Hakovo Arbenz Guzmá n1913 was born in Quetzaltenango, a European immigrant family. When he was young, he studied in a military school and then served in the army. Abens received a systematic bourgeois education and had bourgeois democratic thoughts. At that time, Marxism was widely spread in Latin America. Abens read many books promoting socialism and was influenced by socialist thought. He witnessed the destruction of imperialism and feudalism to the national economy and was determined to devote himself to the cause of national rejuvenation.
After he took office, Abens continued to push forward the reform in arevalo and took more severe measures. During Abens' tenure, the social insurance law was further implemented, and the national education, public medical care and health conditions were improved. 1953 The number of people enjoying social insurance reached 240,000, a fourfold increase over the initial period. There are 67 new medical centers, with 8665 beds in 1952 and more than 8 patients in1000, with 1954 reaching 200,000, accounting for 6.5% of the national population. From 1954 to 1955, the national health care budget is more than 6 million quetzales, accounting for 8.8% of the total budget.
In terms of public education, Abens encouraged the education of the whole people, improved the status of teachers, set up Renmin University, workers' night school and art college, and established museums, libraries and social history research institutes. 1953, there were 3788 primary schools in China, with 2 10000 children. In higher education, the government supports school autonomy, students' participation in management and institutional democracy. Major universities have improved and added new disciplines such as chemistry, humanities, agronomy and economics. The expenditure on education exceeds 10 billion quetzales, accounting for 15 ~ 22% of the national budget, which is 8 times higher than 1943. Guatemala City, the capital, has become the headquarters of the Latin American University Union and the venue of many important international academic conferences.
In order to develop production, Abens reorganized government agencies and established the Ministry of Production Development, with the aim of promoting the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry. The National Agricultural Bank was established in 1953. Abens realized that the foreign monopoly organization represented by United Fruit Company is a serious obstacle to the development of national economy. In order to get rid of their control over Guatemala's economy, under the impetus of Abens, Guatemala has built a road parallel to the railway, and plans to build a mariner La hydropower station near the capital to compete with the US-controlled China-US International Railway Company and Guatemala Electric Power Company. 1953 10 The government nationalized the railways controlled by China-US International Railway Company, and recovered the sovereignty of important ports such as barrios, San Jose and Che perico after the lease expired. The Abenes government requires foreign companies to abide by Guatemalan laws, ensure workers' working and living conditions, and support workers' struggle with foreign capital. In a labor dispute beginning with 1952, the government sided with Guatemalan workers and ordered United Fruit Company to repay the wages of 3,700 workers who were unreasonably dismissed or auction their property according to the judgment of the Guatemalan labor court. After the workers of China-US International Railway Company won the strike, Abens personally congratulated the workers.
The most important measure taken by Abe's government is land reform. 1945 The Constitution established the policy of abolishing manors. Due to the opposition of landlords, the situation of high concentration of land has not changed at all since Abens came to power, and large areas of land have been occupied by big landlords and foreign companies. United Fruit Company occupies almost14 of the national land area, becoming the largest landlord in Guatemala, with a land utilization rate of only 8%. 1952 On June 17, Guatemala's National Assembly passed Decree No.900, formally promulgating the land reform law. Its purpose is to eliminate feudal land ownership and its production relations in rural areas and develop capitalist farming methods. Open the way for the industrialization of Guatemala. The law stipulates: "Abolish all forms of serfdom and slavery" and "prohibit farmers from working for free and using labor as land rent". Real estate occupied by landlords and foreign companies, with an area of more than 90 hectares of uncultivated land, will be requisitioned and paid with land vouchers. The expropriated land is distributed to farmers who have no land or little land according to 3 hectares to 7 hectares per household. The decree encourages farmers to adopt advanced farming methods, ensures the provision of livestock, fertilizers, seeds, necessary agricultural technologies and increases agricultural credit. Land reform mainly involves big landlords and foreign companies. Less than two years after the implementation, the government expropriated nearly 400,000 mu of idle land of United Fruit Company, accounting for 28.66% of all expropriated land, and compensated the company for land bonds of 65,438+065,438+085,654,38+065,438+05 quetzales. United Fruit Company appealed against this, which was rejected by Abens. 1953 the report of the Ministry of land to the president in June showed that 1 10 the land of state farms was distributed to landless farmers, 49 farms were changed into cooperatives, and more than 30 million mu of private real estate was expropriated. In June of 1954, thousands of farmers in China obtained more than 100 hectares of land. Farmers also received more than 6 million quetzales in payment and tens of thousands of livestock. Farmers' enthusiasm for production has been mobilized, mainly because they are afraid of requisitioning wasteland and expanding the planting area. In two years, the national crop output value increased by 29 million US dollars.
Abens also pursues an independent policy in foreign policy. In order to maintain the friendship between Central American countries and promote their respective economic, social and cultural development, the Guatemalan government initiated the establishment of the Organization of Central American States 195 1 in June. Abens insisted on not approving the Rio de Janeiro defense agreement of 1947, because this agreement actually led to American control over the armies of Latin American countries. At the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Pan-American Conference, Guatemala has repeatedly taken a position against the United States. At the UN General Assembly, Guatemala is the only country in Latin America that opposes the US "security system". During the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, 2/kloc-0 members, including the Speaker of the National Assembly, jointly called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to support its anti-American struggle. 1953 abens sent the first Latin American delegation to China to attend the world peace conference held in Beijing.
Abensi's reform has achieved remarkable results. From 1943 to 1953, the gross national product increased from 13 16 10000 quetzales to 5,582.8 billion quetzales, an increase of 4.2 times. Among them, industrial production increased by 30%, foreign trade increased by four times, per capita income increased by 46%, and the minimum wage was raised from 5 to 25 volts to 80 volts per day. The country can no longer import rice, corn and cotton, of which corn and cotton are still used for export. 1954, the first batch of cotton exports was 1 10000 cwt, with a value of over 3.5 million quetzales. The national industry has developed rapidly. Private investment of 260 million quetzales increased from 1946 to 1953, with national capital accounting for 90%; 1954 Private investment increased by 13 times compared with that before the revolution. During this period, Guatemala was the fastest growing country in Latin America.
The movement of workers and peasants developed to a new stage in Abensi period. On the basis of the vigorous development of trade unions, 195 1 10 in June, the capital held a congress to unify the national trade unions, and established a national unified trade union organization, the Guatemalan Federation of Labor Solidarity. It is composed of 15 industries, regional federations and 48 1 grass-roots trade unions, with more than 654.38+million members. Agricultural workers and rural employees in plantations are also organized. The farmers' union has as many as 300,000 members. 1954, the third farmers' congress with more than 6,000 members opened, attended by Abens and other government members. Abens is loyal to the principle of "fully ensuring that all people (including all social classes and strata) can have various beliefs, opinions and organizational forms", recognizes the legal existence of the * * * production party, and personally receives visiting delegations of the * * * production parties from various countries. 1952, the Guatemalan Productive Party was reorganized into the Guatemalan Labor Party, and it still holds 4 seats (58 seats in total) in the National Assembly. Among the 332 administrative regions in China, the Labour Party occupies two dominant positions. There were 3000 people in party member at most. In the government, state organs and trade unions, the Labour Party is an active force.
The reform in Aberdeen was broader and deeper than that in arevalo, especially the land reform dealt a heavy blow to the foreign monopoly capital represented by United Fruit Company. Of course, Abens' reform was carried out within the scope permitted by the bourgeoisie, and he did not support the workers' struggle against the national bourgeoisie. Abens vetoed the labor law proposed by the * * * production party. Land reform is limited to idle land and paid redemption. All these have affected the effect of the reform.