Arbenz Land Reform

The Arbenz Land Reform, implemented in Guatemala during the late 1940s under President Jacobo Árbenz, aimed to redistribute land from wealthy landowners to landless peasants. The reform targeted vast tracts of uncultivated land, especially those owned by foreign companies like the United Fruit Company. Árbenz hoped to modernize agriculture and improve living conditions for the rural poor. However, the policy faced strong opposition from the elite and foreign interests, leading to a U.S.-backed coup in 1954 that ousted Árbenz and reversed the reforms, triggering decades of political instability in Guatemala.