The 1954 coup in Guatemala, known as Golpe de Estado en Guatemala de 1954, was orchestrated by the CIA under the covert operation PBSuccess. It overthrew the democratically elected President Jacobo Árbenz and marked the end of the Guatemalan Revolution of 1944-1954. The coup installed Carlos Castillo Armas as the leader of a military dictatorship, initiating a series of U.S.-backed authoritarian rulers in Guatemala.
The Guatemalan Revolution began in 1944 after a popular uprising removed the military dictatorship of Jorge Ubico. Juan José Arévalo was elected as the first president in Guatemala's democratic election. Arévalo implemented reforms such as a minimum wage and expanded suffrage, transforming Guatemala into a democracy. Árbenz succeeded Arévalo in 1951 and implemented land reforms that redistributed property to landless peasants.
The United Fruit Company (an American multinational corporation), whose profits were affected by the end of exploitative labor practices in Guatemala, conducted a persuasive lobbying campaign to convince the U.S. to overthrow the Guatemalan government. President Harry Truman authorized Operation PBFortune in 1952 to remove Árbenz, which served as a precursor to PBSuccess.
The next U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower pledged a stronger stance against communism. Eisenhower's advisers, John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles, had connections to the UFC, further motivating them to take action against the Guatemalan government. The U.S. government also exaggerated the extent of communist influence within Árbenz's administration. In August 1953, Eisenhower authorized the CIA to execute Operation PBSuccess. The CIA provided arms, funding, and training to a force of 480 men led by Carlos Castillo Armas.
The coup was preceded by U.S. efforts to isolate and criticize Guatemala on the international stage. Castillo Armas' forces invaded Guatemala on June 18th, 1954, while engaging in intense psychological warfare. They utilized a radio station to broadcast anti-government propaganda, manipulated military events to favor the rebellion, conducted air bombings of Guatemala City, and established a naval blockade. Although the invasion force faced military setbacks, the psychological warfare and the fear of a U.S. invasion intimidated the Guatemalan army, leading them to refuse to fight. Árbenz attempted to arm civilians to resist the invasion but eventually resigned on June 27th. Ten days later, Castillo Armas assumed the presidency following negotiations in San Salvador.
The coup was widely condemned internationally. It was seen as a major blow to democracy in Guatemala and further fueled anti-U.S. sentiment in Latin America. In an attempt to justify the coup, the CIA launched Operation PBHistory to find evidence of Soviet influence in Guatemala during Árbenz's tenure, but the operation proved unsuccessful. Castillo Armas quickly consolidated dictatorial powers, banned opposition parties, imprisoned and tortured political opponents, and reversed the social reforms of the revolution. Guatemala subsequently experienced nearly four decades of civil war as leftist guerrillas fought against a series of U.S.-backed authoritarian regimes marked by severe human rights abuses, including the genocide of the Maya people.
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