The Downfall of Jacobo Arbenz: A Chronicle of CIA-Orchestrated Intervention in Guatemala, as Narrated by Mario Vargas Llosa

Authors

Keywords:

Cold War, Jacobo Arbenz, United Fruit Company, Mario Vargas Llosa

Abstract

June 27, 2024 marked the 70th anniversary of the overthrow of the government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán. The celebrated writer Mario Vargas Llosa in his novel Tiempos recios (2019), delves into the invasion of a mercenary militia, openly supported by the U.S. government, in defense of the interests of the United Fruit Company banana company. The false and feigned pretext of the coup
d'état was to prevent Guatemala from becoming a communist satellite of the Soviet Union.

Author Biography

Marco Vinicio Mejía Dávila, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Instituto de Análisis e Investigación de los Problemas Nacionales

June 27, 2024 marked the 70th anniversary of the overthrow of the government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán. The celebrated writer Mario Vargas Llosa in his novel Tiempos recios (2019), delves into the invasion of a mercenary militia, openly supported by the U.S. government, in defense of the interests of the United Fruit Company banana company. The false and feigned pretext of the coup d'état was to prevent Guatemala from becoming a communist satellite of the Soviet Union.

References

Cullather, N. (2002) PBSUCCESS: La Operación encubierta de la CIA en Guatemala 1952-1954. Universidad de Wisconsin, AVANCSO.

García Añoveros, J. M. (1981) Estructura Agraria y Poder Político en Guatemala: La Reforma Agraria De Agraria de Arbenz. Madrid, Editorial de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Gleijeses, P. (2005) La Esperanza Rota. La Revolución Guatemalteca y Estados Unidos, 1944-1954. Guatemala, Editorial Universitaria, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.

Immerman, R. (2004) The CIA in Guatemala. The Foreign Policy of Intervention. Austin, University of Texas Press, 2004, 9a. edición.

Ondacero.es (2019). “Tiempos recios”, la última novela de Mario Vargas Llosa que reconstruye un oscuro capítulo de América Latina. https://www.ondacero.es/ programas/noticias-mediodia/audios-podcast/tiempos-recios-mario-vargas-llosa_201910105d9f2f9e0cf28a30b65d6b37.html

Schlesinger, S. y Kizner, S. (1982) Fruta Amarga: La CIA en Guatemala. Madrid: Siglo Veintiuno Editores.

Vargas Llosa, M. (2019) Tiempos recios. Alfaguara, 352 páginas.

Collage con fotos de Jacobo Arbenz y Mario Vargas Llosa y la portada del libro Tiempos recios.

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Published

2024-07-09

How to Cite

Mejía Dávila, M. V. (2024). The Downfall of Jacobo Arbenz: A Chronicle of CIA-Orchestrated Intervention in Guatemala, as Narrated by Mario Vargas Llosa. Análisis De La Realidad Nacional, 13(263), 58–69. Retrieved from https://revistas.usac.edu.gt/index.php/arn/article/view/1754

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 263 (2024): The University of San Carlos Guatemala (USAC) Undergoes Quiet Reforms

Section

Debate

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