012 from Mathaba website: http://www.mathaba.net/www/black/sankara.shtml