Abstract

ROMANO, Silvina María. Between Militarization, and Democracy: History in Contemporary Guatemala. Latinoamérica [online]. 2012, n.55, pp.215-244. ISSN 2448-6914.

With the overthrowing of Arbenz (1954), the militarization process grew stronger as an alternative to neutralize various sectors that claimed their own rights, as well as an echo to the heterogeneous and disorganized counterrevolutionary movement. This process contributed to enlarge a system based on political and economic exclusion (organized around commodity exports), which was also affected by daily violence perpetrated by the state. The highest of the armed forces, as a part of the dominant class, acquired a main role in the transition from military regimes to democratic governments. The weakness of the civil power towards the military contributed to the erosion of democracy and the achievements of peace agreements. The new president, Otto Perez Molina (ex military involved in the crimes perpetrated during the 80's) invites us to think about the continuities and changes in the relationship between the armed forces and civil power; the economic structure and the limits of democracy.

Keywords : Guatemala; Militarization; Democracy; Inequality.

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