Guatemala

The recent fake elections in Guatemala, the principles of the agrarian counter-reform, and the proposal to restore to the Catholic Church the big estates which were confiscated in 1871, all prove that the attack on the Arbenz government, launched under the banner of anti-Communism, had as its real objective the reinstalling in power of the most brutal and archaic social reaction. In addition, the Guatemalan war let loose throughout Central America a wave of social agitation and distrust of the United States which has resulted, in Costa Rica, in a stiffening of the Figueres government and the imposition of measures limiting the privileges of United Fruit; in Honduras, in the liberal electoral victory of October; in Cuba, El Salvador, and Panama, in a shift of public opinion to the Left which the respective governments are unable wholly to ignore. The Guatemalan question thus dominates the political evolution of Central America and is likely to continue to do so for a long time to come.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website

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