What initially made this subtopic so intriguing was the lack of knowledge I had on the US's role in the political rise of some very questionable foreign dictators. I had learned about winning the space race and Reagan telling Gorbachev to tear down the wall, but I had never heard of the CIA’s role in overthrowing the democratically elected Guatemalan president, in no small part for the purpose of insuring a steady stream of pineapple from the United Fruit Company. …show more content…
determined the leaders of countries through support in often violent coups, I began to notice a pattern exemplified in Chile with Pinochet, Guatemala with Armas, and Seko in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name a few. It seemed the U.S. government had no qualms about departing from its support of democracy in order to install oppressive dictators, so long as they opposed communism. I knew I was not breaking new ground, but discovering a historical pattern was something completely new to me. Now I had a burning desire to learn more about the fascinating personalities of the leaders involved, the details of citizen life under their control, and the impact of US support in their ascension to power. All of which, had not been deemed important enough to make the school