Truce - History of the Christian Church An American Coup in Guatemala
Jan 6, 2026
In this captivating discussion, historian Stephen Schlesinger, co-author of *Bitter Fruit*, delves into the 1954 U.S.-backed coup in Guatemala. He reveals how United Fruit's immense influence led to President Jacobo Arbenz's land reforms becoming framed as a communist threat. The conversation highlights the exploitative conditions on United Fruit plantations and examines the Dulles brothers' conflicts of interest driving U.S. policy. Schlesinger also discusses the long-term consequences of the coup, including the civil war that followed and the clash between American actions and professed Christian values.
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Corporate Use Of Cold War Fears
- United Fruit manipulated anti-communist fears to protect its land and profits in Guatemala.
- The U.S. framed agrarian reform as communism despite CIA reports saying Arbenz was not a communist.
United Fruit As A State Within A State
- United Fruit became the largest landowner and controlled Guatemala's railroad and port systems.
- Stephen Schlesinger describes the company as a "country within a larger nation."
Land Reform Was Redistribution, Not Communism
- Arbenz's land reform targeted unused company land to create smallholdings for peasants.
- Payments were set by prior tax valuations, so the policy resembled New Deal reforms, not communist nationalization.
