Final - Guatemalan Genocide Flashcards
what was FAR, ORPA & EGP?
guerrilla groups aimed to topple the government
what does FAR stand for?
Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes (Rebel Armed Forces)
what does ORPA stand for?
Organización del Pueblo en Armas (Organization of
the Armed People)
what does EGP stand for?
Ejército Guerrillero de los Pobres (Guerrilla Army of the
Poor)
what inspired the formation of FAR?
the Cuban Revolution where Fidel Castro and his followers enter in Havana and take political power in Cuba
what kind of people did FAR consist of?
Very small (Ladino) group capable of limited-scale operations such as car bombings and kidnappings aimed towards political, military, and government figures
where did FAR operate?
Operates in all Ladino-majority areas
what did FAR allow the government to do?
The existence of this small guerrilla group gives the Guatemalan Army /
state the perfect opportunity to increase repression against ladinos
where did ORPA operate?
operates in Indigenous majority areas
what was their goal for ORPA?
Hidden organizing, aims to form a broad coalition of
Ladino workers and Indigenous peasants
who did EGP consist of
Although the “comandancia” (high command of the
guerrilla) is mainly formed by Ladinos, there is a
strong Indigenous presence within the rank-and-file
where did EGP operate
Center of guerrilla operations established in the Ixcán
recently “colonized”
what served as EGP’s inspiration?
Viet Cong’s model of a prolonged war where there is a snowball effect of more people joining and a bigger impact
what are kaibiles
a special operations wing of armed forces of Guatemala (elite troops)
Specialized and highly trained commandoes
what was kaibilization
the process in which training soldiers became worse in brutality (1979)
Underwent extreme forms of training in the jungle of Petén
(Kaibil Inferno
when were kaibiles created
1974
how did the emergence of ORPA and EGP affect kaibiles
caused a Need to develop new forms of “irregular warfare” and
“counterinsurgency tactics” to adapt to the new scenario as well as warfare in more adverse areas
what were some of the extreme forms of training that kaibiles experienced?
getting ambushed, getting beaten routinely, competitions/games amongst each other where winner would torture loser, and practiced torture on civilians, and deprived of food, water, and sleep
original size of kaibiles
600-800
how were kaibiles used during the genocide?
Kaibiles were deployed
together with regular Army patrols in Indigenous-
majority areas designated for scorched earth
campaigns
what happened to kaibiles after the genocide
Most Kaibiles demobilized after Peace Accords (1996)
Many go to Mexico → hired by drug cartels willing
to incorporate “counterinsurgency” tactics to their
repertoire of violent acts
what was the term “indians” used to refer to
referred to all native groups under spanish domination essentially disregarding all differences between the indigenous groups
what indigenous populations were held under this umbrella term “indians”
mayas, xincas, garifunas
what was the reason for the hatred of indians
uncontrolled regions become areas of refuge for displaced Maya communities fleeing the rule of the spaniards and led to the idea of bloodthirsty indians wanting to kill whites/ladinos (come down the mountain armed with machetes)
what is the indian problem?
Mayas are perceived since the late 1700s as a “problem” that needs
to be “solved” if Guatemala wants to “progress” in the same manner as the
European countries and North America
when was this indian problem brought up
appears in public debates regarding processes of nation and
state formation
how did this vocalization of the indian problem affect the indigenous population
local intellectual and political elites will increasingly
endorse aggressive campaigns of cultural assimilation
(“Ladinoization”) for Indigenous peoples
what were the methods used to cuturally assimialte indigenous people
Public education as a way to impose Spanish and progressively eradicate Indigenous languages
Other projects included the abduction of Indigenous babies from their families to be brought up by Ladino families
what were some new policies implemented to “solve” the “Indian problem”
Facilitate immigration of white European immigrants (Germans)
eugenics → authorities foment a national imaginary of
Guatemala as a white(ned) nation
Mestizaje understood as the progressive (biological) elimination of
Indigenous peoples
what is ladinoization
aggressive cultural assimilation for indigenous peoples
when was ladinoization prominent before the genocide?
Period of renewed efforts to “Ladinoaize” Guatemala during the 1870s to 1930s
the two factors of the ladinoization from 1870s to 1930s
The impact of European and North American
theories about the “inequality of races” and about
the “superiority of the white race” on local
intellectuals and politicians
The implementation of a new model of
economic development based on the cultivation
and export of lucrative crops → coffee
what was the Guatemalan Spring
Popular movement (coalition) topples Ubico regime on October 20,
1944 → mass street protests and demonstrations since July and highlights the peak representative democratic years of guatemala (10 years)
what did this coup against Ubico cause
immediate call for free elections and formation of a Constitutional
Assembly and President Juan José Arévalo (democratic socialist) is elected in late 1944
what laws does president juan jose arevalo implement
Expands political rights to formerly disenfranchised groups (poor
Ladinos, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and women)
Guarantees ample social rights to the population
Abolishes all forms of forced labor
establishes minimum wage
what was president arevalo’s main goal
create a stable democracy in Guatemala and
modernize the country by widening political and social rights
what negative feedback does president arevalo get
Immediate backlash of local landowners and, more
importantly, the UFCo (united fruit company) against president arevalo for adjustment of land rights
how does the negative backlash affect president arevalo
Immediate backlash of local landowners and, more
importantly, the UFCo
what causes end of guatemalan spring
Operation PBSuccess (June 1954)
Covert CIA operation that Topples Árbenz presidency → Colonel Carlos
Castillo Armas
Castillo Armas’s presidency who causes a Reversion of almost all Arévalo + Árbenz reforms
who was efrain rios montt
President of political party FRG, MP, and
president of the Guatemalan Congress (House of Reps.)
until 2013
who was otto perez molina
elected President of Guatemala (2012-2015)
what were efrain rios montt and otto perez molina tried for
Ríos Montt → tried for war crimes, crimes against
humanity and genocide (2013 & 2018)
Otto Pérez Molina → tried for corruption rackets
(currently in jail)
when did general efrain rios montt come into power
Coup d’état orchestrated by General Efraín Ríos Montt
(March of 1982)
why did efrain rios montt form a coup
Predecessor (Gen. Romeo Lucas García) increased violence since
1978 → from selective to indiscriminate massacres
Ríos Montt believes he is not tough enough in his fight against
“subversion”
