How CIA created a Banana Repubic: Guatemala 1954 Flashcards
Guatemalan revolution year?
1944-1954
Who was overthrown in 1944?
Ubico’s authoritarian regime
Who was democratically elected president of Guatemala in 1944?
Juan José Arévalo
Who was Juan José Arévalo’s Minister of Defence?
Jacobo Árbenz
Who became president of Guatemala after the 1950 elections?
Jacobo Árbenz
Why didn’t Arévalo run in the 1950 elections?
25 coup attempts during his presidency
What reforms Arévalo make to help working class Guatemalans?
introduced a minimum wage
created state run farms for non-land owners
What did labour unions force Arévalo to do?
pass legislation against workplace discrimination
implement health and safety standards
Who was willing to make deeper reforms out of Arévalo and Árbenz?
Árbenz
Which party did Árbenz have personal ties to and legalised during his years of power?
Communist Party of Guatemala (PGT)
Who introduced the Land Reform and who vehemently refused to?
Árbenz
Arévalo
What was the Land Reform bill also known as?
decree 900
How did Decree 900 benefit Guatemala?
economic boost
Disadvantage of Decree 900?
disturbed country’s largest land owner United Fruit Company
How had the previous government’s legislation already upset the UFC?
gave workers the right to strike
What did the UFC lose because of Decree 900?
majority of its land
Why did the UFC lobby for intervention from Washington after Decree 900?
Wanted 60 million from Guatemalan government for land
Who were the UFC’s close ties in Washington?
Dulles brothers-US secretary of state, Director of CIA
What misconception did member of US government have about Guatemala? Why?
had become a Communist Nation
reforms, social ties
Why did US government become increasingly suspicious of Guatemalan regime?
Cold War intensified in early 1950’s
What was Operation PBFortune?
CIA called for coup d’etat lead by former Guatemalan army officer (Armas) living in exile
assassination, arrest targets
How did the CIA send arms to Armas’s forces
UFC freighter
Was PBFortune completed under Truman?
No
When was Eisenhower elected president?
November 1952
What was Eisenhower’s attitude towards communism? How did he show this?
actively pushing it back
ordered coups replacing unwanted regimes with ones which were more sympathetic to US interests
What did the CIA do in Iran in 1953?
coup replaced democratucally elected Prime Minister
What was PBSucces? Who was involved?
CIA’s new operation under Eisenhower
assassination targets
Armas’s Army of Liberation
Why didn’t the CIA cover up the guerilla training operations in Nicaragua and Honduras?
to intimidate Árbenz
present downfall of Guatemalan government as inevitable
less resistence
Who was John Peurifoy?
anti-communist US ambassador to Guatemala sent to assist CIA and guerilla fighters
Why US-Guatemala tensions rise in early 1954?
Us denounced Guatemalan government because of ‘communist takeover’
How did Guatemalan government respond to the US denouncement in early 1954?
published leaked documents about PBSuccess
forged some documents
How did Guatemala publishing leaked documents about PBSuccess benefit the US?
united US against ‘communist state spreading propaganda’
What did the US do during the Pan-American conference in Caracas?
isolated Guatemala diplomatically
passed a resolution condemning spread of communism in the Americas
Why did Guatemala have to turn to the Eastern Bloc for help?
discovery of Swedish ship transporting Czechoslovakian-made weapons to Guatemala
What did Guatemala turning to the Eastern Bloc for help say to the US?
Soviet influence had spread to the Americas in US’s back yard
When did Armas’s troops enter Guatemala
What triggered this?
18th June 1954
Guatemala turning to the Soviet Union for help
How did the CIA wage psychological warfare against the Guatemalan government?
pro-America videos shown in neighbouring friendly countries
political leaders received death threats eg. coffins, nooses
How did the CIA demoralise Guatemalan citizens and soldiers?
Voice of Liberation radio station
rebel planes in sky
What did Árbenz fear after the psychological warfare? Why?
war with Honduras if fighting between Guatemalan loyalists and rebels took place to close to border
When was the Guatemalan beaten by insurgents? By force of arms or something else?
25th June 1954
by fear and low morale-army refused to fight
What did Árbenz do as a last-ditch effort to defend his country once the army had refused to fight? Was it worthwhile?
armed civilian population
no
When did Árbenz finally resign?
27th June 1954
Who was quick to step in after Árbenz fled to Mexico?
Colonel Díaz formed a 3-man junta
Who overthrew Díaz shortly after he took power?
Monzón from 3-man junta
How did the revoltion resolve with a 5-man junta? When?
Peurifoy intervened, organised negotiations
2nd July 1954
Who made up the 5-man junta?
How did this guaruntee Monzón’s presidency?
Armas+his subordinate, Monzón+ Monzón’s supporters
How did Armas become president of the junta?
after Monzón’s supporters resigned for 100k each
How did Armas legitimise his power in October 1954?
won 99% of vote
recognised by US
