1954 Guatemalan Coup

The 1954 Guatemalan coup was a covert operation orchestrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to overthrow Guatemala’s democratically elected President, Jacobo Árbenz. Árbenz had implemented land reforms that threatened powerful landowners and foreign corporations, especially the United Fruit Company. Concerned about communism spreading in the region, the U.S. justified the intervention as part of the Cold War strategy. The coup ousted Árbenz, leading to decades of political instability and authoritarian rule in Guatemala. It highlighted Cold War tensions, U.S. interventionism, and the impact of foreign economic interests on Latin American sovereignty.