How Did The Cold War Affect Guatemala

Known for its cultural diversity, tropical climate and agricultural lands, Guatemala is also home to economic unbalance, political corruption and severe gang wars. Guatemala is a developing country with a population of sixteen million inhabitants, which makes it the most populated country in Central America. Approximately seventy six percent (twelve million) of the population of Guatemala lives under the poverty line and expresses no trust in the police. (Taft-Morales) Guatemala is considered one of the most dangerous nations in the world with a rate of 34 homicides per 100,000 people. (Taft-Morales) Much like many other under-developed or developing nations, Guatemala’s rich land and resources have caused it to become targeted as a colony
The Cold War and US’s fight against communism also helped shape today’s Guatemalan society. Guatemala’s current state of political and civil unrest was caused and is allowed to continue due to three main factors: Spanish colonization, neocolonialism by the UFC, and US intervention leading to civil war. Much like other nations with under-developed economies, fragile governments and civil unrest; Guatemala has a history of colonization. The colonization of Central America by the Spanish empire led to the loss of cultural identity of the indigenous people, social segregation between ethnic groups, and weakening of the future government of Guatemala. In 1562 Spanish explorers came into Central American with some Spanish forces and began taking over and colonizing the land. (Course Pack 66) Spain wanted colonials in Central America for two main reasons, natural resources and inexpensive labour. (Course Pack 67) As Spanish rule grew across Central America the Spanish received what they had wanted from their colonies, hundreds of thousands of tons of natural resources were being harvested by lowly paid indigenous workers. (Course Pack 67) To further own the people of its colony, Spain
However in 1954 the spring ended with a US orchestrated coup d'état which sent Guatemala spiraling into a civil war from 1960 to 1996. (Taft-Morales) The revolution to cause the Ten Years of Spring brought a sense of optimism to the people, while the Guatemalan civil war was the cause of 200,000 casualties, further segregation between ethnic populations and gang violence. (Schlesinger) (Miller) In 1944 the October Revolution took place in Guatemala City, and was led by university students and followed by the oppressed masses. Dictator Jorge Ubico was forced to give up his position and after revolutionaries enforced open elections, Juan José Arévalo became the president of Guatemala. Arévalo was followed by Jacobo Árbenz after a coup attempt in 1949, Árbenz continued Arévalo’s reform goals. (Schlesinger) During the Ten Years of Spring Guatemala experienced a labor movement, a change in foreign relations, and agrarian reform. (Schlesinger) These social reforms sought to give more power to the people and promote self- sufficiency. In these years Guatemalans gained a sense of optimism and the idea that they could change their own governments. This growing sense of optimism was not shared by the UFC which began to lose significant amounts of land to the agrarian reform of the new government. In order to gain back power from the Guatemalan