Page "1954 Guatemalan coup d'état" Paragraph 57

The popular response of the Guatemalan nation, to having had their elected government usurped by right-wing counter-revolution, varied by social class.

The upper-class landowners welcomed the end of Decree 900, and expected the US to reinstate their monopoly ownership of expropriated agricultural lands.

Likewise, the native Maya had political opinions about the counter-revolution, those who benefited from Decree 900 were unhappy, whilst those who lost lands to Decree 900 were happy, especially those Maya whose autonomous communities had lost political power to the Árbenz Government ; other Maya Guatemalans favored President Árbenz, like most Guatemalans, because they understood the socio-political importance of Decree 900 for eliminating the feudalism of Guatemalan society.