Lesson 20

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Question SA-2. Here is the text reference (p. 197/2 & 3):

There were certainly enough parallels: Guatemala had been ruled for many years by a caudillo who had favored foreign investors (mainly U.S.). Like Mexico, Guatemala has a large Indigenous population which was kept marginalized from active participation in the economic benefits of Guatemala's export economy. There were also numerous Mestizos, some of whom made up a small but restive middle class.

The old caudillo, General Jorge Ubico, was overthrown in 1944 by a coalition of the middle class, students, and junior military officers who were disgusted with the corruption of the old regime. This coalition was united by a desire for reform and to limit the privileges given to the principal foreign investor, United Fruit Company, which owned much of the banana-producing land in the country.