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the Pentecostals grew amazingly in Guatemala and beyond. For example, the Assemblies of God in Central America in 1951 grew from a total of 7,284 members and churchgoers to 729,620 in 1990 (Petersen 1996: 62-63).\u000Aa. Evangelicals in the Revolutionary Era (1944-1954)\u000AThe revolution of 1944 marked the transition between governments of a more dictatorial and authoritarian nature towards an incipient democracy. After a temporary government under the Revolutionary Junta, Dr Juan Jos\u00E9 Ar\u00E9valo assumed the presidency in 1945. His government is considered in Guatemalan history, to be one of the governments that brought most benefits to the Guatemalan people. He introduced a series of programmes which favoured the population. For example, he established the Work Code and Social Security, allowed for the reorganization of the trade unions and other improvements. His programme was of an urban, social, and cultural-educative character (Lujan 1998: 258- 259).\u000AAr\u00E9valo passed the government onto Jacobo Arbenz Guzm\u00E1n who governed from 1951 to 1954. Arbenz started an ambitious government programme with the construction of key national projects especially the Agrarian Reform approved by the Decree no. 900 (Lujan 1998: 207-209). Arbenz sought to break with foreign dependence and existing monopolies. This agrarian reform expropriated large quantity of plantations which were delivered to the peasants and indigenous communities. Arbenz\u2019s government fell from power accused of having a communist orientation and introducing socialism to Guatemala. He was overthrown by Colonel Castillo Armas who was later assassinated in 1958. The counter revolution was one of the factors leading up to the beginning of Guatemala\u2019s fratricidal war which started in 1960 and lasted for thirty six years.\u000A(1) How did the Catholic Church react within the political context?\u000ADuring Arbenz\u2019s government (1951-1954) the Catholic Church acquired a front line protagonist position because of the fight against the communist threat which was attributed\u000A46\u000A