The Guatemalan Coup of 1954

Paper Summary:

The paper examines "Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala" by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer and "Modern Latin America" by Thomas E. Skidmore and Peter H. Smith as they relate to the Guatemalan coup of 1954. The paper explores the role of the United Fruit Company (UFC) in the coup that overturned the legitimate Arbenz government of Guatemala in 1954, the CIA role in this affair and the UFC's relationship with the U.S. State Department and with the Guatemalan workers.

From the Paper:

"How many Americans know that the United States Government directly and dramatically interfered with the internal affairs of a sovereign nation (Guatemala) in 1954? And it wasn't a matter of small-time inference, but in fact the American CIA installed a dictator friendly to the U.S., and ousted the existing Arbenz administration. Probably few Americans also realize that this action in Guatemala was not a unique moment in U.S. interference in foreign nation's internal affairs. Indeed, the CIA had orchestrated and carried out a coup in Iran on August 19, 1953. The CIA installed the Shah of Iran into power thanks to a plan called "Operation Ajax" authorized by President Dwight Eisenhower and directed by the same men who carried out the coup against the legitimate government of Guatemala - brothers John Foster Dulles (Secretary of State) and Allen Dulles (CIA Director). The Iranian coup was fully explained in a book called All the Shaw's Men by Stephen Kinzer, the same author who co-wrote Bitter Fruit."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Schlesinger, Stephen, and Kinzer, Stephen. 1982. Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American CoupIn Guatemala. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Skidmore, Thomas E., and Smith, Peter H. 1984. Modern Latin America. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press.

More papers on The Guatemalan Coup of 1954:

• Analytical Essay # 140753 : "The Guatemalan Coup of 1954"
• Analytical Essay # 120838 : "Daydreams in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
• Film Review # 73393 : "The Godfather": Analysis of a Movie Classic"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: