Latin America & the Cold War

8th Grade, U.S. History

Latin America & the

Cold War

U.S. Involvement in Latin America

● Cold War ideology drives U.S. Latin

American policy and involvement.

● The U.S. intervenes in many

countries civil affairs to advance their
own economic interests or in the
name of containing communism.

Overview: Guatemala

● U.S. & CIA sponsored coup in 1954.
● U.S. helped overthrow a

democratically elected president.

● Led to a series of U.S. backed military

dictators in Guatemala and decades
of oppression, civil war, and violence.

Overview: Guatemala

● United Fruit Company (UFCO): American

owned and run company.
○ Owned more than 40% of the land,

exempt from taxes, owned
transportation networks, supported by
many right wing, dictators in Guatemala

● A majority of Guatemalans resented the

UFCO, preventing the country from gaining
economic independence.

Fill in the Blanks

Many Guatemalans resented the UFCO because they prevented the country from gaining

independence.

Overview: Guatemala

● In 1944, a revolution ended a dictatorship

and the first truly democratic election was
held.
○ There next 2 presidents promote

education and land reform, labor unions
and workers rights.

● Land is taken from UFCO and redistributed to

the poor. The U.S. is offered $1.6 million but
they demand $16 million which is refused.

Multiple Choice

What did the two democratically elected presidents in Guatemala promote?

• A) State collectivization of land.

• B) Environmental protection and land reform.

• C) Education and land reform, labor unions and workers rights.

• D) Labor unions and transportation reform.

Overview: Guatemala

● UFCO created a propaganda campaign to link the

President Jacobo Arbenz to a growing Communist
threat.

● In 1953, U.S. President Eisenhower authorized the

CIA to overthrow President Arbenz.

● The CIA handpicked Castillo Armas to lead rebel

forces in a coup to overthrow Arbenz.

● Over the next 30 years a series of military dictators,

supported by the U.S., ruled Guatemala with terror
tactics, violence, and oppression.

Open Ended

Why do you think the U.S. would want to overthrow the government in Guatemala even though it was democratic?

Overview: El Salvador

● El Salvador’s government was run by a series

of violent military dictators.

● Right wing death squads and military

officials would murder and torture any
opposition.
○ Violence was mainly directed at workers,

peasants, and students.

● By the end of the 1970s, the state and death

squads were murdering 800 people a month.

Multiple Choice

El Salvador's government was run by a series of ______ ?

• A) Violent military dictators

• B) Peaceful democratic leaders

• C) Communist leaders

• D) Violent democratic dictators

Overview: El Salvador

● In 1980 the Farabundo Marti National

Liberation Front (FMLN) was formed to
overthrow the U.S.-backed dictatorship and
build socialism.

● The U.S. funded the Salvadoran government

and military giving $6 billion in aid throughout
the 1980s to “combat communism.”

● The Civil War lasted 12 years with 75,000

deaths.

Multiple Choice

How much did the U.S. give in aid to El Salvador?

• A) $1 million

• B) $18 billion

• C) $4 million

• D) $6 billion

Overview: El Salvador

● The U.S. turned a blind eye to the various

human rights violations committed by
the Salvadoran military and death squads.

● The Massacre at El Mozote: A U.S. trained

and armed Salvadoran battalion executed
a village of more than 800 civilians.

● U.S. aid stops with the end of the Civil War

in El Salvador.

Open Ended

Why do you think the U.S. would continue to support El Salvador's government despite the human rights violations?