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COTTON, CORN, and AGRARIAN MODERNIZATION in GUATEMALA, 1944-1966 a Thesis Submitted To

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COTTON, CORN, and AGRARIAN MODERNIZATION in GUATEMALA, 1944-1966 a Thesis Submitted To “PRODUCE MORE TO LIVE BETTER”: COTTON, CORN, AND AGRARIAN MODERNIZATION IN GUATEMALA, 1944-1966 A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon By Patrick Chassé © Patrick Chassé, October 2017. All rights reserved. Permission to Use In presenting this thesis/dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis/dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis/dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History Arts Building 9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract This dissertation argues that the Guatemalan Revolution (1944-1954) was a transformational moment that hastened the adoption of modern, industrial agriculture throughout the country and facilitated the opening of new agrarian frontiers like the Pacific Coast. Between 1944 and 1954, technicians and bureaucrats adopted a new language for speaking about Guatemala’s economic problems that emphasized the links between dependency on coffee, rural poverty, and the threat of deforestation and soil erosion. Experts created rural development initiatives that were supposed to remake Guatemala into a more efficient agricultural producer. These efforts were challenged by landowners, labourers and campesinos who tried to define policy that best served their interests. While large landowners initially rebuffed modernization schemes, campesinos quickly adopted new agricultural technologies and pushed the state to experiment with financial and land reforms that were necessary for small farms to prosper. One of the important conclusions of this dissertation is that supposedly traditional campesinos were responsible for the success of agrarian modernization in Guatemala. The dissertation also explores the long-term social and environmental consequences of the 1952 agrarian reform. Historians have often depicted the agrarian reform as an isolated political event that created impressive, but short-lived improvements in the lives of campesinos. Using case studies from the Pacific Coast, the dissertation demonstrates that land use changed dramatically between 1952 and 1954. Thousands of campesinos obtained new land that they rapidly cleared and developed. At the same time, large landowners raced to deforest and colonize new land with annuals like cotton so that they could limit their exposure to expropriation. After the coup, Guatemalan elites rejected government efforts to redistribute land and restructure the economy. However, large landowners embraced the new productive technologies—fertilizers, pesticides, hybrid seeds and mechanization—introduced during the Revolution. On the Pacific Coast, large landowners replaced campesino farms with industrial crops including cotton, corn and sugar. This new agricultural model created wealth for a small elite but caused long-term environmental problems and impoverished Guatemala’s indigenous population. ii Acknowledgements There are few words that can convey the gratitude I feel for my family, friends and colleagues who supported me as I wrote this dissertation. Here is my best attempt. Little about this project would be possible without the assistance and insight of the many Guatemalans I met since this journey began in 2008. Special thanks to the communities of Labor de Falla, Cerro Alto, and Bolo de Oro who helped me see the world differently. I am also indebted to the Comité Campesino del Altiplano and the Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network. Your tireless activism inspires me to dream about a healthier and more sustainable world. I could not imagine a better place to learn about the environment than Saskatoon, where the majesty of the sky humbles and the beauty of the river comforts. Thanks to Carla Fehr, Michael Kirkpatrick, Kelly Butler, Rachel Hatcher, and Marie-Christine Dugal for your long conversations about Guatemala. Thanks also to Blaine Wickham, Michelle Desveaux, Liz Scott, Jana Miller, Erika Dyck, and Andrew Watson for your advice and good conversation. I received generous support from the HGIS Lab and the SSHRC-funded Sustainable Farm Systems Project. Thank you to all my colleagues, especially Stefania Gallini for her advice about research in Guatemala and Manuel de González de Molina for his guidance and support. Special thanks to Bea Corbacho, Antonio Cid, and Elena Galán, who helped me think broadly about inequality and sustainability. A SSHRC Ph.D. Fellowship and a Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement enabled me to undertake research in Spain, Italy, the United States and Guatemala. I also benefited greatly from scholarships and fellowships offered by the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Government. I would like to express my appreciation to my committee members, Jim Clifford, Bill Waiser, Clint Westman and my external examiner, Sterling Evans. Your comments and feedback are already helping me refocus and strengthen my work. I’m especially indebted to my supervisors, Jim Handy and Geoff Cunfer. Jim, your encyclopedic knowledge of the Revolution never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for pushing me to think more deeply about my sources and providing a great example of a historian who balances rigorous scholarship with activism. Geoff, I’m continually impressed by your broad depth of knowledge iii and your ability to relax and enjoy the moment. Thank you for your indispensible advice about teaching, research, and family. Together, your steady guidance throughout the Ph.D. program helped me build the skills necessary to write this dissertation. Your rigorous feedback helped me polish my ideas so that they could shine. The final words of thanks are for my family. Thank you to Lorie, Lorne, Rachel, Leah, Matt, Adam, Bash, Hudson and Wes. You always find the fun in life and are never afraid of a little friendly competition. Thank you to my father, who inspired me to study history. My mother and my sister helped me work through the most difficult moments of the dissertation. Your unfailing support and confidence helped me to remember my Cape Breton roots and keep moving forward in the face of adversity. Thank you for your irreverence and humour. Finally, I could never have finished this project without the support of my daughter and partner. Eliana, every morning I wake, I know that you will ask a question that makes the mundane seem wondrous and novel. I live for those moments. Erin, you are are the most creative, determined, and dynamic person I have ever met. Where others see barriers, you see opportunities to build community and make the world better. Through these many years, she has listened patiently to my rambling thoughts and encouraged me to connect my research to the present day. Thank you for your guidance, patience and support. iv Table of Contents Permission to Use ............................................................................................................... i Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. v Figures .............................................................................................................................. vii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Sources ............................................................................................................................ 7 Geography and Environment .......................................................................................... 9 Creating Commodities .................................................................................................. 14 Chapter Overview ......................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 1: Guatemala’s Lost Paradise ......................................................................... 30 Wealth of the Tropics ................................................................................................... 31 “The Machine” .............................................................................................................
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