The battle for Guatemala
Subtitle: rebels, death squads, and U.S. power
By: Susanne Jonas ; foreword by Edelberto Torres Rivas.
Series: Latin American perspectives series ;; no. 5
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 1991
Place of publication: Boulder
Language: eng
Number of pages: 288
Subjects: Government, Resistance to -- Guatemala -- History -- 20th century; Violence -- Guatemala -- History -- 20th century; Guatemala -- Politics and government -- 1945-1985; Guatemala -- Politics and government -- 1985-; Guatemala -- Relations -- United States; United States -- Relations -- Guatemala
Description: A contemporary history of Guatemala{u2019}s thirty-year civil war{u2014}the longest and bloodiest in the hemisphere{u2014}this book pulls aside the veil of secrecy that has obscured the origins of the war. Using a structural analysis that takes critical events and changes in the nation{u2019}s economic and social structure as a starting point for understanding its political crises, the author unravels the contradictions of Guatemalan politics and illustrates why, in the face of unmatched military brutality and repeated U.S. interventions, popular and revolutionary movements have arisen time and again. The central protagonists in the turbulent battle for Guatemala{u2014}rebels, death squads, and the United States{u2014}are evaluated in a dynamic framework that highlights the role of indigenous peoples and women and underscores the articulation of ethnic and gender divisions with class divisions. This book{u2019}s interdisciplinary approach differentiates it from others in English and makes it an invaluable case study on the internal dynamics of Third World revolution and counterrevolution as well as on issues of human rights and U.S. policy in Central America.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-275) and index.