Celebrating Independence and Nationalism: Comparing and Contrasting India and Guatemala

Nationalism in Guatemala

Guatemala is a country with a rich history. Originally, a home to the Mayan Civilisation (often referred to as one of the most intelligent ancient species), Guatemala is a land with a vibrant and diverse cultural heritage. Guatemala is also famous for its numerous monuments and historical artefacts. Throughout its history, Guatemala has experienced a variety of civilian and conglomerate governments.

The Guatemalan Flag

The Guatemalan Revolution was the most eminent period in Guatemalan history. Known as the Ten Years of Spring, the Guatemalan Revolution highlighted the only years of representative democracy in Guatemala. The Guatemalan Revolution began in 1944 due to the dissatisfaction of the people under the reign of dictator Jorge Ubico. Ubico was overthrown and this marked the beginning of the revolution. There was a long and bloody war which took place primarily on the countryside between the national military and scattered rebel forces.  The revolution came to an abrupt end in June of 1954 when the president, Jacobo Arbenz, resigned from office and turned the government over to the leadership of armed forces. However, the fighting did not stop for another 37 years when an agreement of peace was signed between the two opposing sides.

Comparing and Contrasting between Nationalism in India and Guatemala

One of the biggest differences between Nationalism in India and Guatemala was that in India, the people were fighting for independence from the British, which was a foreign power. Whereas, in Guatemala the struggle for “independence” was more internal as there were internal conflicts between the people and the government. The situation in Guatemala is comparable to a Civil War or an internal conflict; whereas, in India it was an external conflict with the British.

Another key difference between Nationalism in India and Guatemala was the technique used to attain independence or freedom. In India, a non-violent approach was undertaken by leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and this is what separates the Indian Freedom Struggle from all the other Freedom Movements in the world. Guatemala, on the other hand, had an extremely violent and bloody set of wars which went on for nearly half a century before terms of peace were agreed upon.

These are the two biggest differences between the Indian and Guatemalan National Movements.

Reflections

Jorge Ubico

One reason why I believe there was a difference in the set of ideologies between the Indians and the Guatemalans is because, in Guatemala, the people were divided into groups such as the rebels, the separatists and those who were loyal to the government. This division among the people made it difficult to have a united, non-violent movement.

 Mahatma Gandhi

One thing that really surprised me about the Guatemalan National Movement was that there was an extremely long war between the government and the rebels during the Guatemalan Revolution. I was really surprised when I read this.

If someone from Guatemala were to read about the Indian Freedom Struggle they would definitely be surprised about the fact that it was almost a fully non-violent movement. Very few freedom movements in the history of the world have been executed without violence and this would definitely be astonishing for someone from Guatemala as their country had a long, bloody and violent war.

Works Cited

1.  “Guatemalan Revolution.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2017, <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalan_Revolution>. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

2.     Gobel, Abe. “Guatemalan Nationalism.” 18 Oct. 2011, <prezi.com/z6vl5r3sbpqj/guatemalan-nationalism>. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

3.     Gomez, Milton. “Revolution in Guatemala.” Guatemalan Revolution, <www.yachana.org/teaching/students/webpages/revsfall98/guatemala/guatemala.html>. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

4.     Shliv. “Guatemala: Nationalism & Inequality.” Central America and the Caribbean, 24 Sept. 2015, <centralamericaandthecaribbean.wordpress.com/2015/09/24/guatemala-nationalism-inequality>. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

5.     Wolterbeek, Ellen. Guatemala. Our World: Guatemala, Great Neck Publishing, 31 July 2017. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3331/our_world_481_250273. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

6.     Lowenthal, Abraham F. and Lucy Edwards Despard. "Shattered Hope: The Guatemalan Revolution and the United States, 1944-1954." Foreign Affairs, vol. 70, no. 4, Fall1991, p. 176. EBSCOhost, <search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mat&AN=10297995&site=ehost-live.> Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.

7.     “Revolución de Guatemala de 1944.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Sept. 2017, <es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revoluci%C3%B3n_de_Guatemala_de_1944>. Accessed 19 Sept. 2017.