The revolution in Guatemala (1944-1954) can be viewed as an example of a revolt in which a comparably strong position of a leader could not contribute to positive outcomes for guerillas. In the case of this revolution, the problem was in the impact and intentions of other powerful forces like the United States. On the one hand, the period of 1944-1954 in Guatemala was characterized by overthrowing the dictatorship of Jorge Ubico and establishing a democratic regime headed by Juan José Arévalo and then by Jacobo Árbenz. On the other hand, the position of Árbenz was not stable enough to oppose the coup d’état supported by the United States.
The success of the revolutionary movement in 1944 can be regarded as depending on the public’s intentions and dissatisfaction with dictatorship rather than being associated with the impact of an influential leader. Guatemala was turned into a democratic country in 1944, but that was the result of the population’s opposition to the previous regime. Nevertheless, both Arévalo and Árbenz can be discussed as effective leaders who could organize the movement of well-educated individuals and the urban population who acted against dictatorship. The role of Árbenz is extremely important in the process of developing a revolution because of his contribution to the organization of the movement and its support among the public. Árbenz and his supporters were interested in the social and economic progress of the country while following an independent course. As a result, the vision and activities of the leaders were widely supported by the population in Guatemala during the first years after the successful revolution. However, conservative circles and proponents of the US-oriented course were not satisfied with the observed changes that led to the coup d’état of 1954.
The success of the Guatemalan Revolution depended in a way on the position of the leader of the revolution. Firstly, Jacobo Árbenz was only one person among the group of leaders of the revolution, and their role in achieving the changes was similar. Juan José Arévalo and Jacobo Árbenz contributed to organizing the revolt and developing the democratic regime, but they seemed to have limited experience, power, and skills to be successful leaders. The democratic ideologies they promoted were effective and brought them to success in the revolution, but later they lost their impact. From this perspective, the success of revolutions, in most cases, can be discussed as highly dependent on leaders and their influence in society to be able to avoid further protests among the public and opponents.