Francisco Javier Arana
| Francisco Javier Arana | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1905 |
| Died | July 18, 1949 (aged 43) |
| Nationality | Guatemalan |
| Occupation | Army Colonel Chief of the Armed Forces |
| Known for | Leading the revolutionary junta ruling Guatemala from October 20, 1944 to March 15, 1945 |
Francisco Javier Arana (December 5, 1905 – July 18, 1949) was one of the three leaders of the revolutionary junta that ruled Guatemala from 20 October 1944 to 15 March 1945 during the early part of the Guatemalan Revolution. A colonel in the Guatemalan army under the dictator Jorge Ubico, he joined with a progressive faction of the army to topple Ubico's successor Federico Ponce Vaides. He led the three-man junta that oversaw the transition to a democratic government, although he himself was personally reluctant to allow the elected president Juan José Arévalo to take power. He served as the Chief of the Armed Forces in the new government until 1949. On 18 July 1949 he was killed in a shootout with supporters of the Arévalo government after he threatened to launch a coup.
Arana was born to a lower-middle-class family. He had both Spanish and Indigenous heritage, and the latter trait was visually more prominent. He was 39 years old in 1944, suggesting that he was born in 1904 or 1905. He did not have a formal education, but he was relatively well read, and was described by is contemporaries as canny and intelligent, and as a charismatic and convivial person. He was described as a poor speaker in public, but as a very persuasive man in small conversations. Around the time of the revolution, a staff member at the American embassy described his politics as nationalist, as well as being slightly pro-American.
In June 1944, a series of popular protests forced the resignation of dictator Jorge Ubico. Ubico appointed Federico Ponce Vaides the leader of a three-person junta which would lead the provisional government. A few days later, Ponce Vaides persuaded the congress to appoint him interim president. Ponce pledged to hold free elections soon, while continuing Ubico's policy of suppressing the protests. This resulted in growing support for an armed revolution among some sections of the populace. By now, the army was disillusioned with the junta, and progressives within it had begun to plot a coup.
Arana became a member of this plot only in its later stages; the plot was initially led by Jacobo Árbenz and Aldana Sandoval. However, as the commander of the Guardia de Honor, Arana was in a position of substantial authority within the army. Sandoval was able to persuade Francisco Javier Arana to join the coup in its final stages. On 19 October Arana and Árbenz launched a coup against the government of Ponce Vaides. They were joined the next day by other factions of the army and the civilian population. Initially, the battle went against the revolutionaries, but after an appeal for support their ranks were swelled by unionists and students, and they eventually subdued the police and army factions loyal to Ponce Vaides. On October 20, the next day, Ponce Vaides surrendered unconditionally. Both Arana and Arbenz fought with distinction in the coup. Arana, Árbenz and Jorge Toriello became members of a new three-person ruling junta, with Arana, as the ranking army officer, becoming its senior member.
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