Guable In Guatemala Essay

TROUBLE IN GUATEMALA

With the escalating demand of bananas from Central America and the greed that fueled the expansion of the banana crop, the United States sought out an opportunity to expand economically. Blinded by the benefits of having such a successful business in foreign land, the U.S. was eager to do whatever was necessary to keep their dream alive. Because of the United States’ involvement in the United Fruit Company’s reign of terror, they are in fact responsible for the tragedy that struck Guatemala, the fall of their democratic government and the massacre of its people, during the 1950s.

Firstly, it is important to reflect on the events that led to the coup of Guatemala, and how their struggle to find the perfect, reliable government contributed to their history. After experiencing much distress with former leader, Forge Ubico, the country was able to experience the benefits of having a democratic government with the election of their first democratic president, Juan José Arévalo (Gonzalez, 2011, p. 136). During Arévalo’s time in office, the Guatemalan government made efforts to mend the gap between the rich and poor, as well as tend to the uneven distribution of poverty by devising a

plan to redistribute unused land from the fruit companies to provide for those without (Gonzalez, 2011, pp. 136-137). Although the government was offering compensation for the land, the United Fruit Company was persistent, for they were determined to remain a prominent figure in the banana business. This tension between UFCO and the Guatemalan government only fueled the fire and eventually led to the rise of colonel Carlos Castillo Armas, who staged a coup and brought Guatemala into a reign of terror (Gonzalez, 2011, p. 137). Because this newfound dictatorship was primarily focused on keeping the wealthy landowners rich and continuing of the profits made through UFCO, Guatemala fell into a time of immense hardship.
This particular event in Guatemala was unique for a couple of reasons. One of these reasons is the fact that the death toll was shockingly high due to the particularly small size of the country. “More than 140,000 died,” according to Gonzalez’s book, Harvest of Empire (Gonzalez, 2011, p. 130), and this astounding statistic only emphasizes the brutality that flooded the streets of Guatemala during this time. Because Castillo was acting in the best interest of UFCO, poverty and violence were prominent amongst anyone who was not a wealthy landowner. Guerilla rebellions began to surface in protest against the tyranny, but only contributed to the massive death toll. Many lives were lost, and the poor living conditions inspired many people to seek a better life elsewhere by migrating to other countries.
The other reason the situation in Guatemala is unique is because the United States government was, in fact, responsible for the devastation cast upon Guatemala.

But, how does the United States come to play in all of this? As a matter of fact, the U.S. government was responsible for creating policies that only benefited the UFCO, and did so intentionally because they were blinded by their own self-interest. For example, the CIA was in charge of organizing the plan to overthrow Guatemalan President Arbenz (Gonzalez, 2011, p. 137), and thus must be held accountable for the fall of their government. In addition to this, the U.S. continued to assist Castillo’s far past the coup (Gonzalez, 2011, p.137), and therefore are an antagonist in this time of trouble in

Guatemala.
In addition to the United States’ contribution to the destruction of Guatemala, they also refused to aid the people who fled the country to escape the violence. Although these migrants had legitimate reasons for leaving their home country, they were not exactly welcomed. Not only did the U.S. refuse asylum to these people, but also made the immigration process so difficult that most ended up in detention centers or migrating illegally (Gonzalez, 2011, pp. 138-139). Despite the fact that the U.S. government was one of the major reasons Guatemalans faced their predicament, the government felt little to no obligation to lend a hand, which was also due to the fact that the U.S. was preoccupied with other matters in Central America. Even when people were lucky to make it to the U.S., they still had to face other issues such as discrimination and isolation in these new areas.
Having taken all this into account, it is apparent how much of an impact the United States had on Guatemala during the 1950s. Although the United States was specifically an ally of the dictator, it is still historically relevant to address the U.S. as an antagonist in this bitter tale. It is also vital to note how the U.S. was motivated solely for the purpose of preserving and continuing their economic success with the United Fruit Company. Profit definitely trumped morality at this point in history, and the United States played a major role in the massacre of the Guatemalan people.