Communism In Guatemala

On average, there are an estimated 7,000 street children in Guatemala. About one child is abandoned every four days in Guatemala, as a result of the crippling poverty rate in the country many families simply cannot afford to raise another child. These kids suffer from not merely homelessness, but an utter lack of governmental support in an impoverished nation, forced to scavenge for basic necessities just to survive. Often times, these abandoned children are indigenous children from rural areas, who throughout Guatemalan history have been subjected to frequent government violence. Most of all, in the tropical climate, these children are without the proper clothing necessary to survive.

While historical events serve as good starting points for analyzing the politicization process, Pulido places a particular emphasis on understanding how the historical setting, in tandem with racial and economic hierarchies, influenced the activities of Third World Left activist groups. A compelling example in this regard is the relationship between the Black Panther Party (BPP) and whites during this time period. The BPP, being a Third World activist group which espoused a “rhetoric of Third World solidarity”, understandably did not allow whites to join the group (163). Nevertheless, the BPP did work together with whites, who provided “resources, skills and connections that the Panthers desperately needed,” especially in legal matters (164). The cooperation between the two groups suggests, on the part of the Panthers, an understanding of the underlying racial hierarchy and the resulting economic hierarchy, and an attempt to use this awareness to further their goals. This is a sensible choice, especially considering the fact that the BPP was founded on the idea of mobilizing the “lumpen proletariat” to protect their own (144), leaving them with little

Government is the authority that addresses, control and administers the institutions of a community. Every country has ruled by a governance structure. There are different kinds of government. This comparison is about the United States and Guatemala’s forms of government.

The Popol Vuh is a collection of historical mythos of the K’iche’ Maya, a group that still lives in the Guatemalan highlands. Popol Vuh translates as either, “Book of Council” or in proper K’iche’ “Book of Events” or “Book of the People”, and tells the creation mythos of the K’iche’ peoples, an epic tale of Hero Twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué, along with a series of genealogies.

The 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état was a covert operation carried out by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that deposed the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz and ended the Guatemalan Revolution.[1] Code-named Operation PBSUCCESS, it installed the military dictatorship of Carlos Castillo Armas, the first in a series of U.S.-backed dictators who ruled

The issue for the U.S. was therefore how to approach this issue, whilst at the same time trying to contain the dangers of Communism in these new independent states. Arguably, most of the earlier administrations from Truman to Nixon did hardly anything to end the racial inequities in Rhodesia and South Africa. It is thus no wonder that many African Americans were angry at the inept approach of past administration to bring about change in the former colonial countries. Indeed, one must give credit where it is due, and Borstelman suggested that Truman did assemble a Presidential Committee on Civil Rights in late 1946, but this was most a disguise to find off his lack of willpower to intervene politically. Although the committee understood the seriousness of the issue by concluding that “Our domestic civil rights shortcomings are a serious obstacle” to American leadership in the world. (59). This statement along highlights that importance of the race issue, but in the minds of all African Americans the priorities of the Cold War was much more important.

I studied many things about Guatemala such as, the culture, religion, food, population, geography, imports, exports, and most popular of all sports. The sports of Guatemala is something I found very interesting.

stated the necessity of the Soviet Union and Cuba to become allies, and this move would also influence many countries in Latin America to become allies with the Soviet Union rather than the U.S and the West.

corn, bananas, coffee, beans, and chickens (The World Fact book, Economy). In the past few years Guatemala is experiencing drought and it is affecting the country’s farming capabilities. Recent statistics gathered by VoaNews estimate about 900,000 individuals are troubled by this issue. Like many matters, this has caused a chain reaction resulting in an increase of unemployment. Although a challenge, I envision a possible business opportunity to alter this effect. A strategy that came into mind was a tool utilized to decrease the amount of water irrigated. There is currently a watering system used for a similar purpose called the Tree T-Pee (Tree T-Pee Site). It would be a great approach to invest and incorporate a modification that can be used in lands abroad like Guatemala. It could also increase the employment rate and create new jobs.

Between the years 1947 and 1991 the United States of America was involved in a war against communism, known as the Cold War. This laid the framework for many of the United States’ questionable actions within Latin America. The United States’ goal was to contain communism at any cost, but did not want to declare war in order to do so. The United States did not want to allow communism to spread near itself, so it bound as many Latin American countries as possible together in the fight against communism. The United States was worried if a communist country were to succeed in Latin America, it would set an example for the rest of Latin America would spread communism (Gardner). In 1948 the Organization of American States (OAS) was formed, and all

Since 1965, Cuba has been governed by Communist Party of Cuba (Partido Comunista de Cuba—PCC), a highly centralized system, which is the only authorized political party and rules as “the highest leading force of society and the State,” according to the constitution. PCC monopolizes all government positions. Party membership is a de facto prerequisite for high-level official positions and professional advancement in most areas, although non-party members are sometimes allowed to serve in the National Assembly. The Communist Party or one of its subsidiaries vets candidates for any elected office. President Castro has control over all aspects of life using the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organizations. President Castro personally

Land ownership and distribution are extremely unequal in Guatemala. This is immensely unfair because “2% of landowners hold 65% of the arable land”("Guatemala Country"). Due to these extreme numbers, the distribution of land “is one of the most unequal in the hemisphere” ("Guatemala Country"). As a result of this, lower-class citizens have no way of earning money other than taking a, usually laborious and low-paying, job. Not only is this causing a low quality of life for many Guatemalans, this is also contributing greatly the chronic poverty in Guatemala.

The terrible events of March 21, 1960 shook up the town of Sharpeville. The police brutality was uncalled for. There are many peaceful ways of calming protesters that could have been utilized, rather than shooting into the crowd. This horrific event caused major organizations responsible for handling injusticeness to be forced underground and drew infamy towards the South African government. Their stock exchange decreased and their only aid came from U.S. loans. We believe that since the US was funding these acts, they possibly condoned this and ignored the unnecessary violence.

Among the ways the United States tried to curb the spread of communism in Latin America, was interfere in the inner policies of their countries. They were involving themselves in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. They were trying to convince Latin America that it was in their best interests to stay away from communist beliefs.

Originally, most of the traditional foods in Guatemala were made, vegetarian. Over the years, different types of meat have become an important ingredient for the ones who can afford them. Vegetarianism is accepted in Guatemalan culture. The country ranks 110th in meat consumption, each person (in average) consuming almost 54.2 pounds of meat per year, for the country's majority is in poverty