Which type of policies made U.S. leaders believe that Jacobo Árbenz, the democratically elected president of Guatemala, was a communist sympathizer?
Árbenz’s anti-Catholic policies
Árbenz’s pro-union policies
Árbenz’s land reform policies
Árbenz’s nationalization policies
Which type of policies made U.S. leaders believe that Jacobo Árbenz, the democratically elected president of Guatemala, was a communist sympathizer?
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The correct answer is Árbenz’s land reform policies.
Jacobo Árbenz implemented land reform policies aimed at redistributing land from wealthy landowners to landless peasants. This was seen by U.S. leaders as a threat to American business interests, particularly those of the United Fruit Company, which held significant land in Guatemala. These reforms, combined with his leftist associations, led U.S. officials to label him a communist sympathizer, prompting Cold War-era fears of communist influence in Latin America.