Guatemala

Guatemala
(50 years of coups, corruption, assassinations and civil war.)
1944 Gen Jorge Ubico’s dictatorship overthrown by dissident military officers and students.
1945–1951 civilian Juan Jose Arevalo president.
1951–1954 Colonel Jacobo Arbenz president.
1954 Army refuses to defend Arbenz when U.S. backed group led by Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas invades and takes
over government.
1958 General Miquel Ydigras Fuentes takes power following murder of Armas.
1960 Because of Fuentes autocratic rule, junior military officers revolt, fail, flee to Cuba and led armed insurrection
for the next 36 years, resulting in 200,000 deaths of unarmed indigenous civilians.
1966 Julio Cesar Mendez Nontenegro is president.
1966–1982 Series of military governments with assassination of leading figures, including U.S. Ambassador.
1982 General Angel Anibal Guevara elected president.
1982 Coup by junior officers ousts President Guevara and install Rios Montt, a Protestant pastor.
Montt dissolves Congress and suspends political parties. He is accussed of “genocide against groups of Mayan
people.”
1983 Montt deposed by General Oscar Humberto Mejia Victores.
1986–1990 Civilian Vinicio Cerezo is president.
1988 & 1989 Two coup attempts, strikes, protest marches due to corruption.
1991 Jorge Serrano is elected president. He replaces senior army officers.
1992 Serrano dissolves Congress and Supreme Court and restricts civil freedoms.
1993 Serrano staged an autogolpe (self-initiated coup) that failed. He flees the country.
1993 Ramiro De Leon Carpio is president. Demands resignations of all members of Congress and Supreme Court.
1994 New Congress elected.
1996 United Nations and De Leon conclude a peace accord ending 36 years of internal conflict.
1999–2004 Alfonso Portillo is president. Public corruption, high crime, harassment of journalists.