The Guatemalan Coup

Additional Materials

  1. Wikipedia articles such as those of Arevalo, Armas, Arbenz, and Ubico
  2. Wikipedia articles such as those of the general Guatemalan coup, Ten Years of Spring (also known as Guatemalan revolution)
  3. CIA and National Archives on the Guatemalan coup, PBSUCCESS and PBSFORTUNE

Discussion Questions

  1. What can we learn from the Guatemalan Coup that we can use in the current conflict in Venezuela?
  2. How does the success of PBSUCCESS show us the importance and influence of propaganda?
  3. What can the Influence of the United fruit company show us about corporations and their influence in today’s political climate?
  4. Why did the overthrowing of the democratically elected presidents being lobbied by the UFCO influence the outcome of the Coup?
  5. If so, how is Guatemala still recovering from this?
  6. Why is the Guatemalan Coup not taught by schools when it shows the less pleasant side of US history?
  7. What has changed in the US influence in other countries? How has it stayed the same?
  8. How did the Coup effect US relations with Guatemala?
  9. Why was overthrowing the democratically elect president necessary if compromise could have been achieved?
  10. How can we avoid such conflicts in the future? How do we ensure we are considering the effects for the people?

Digital Resources

Kane, Robert J. “Operation PBSUCCESS: U.S. Covert Action in Guatemala.” Military Strategy Magazine, January 21, 2019. https://www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/operation-pbsuccess-u-s-covert-action-in-guatemala/.

Article about PBSUCCESS and the Eisenhower Administration’s involvement in the Coup.

TREFZGER, DOUGLAS W. “GUATEMALA’S 1952 AGRARIAN REFORM LAW: A CRITICAL REASSESSMENT.” International Social Science Review 77, no. 1/2 (2002): 32–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41887088.

Document and article going more in depth about the Degree 900 land reform policy.

Streeter, S. (n.d.). EBSCO LOCATE. https://search.catalog.loc.gov/instances/1119c5bf-0169-58f1-af5a-a5188fe92c49?option=lccn&query=00040667

Book about how the Eisenhower administration controlled United States involvement in Guatemala.

Streeter, Stephen M. “CIA in Guatemala | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History.” The CIA in Guatemala, December 21, 2022. https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-1015.

Encyclopedia article about the involvement of the CIA in the Guatemalan Coup.

González, Juan. “Harvest of Empire.” YouTube, 2025. https://youtu.be/G2MPnCbqCIc?si=A4CulLyPLM37jfbZ.

Documentary about Latinos in America going in depth about not just Guatemala.