Essay about American Civil War and United Fruit Company

In, â€Å"Testimony: Death of a Guatemalan Village,† Victor Montejo describes events surrounding the military rà ©gimes occurring throughout Guatemala. The book itself is an eyewitness account detailing one instance of violence between the indigenous peoples villages civil patrol and the army. This occurrence leads to the execution and imprisonment of many villagers. Even though the book is mainly a testimony by one person, in which he discusses the personal conflicts and struggle between himself and the army, the account is structured around the Guatemalan civil war and the conflict between the government and civilians. The Guatemalan Civil War occurred between the years 1960 to 1996. It was a battle between the government of Guatemala and†¦show more content†¦The army also rob and burn down parts of the village. In one case, a young man who was part of the patrols is shot and as he laid dying, reveals that the uniform worn (in that particular day) by the army was similar to the ones the guerrillas would wear, except that the guerrillas didn’t cause any harm as they walk through the village. This has a lot to say about how the civilians saw the government’s military, and how they saw their repressive state; being something they had to do without question due to fear. Taking a look at the testimony alone, we can also see how society was effected. Out of Montejo’s brief background detailing the failures of the presidents and the absolute repression faced by the civilians, we can conclude that the governments force to keep the guerillas unsuccessful was limited and pushed society into rebellions. In other words, as the army continued to torture and persecute the innocent, many found it necessary to fall into the hands of the guerrillas in order to stamp out their oppression. Maria Lupe’s account is similar to Montejos. She describes her hardships as a house wife, working on a plantation of a rich land owner. Her husb and worked for 50 cents per day, and her payment was in food. She mentions moving closer to the north in a townShow MoreRelatedThe Age Of Exploration By Christopher Columbus1358 Words   |  6 Pagesknown as the â€Å"Age of Exploration†. Europe began to colonize the countries they had â€Å"discovered†. A major part of the world that they colonized was Latin America. Spain was the first to colonize, and the United States started to take interest in Latin America towards the 19th century. Europe and The United States both took interest in Latin America, but for different reasons. Spain was the first European nation to colonize Latin America, beginning with Christopher Columbus voyage in 1492. 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