Collective Community Action for Social Essay

" In addition, Manz reports that, "It took more than a decade after the worst of the violence, but eventually the Catholic Church, the United Nations, and the president of the United States rendered a verdict about the horrors suffered by villagers in Santa Mar'a Tzeja and the rest of Guatemala." In fact, the verdict charged Guatemalan authorities with outright genocide, and the author emphasizes that, "No other country in the hemisphere has been charged with genocide."

To their credit, the people of Guatemala have managed to overcome this violent legacy and stand poised to become part of the international community in substantive ways, due in large part to the findings of this report. As Manz points out, "This judgment was of great moral importance to the people of Santa Mar'a Tzeja and so many others like them who had suffered grievously at the hands of the military. No longer feeling alone, on the contrary feeling vindicated, the village has sought to pursue justice." Likewise, the people of Bolivia have sought to effect social change in spite of the potential for violent reprisals, and some progress has been made but the memories of the repression are still vivid in the minds of many. In this regard, Manz reports, "In the aftermath of major social and political upheaval, events are reorganized even more rapidly. Those who lived in militarized villages, such as Santa Mar'a Tzeja, may not have distorted the past in their minds, but history is a remarkably heavy burden to come to terms with." Nevertheless, much remains to be done in both of the countries to overcome this longstanding repression and exploitation, and the struggle for scarce resources remains firmly in place.

Conclusion

The research showed that Guatemala and Bolivia have been the source of a great deal of wealth for other countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, but the people of these countries did not benefit from this enormous wealth but rather suffered horrendously for it. The research also showed that even the most repressed people can become united in the face of such violence and exploitation.Indeed, history has shown time and again that when people are confronted with enough adversity, they will rise up and seek substantive change. History has also shown, though, that those in power are reluctant to concede that power and will make every effort to keep it. Unfortunately, these trends played out in substantive ways for the people of Guatemala and Bolivia in the 20th century, and it is reasonable to conclude that these struggles are not completely over.

References

Bolivia. (2008). U.S. government: CIA World Factbook available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html.

Dangl, Benjamin. (2007). The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia. AK Press.

Guatemala. (2008). U.S. government: CIA World Factbook available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications / the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html.

Manz, Beatriz. (2004). Paradise in Ashes: A Guatemalan Journey of Courage, Terror, and Hope. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press

Manz, Beatriz. (2004). Paradise in Ashes: A Guatemalan Journey of Courage, Terror, and Hope. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, p. 55.

Manz, p. 3.

Guatemala. (2008). U.S. government: CIA World Factbook available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html.

Manz, p. 3.

Manz, p. 4.

Manz, p. 17.

Bolivia. (2008). U.S. government: CIA World Factbook available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bl.html.

Dangl, Benjamin. (2007). The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia. AK Press.

Manz, p. 49.

Manz, p. 224.

Id. At 225.

Manz, p. 230......