 Juan José Arévalo Bermejo was born into a middle @-@ class family in 1904 . He became a primary school teacher for a brief while , and then earned a scholarship to a university in Argentina , where he earned a doctorate in the philosophy of education . He returned to Guatemala in 1934 , and sought a position in the Ministry of Education . However , he was denied the position he wished for , and felt uncomfortable under the dictatorship of Ubico . He left the country and held a faculty position in Argentina until 1944 , when he returned to Guatemala . In July 1944 the Renovación Nacional , the teachers ' party , had been formed , and Arévalo was named its candidate . In an unexpected surge of support , his candidacy was endorsed by many of the leading organizations among the protesters , including the student federation . His lack of connection to the dictatorship and his academic background both worked in his favor among the students and teachers . At the same time , the fact that he had chosen to go into exile in conservative Argentina rather than revolutionary Mexico reassured landowners worried about socialist or communist reform . 
