The Guatemalan Military And the Escuela Politecnca

The virtual monopoly of Guatemala's national military academy, the Escuela Politέcnica, in preparing officers, and the central position of the officer corps in that nation's power structure make the school a consequential elite-forming institution in Guatemalan society. Founded in 1873, the Politέcnica early evolved under Spanish influence and later (1931-45) was shaped along lines of West Point by U.S. officers. Admission by examination democratizes access to the school. The program, in which attrition is high, is designed to produce graduates who identify the army with the nation, possess intense loyalty to both, and are competent managers of violence. In many ways, the brotherhood of Politέcnica graduates is the most powerful elite in the country, its power unimpaired by the election of a civilian president in 1985.