Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T01:22:26.920Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Political Assassination in Guatemala: A Case of Institutionalized Terror

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Daniel L. Premo
Daniel L. Premo*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and International Studies, Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

There was but one side to politics in Guatemala. Both parties have a beautiful way of producing unanimity of opinion, by driving out of the country all who do not agree with them.

—John Lloyd Stephens (1839)

The concepts of “political assassination” and “terrorism” are fraught with definitional problems. For purposes of this study, the former will be defined simply as “murder for political motives.” It is one of a series of acts that collectively are intended to produce a psychological state of fear and uncertainty within the general population, i.e., “terrorism,” in an effort to direct political activity through intimidation.

Assassination is usually thought of as a terroristic act associated with opposition political groups. This article examines its use as a mechanism of control by government and private groups who perceive a threat to their privileged position in society.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , November 1981 , pp. 429 - 456
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1981

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, R. N. (1970) Crucifixion by Power. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press.Google Scholar
Aguilera Peralta, G. (1979) Violencia y Contraviolencia. Guatemala: Editorial Universitaria.Google Scholar
Amnesty International (1981) Guatemala: A Government Program of Political Murder. London: Amnesty International.Google Scholar
Amnesty International (1979) “Memorandum to the government of Guatemala, 10 to 15 August.” London: Mimeograph.Google Scholar
Amnesty International (1976) Guatemala. London: Amnesty International.Google Scholar
de Barrios Klee, E. R. (1979) “En Guatemala.” 7 Días en la USAC (February 26): 8.Google Scholar
Booth, J. A. (1980) “A Guatemalan nightmare: levels of political violence, 1966-1972.” J. of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 22 (May): 195–223.Google Scholar
Burton, A. (1975) Urban Terrorism: Theory, Practice and Response. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Dickey, C. (1981) “Haig's emissary, in Guatemala, discounts charges of rights abuse.” Washington Post (May 14): 16.Google Scholar
Gonzales, C. (1979) “Revolution: the ways to it.” World Marxist Rev. (October): 57-60.Google Scholar
Gordon, M. (1971) “A case history of U.S. subversion: Guatemala, 1954.” Science and Society 35 (Summer): 129–155.Google Scholar
Gott, R. (1970) Guerrilla Movements in Latin America. New York: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Havens, M. C. ,C., Leiden andK. M., Schmitt (1977) Assassinations and Terrorism: Their Modern Dimensions. Manchaca: Sterling Swift.Google Scholar
Hoge, W. (1981) “Repression increases in Guatemala as U.S. tries to improve relations.” New York Times (May 3): 20.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1981a) February 20: 1.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1981b) April 4: 1.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1980) March 28: 7.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1978) October 5: 1.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1977) June 23: 4.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1976a) May 18: 1.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1976b) May 22: 6.Google Scholar
El Imparcial [Guatemala City] (1975) August 6: 1.Google Scholar
Johnson, K. F. (1973) “On the Guatemalan political violence.” Politics and Society (Fall): 55–82.Google Scholar
Jonas, S. and Tobis, D. [eds.] (1974) Guatemala. Berkeley, CA: North American Congress on Latin America.Google Scholar
Kuper, L. (1977) The Pity of It All: Polarisation of Racial and Ethnic Relations. Minneapolis: Univ. of Minnesota Press.Google Scholar
Laquer, W. (1977) Terrorism: A Study of National and International Political Violence. Boston: Little, Brown. Latin America Political Report [London] (1979) March 30: 6.Google Scholar
Luhan, J. M. (1981) “The next El Salvador.” The New Republic 184 (April 11): 23–25.Google Scholar
Martinez Pelaez, S. (1976) La Patria del Criollo. San José: Editorial Universitana Centroamericana.Google Scholar
Mentón, S.,J. N., Goodsell andS., Jonas (1973) Ad Hoc Committee on Guatemala. Gainesville, FL: Latin American Studies Association.Google Scholar
Micklin, M. (1969) “Urbanization, technology, and traditional values in Guatemala: some consequences of a changing social structure.” Social Forces 47 (June): 438–446.Google Scholar
Millett, R. (1980) “Central American paralysis.” Foreign Policy 39 (Summer): 99–117.Google Scholar
New York Times (1980) January 28: 4.Google Scholar
New York Times (1979) December 6: 9.Google Scholar
New York Times (1978) February 23: 14.Google Scholar
Olson, S. (1981) “In Guatemala, under foot.” New York Times (April 8): 27.Google Scholar
Prensa Libre [Guatemala City] (1981) March 31: 4.Google Scholar
Prensa Libre [Guatemala City] (1980a) April 18: 1.Google Scholar
Prensa Libre [Guatemala City] (1980b) March 7: 2.Google Scholar
Prensa Libre [Guatemala City] (1977) May 5: 1.Google Scholar
Prensa Libre [Guatemala City] (1977) June 9: 3.Google Scholar
Riding, A. (1979) “Guatemala opening new lands, but best goes to the rich.” New York Times (April 5): 5.Google Scholar
Schmitt, K. M. (1969) “Assassination in Latin America,” in J. F. Kirkham et al. (eds.) Assassination and Political Violence: A Report to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Schneider, R. M. (1958) Communism in Guatemala, 1944-1954. New York: Praeger.Google Scholar
7 Días en la USAC [Guatemala City] (1980a) March 17: 1.Google Scholar
7 Días en la USAC [Guatemala City] (1980b) April 21: 3.Google Scholar
7 Días en la USAC [Guatemala City] (1980c) May 26: 2.Google Scholar
7 Días en la USAC [Guatemala City] (1979) May 7: 8.Google Scholar
Taylor, P. B. Jr., (1956) “Guatemalan affair: a critique of U.S. foreign policy.” Amer. Pol. Sci. Rev. 50 (Summer): 787–806.Google Scholar
Torres Rivas, E. (1979) “Vida y muerte en Guatemala: reflexiones sobre la violencia.” 7 Días en la USAC (October 20): 6.Google Scholar
University of San Carlos Review (1979) Oliverio Castañeda de León: Homenaje. Guatemala: University of San Carlos.Google Scholar
Update Latin America [Washington] (1981) March/April: 5.Google Scholar
Washington Report on the Hemisphere (1981) April 7: 1.Google Scholar
Washington Report on the Hemisphere (1980) November 11:8.Google Scholar