In 1954, the CIA carried out Operation PBSUCCESS, overthrowing Guatemalas democratically elected president Jacobo Árbenz.
The spark? Árbenzs land reform program, which threatened the powerful United Fruit Companya U.S. corporate giant with deep connections in Washington. Company lobbyists painted Árbenz as a communist threat, and soon the CIA was backing a small invasion force from Honduras.
Árbenz resigned, Guatemalas democracy collapsed, and the country descended into decades of military rule.
In our linked Short, we explore another Cold War flashpoint in the developing world: How did Indonesias fight for independence turn into one of the bloodiest post-war conflicts?
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