Complete Thesis_double spaced abstract.pdf

carried over significant social and economic changes from the Arévalo administration. The
Armas administration directly followed the Arbenz administration, and it instituted significant
changes from the Arbenz administration; those changes remained in effect during the
administrations of General Ydígoras and General Peralta (1954-1979). The time period covered
by the five successive administrations (Armas, Ydígoras, Peralta, Arana, and Laugerud) could
conceivably be grouped into one time period since all of the administrations pushed for increased
crop diversification, injection of foreign capital, and state involvement in the economy.
However, General Arana appears to focus his economic development efforts in a specific region
in Guatemala, instead of the entire state. So the periods have been divided, General Arana, and
General Laugerud, focused on economic development in Guatemala by development of the
Franja region in Guatemala (1971-1976). The Lucas administration had its own set of distinct
economic policies (1978-1982) as did General Montt’s. General Montt’s policies were in part
carried over to the Victores administration (1982-1985). The Cerzo administration clearly
demarcated a new set of economic policies, which were also adopted by the Serrano and Carpio
administrations (1985-1995). The change in economic development policies leads to
approximately six distinct periods between 1950 and 1995 in Guatemala.
The frameworks predict that economic development policies will include: (1) a move
from subsistence agriculture to agriculture for export, (2) modernization of agriculture, (3)
diversification of exports and the introduction of new industries, and (4) introduction of
neoliberal economic policies. Each of the economic development policies and accompanying
structural changes occurring during each of the Guatemalan presidents’ administrations are listed
in table 6.2 at the end of the section.
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