5 Conclusion

The Agrarian Reform Law was approached through a series of hierarchical organizations. The top tier organizations, the National Agrarian Department and National Agrarian Council, followed what Arstein (1969) would call informing. There was minimal participation at these levels because they served as overseers and managers of the reform law. The bottom tier organizations, CAL and CAD, followed Arstein’s (1969) delegated power. This level created an intimate bond with campesino workers, serving as their direct form of access to government authority and land expropriation. Deliberation between Arbenz’s administration and right-winged political parties occurred, but little changes came from them. This was because right-winged politicians wanted to slow the reform to a halt.

Arbenz’s approach to the Agrarian Reform Law and its delegated power improved the sociological imagination of campesino workers. Through organizations like the CAL and CAD, campesinos became more aware of their social power over the country. This stimulated and sped up the land redistribution process to a rate that improved the lives of thousands of indigenous Guatemalan communities.

Lastly, it is important to remember that land rights have always a central issue for indigenous workers because of their resistance and project identity in relation to Guatemalan society. Grassroots organizations and activist groups, such as the Ejercito General de los Pobres (guerrillas), Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes, and the Organization of the People in Arms, have always been and continue to be at the forefront of the struggle for landownership. Indigenous communities in modern-day Central America continue to face major inequalities. Little has been done by Central American governments to improve these conditions. It is important we spread awareness and raise the voices of indigenous people, who continue to push for change.

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Global Models of Citizen Participation Copyright © by Angel Daniel-Morales; Dithi Ganjam; Eileen Kim; and Annie Palacio. All Rights Reserved.

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