American Expansion in Latin America

American expansion and intervention in Latin American areas were realized through a combination of different factors. The Age of Imperialism, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo essentially gave the United States a right of passage throughout the Latin American world. It was a chance for the United States to expand its power, and territory overseas like many of the other world powers were doing at the time. However, some interventions were far less publicized and far more questionable to the ideals that this country was founded upon.

Military branches of the United States such as the CIA has sponsored coups in many different Latin American countries. Guatemala for example, was home to the longest and bloodiest civil war in Central American history. The roots of this war are traced back to United States intervention via the CIA. In the midst of a peaceful, spiritual revolution in Guatemala, the United States provoked a civil war because of it’s intervention. President Arevalo and his successor Arbenz realized that 72% of the arable land was owned by just 2% of landowners. They tried to distribute the land evenly among the landless and compensate landowners with government bonds. This threatened American investments in Guatemala such as the United Fruit Company so President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to organize “Operation Success” to overthrow Arbenz as president. This coup eventually led to the end of a democratic government working for the people, and the installation of a government that oppressed the people and sparked a 40 year civil war.

The United States also staged a coup in Panama, in an effort to gain control and build on the Panama Canal Zone. At the time, Panama was a disconnected territory of Columbia and the Columbian government refused to let the United States take over the French failure at the Canal Zone. With Theodore Roosevelt’s approval, the United States staged a coup that would eventually lead a fight for Panamanian...