Described as the definitive deathblow to democracy in Guatemala , the coup was widely criticized internationally , and strengthened the long-lasting anti-U.S. sentiment in Latin America . Attempting to justify the coup , the CIA launched Operation PBHISTORY , which sought evidence of Soviet influence in Guatemala among documents from the Árbenz era : the effort was a failure . Castillo Armas quickly assumed dictatorial powers , banning opposition parties , imprisoning and torturing political opponents , and reversing the social reforms of the revolution . Nearly four decades of civil war followed , as leftist guerrillas fought the series of U.S.-backed authoritarian regimes whose brutalities include a genocide of the Maya peoples
genocide of the Maya peoples
Guatemalan genocide
1954 Guatemalan coup d'état