How CIA created a Banana Repubic: Guatemala 1954

Question 1

Guatemalan revolution year?

Answer 1

1944-1954

Question 2

Who was overthrown in 1944?

Answer 2

Ubico’s authoritarian regime

Question 3

Who was democratically elected president of Guatemala in 1944?

Answer 3

Juan José Arévalo

Question 4

Who was Juan José Arévalo’s Minister of Defence?

Answer 4

Jacobo Árbenz

Question 5

Who became president of Guatemala after the 1950 elections?

Answer 5

Jacobo Árbenz

Question 6

Why didn’t Arévalo run in the 1950 elections?

Answer 6

25 coup attempts during his presidency

Question 7

What reforms Arévalo make to help working class Guatemalans?

Answer 7

introduced a minimum wage
created state run farms for non-land owners

Question 8

What did labour unions force Arévalo to do?

Answer 8

pass legislation against workplace discrimination
implement health and safety standards

Question 9

Who was willing to make deeper reforms out of Arévalo and Árbenz?

Answer 9

Árbenz

Question 10

Which party did Árbenz have personal ties to and legalised during his years of power?

Answer 10

Communist Party of Guatemala (PGT)

Question 11

Who introduced the Land Reform and who vehemently refused to?

Answer 11

Árbenz
Arévalo

Question 12

What was the Land Reform bill also known as?

Answer 12

decree 900

Question 13

How did Decree 900 benefit Guatemala?

Answer 13

economic boost

Question 14

Disadvantage of Decree 900?

Answer 14

disturbed country’s largest land owner United Fruit Company

Question 15

How had the previous government’s legislation already upset the UFC?

Answer 15

gave workers the right to strike

Question 16

What did the UFC lose because of Decree 900?

Answer 16

majority of its land

Question 17

Why did the UFC lobby for intervention from Washington after Decree 900?

Answer 17

Wanted 60 million from Guatemalan government for land

Question 18

Who were the UFC’s close ties in Washington?

Answer 18

Dulles brothers-US secretary of state, Director of CIA

Question 19

What misconception did member of US government have about Guatemala? Why?

Answer 19

had become a Communist Nation
reforms, social ties

Question 20

Why did US government become increasingly suspicious of Guatemalan regime?

Answer 20

Cold War intensified in early 1950’s

Question 21

What was Operation PBFortune?

Answer 21

CIA called for coup d’etat lead by former Guatemalan army officer (Armas) living in exile
assassination, arrest targets

Question 22

How did the CIA send arms to Armas’s forces

Answer 22

UFC freighter

Question 23

Was PBFortune completed under Truman?

Answer 23

No

Question 24

When was Eisenhower elected president?

Answer 24

November 1952

Question 25

What was Eisenhower's attitude towards communism? How did he show this?

Answer 25

actively pushing it back ordered coups replacing unwanted regimes with ones which were more sympathetic to US interests

Question 26

What did the CIA do in Iran in 1953?

Answer 26

coup replaced democratucally elected Prime Minister

Question 27

What was PBSucces? Who was involved?

Answer 27

CIA's new operation under Eisenhower assassination targets Armas's Army of Liberation

Question 28

Why didn't the CIA cover up the guerilla training operations in Nicaragua and Honduras?

Answer 28

to intimidate Árbenz present downfall of Guatemalan government as inevitable less resistence

Question 29

Who was John Peurifoy?

Answer 29

anti-communist US ambassador to Guatemala sent to assist CIA and guerilla fighters

Question 30

Why US-Guatemala tensions rise in early 1954?

Answer 30

Us denounced Guatemalan government because of 'communist takeover'

Question 31

How did Guatemalan government respond to the US denouncement in early 1954?

Answer 31

published leaked documents about PBSuccess forged some documents

Question 32

How did Guatemala publishing leaked documents about PBSuccess benefit the US?

Answer 32

united US against 'communist state spreading propaganda'

Question 33

What did the US do during the Pan-American conference in Caracas?

Answer 33

isolated Guatemala diplomatically passed a resolution condemning spread of communism in the Americas

Question 34

Why did Guatemala have to turn to the Eastern Bloc for help?

Answer 34

discovery of Swedish ship transporting Czechoslovakian-made weapons to Guatemala

Question 35

What did Guatemala turning to the Eastern Bloc for help say to the US?

Answer 35

Soviet influence had spread to the Americas in US's back yard

Question 36

When did Armas's troops enter Guatemala What triggered this?

Answer 36

18th June 1954 Guatemala turning to the Soviet Union for help

Question 37

How did the CIA wage psychological warfare against the Guatemalan government?

Answer 37

pro-America videos shown in neighbouring friendly countries political leaders received death threats eg. coffins, nooses

Question 38

How did the CIA demoralise Guatemalan citizens and soldiers?

Answer 38

Voice of Liberation radio station rebel planes in sky

Question 39

What did Árbenz fear after the psychological warfare? Why?

Answer 39

war with Honduras if fighting between Guatemalan loyalists and rebels took place to close to border

Question 40

When was the Guatemalan beaten by insurgents? By force of arms or something else?

Answer 40

25th June 1954 by fear and low morale-army refused to fight

Question 41

What did Árbenz do as a last-ditch effort to defend his country once the army had refused to fight? Was it worthwhile?

Answer 41

armed civilian population no

Question 42

When did Árbenz finally resign?

Answer 42

27th June 1954

Question 43

Who was quick to step in after Árbenz fled to Mexico?

Answer 43

Colonel Díaz formed a 3-man junta

Question 44

Who overthrew Díaz shortly after he took power?

Answer 44

Monzón from 3-man junta

Question 45

How did the revoltion resolve with a 5-man junta? When?

Answer 45

Peurifoy intervened, organised negotiations 2nd July 1954

Question 46

Who made up the 5-man junta? How did this guaruntee Monzón's presidency?

Answer 46

Armas+his subordinate, Monzón+ Monzón's supporters

Question 47

How did Armas become president of the junta?

Answer 47

after Monzón's supporters resigned for 100k each

Question 48

How did Armas legitimise his power in October 1954?

Answer 48

won 99% of vote recognised by US