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Banana Republic is a pejorative term for a small country that is politically unstable, dependent on limited agriculture (e.g. bananas), and ruled by a small, self-elected, wealthy, and corrupt clique.1 It is most commonly used for countries in Central America and Africa such as El Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Honduras, Zimbabwe, and Guatemala.
In some cases, these nations have kept the government structures that were modeled after the colonial Spanish ruling clique, with a small, largely leisure class on the top,and a large, poorly educated and poorly paid working class of peons, though it might have the (fake) trappings of modernity (such as styling itself a republic with a president etc.)
Frequently the subject of mockery and humour, and usually presided over by a dictatorial military junta that exaggerates its own power and importance—"the epaulettes of a banana republic generalissimo" are proverbially of considerable size, usually portrayed in satire with a pair of mops—a banana republic also typically has large wealth inequities, poor infrastructure, poor schools, a "backward" economy, low capital spending, a reliance on foreign capital and money printing, budget deficits, and a weakening currency. Banana republics are typically also highly prone to revolutions and coups.
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Background
The term was originally invented as a very direct reference to a "servile dictatorship" which abetted (or directly supported in return for kickbacks) the exploitation of large-scale plantation agriculture (usually banana).1 The term was coined by the American author O. Henry in his 1904 book of linked short stories, "Cabbages and Kings", set in the fictional "Anchuria", which was based on his 1896-97 stay in Honduras.
It was in Honduras that the United Fruit, the Standard Fruit, and Sam Zemurray's Cuyamel Fruit companies dominated the country's key banana export sector and support sectors such as railways. The United Fruit Company was nicknamed "The Octopus" (El Pulpo) for its willingness to involve itself in politics, sometimes violently. In 1910, Zemurray hired a gang of armed thugs including Lee Christmas from New Orleans to stage a coup in Honduras to obtain beneficial treatment from the new government. Zemurray would 22 years later take over United Fruit in a hostile bid.
Four decades later, the directors of United Fruit played a role in convincing the Truman and Eisenhower administrations that the government of Colonel Arbenz in Guatemala was secretly pro-Soviet, thus contributing to the CIA's decision to assist in overthrowing Arbenz's government in 1954 (see Operation PBSUCCESS).1 Pablo Neruda would later denounce the dominance of foreign-owned banana producers in the politics of several Latin American countries in a poem titled "La United Fruit Co".
Modern usage
In modern usage the term has come to be used to describe a generally unstable or "backward" dictatorial regime, especially one where elections are often fraudulent and corruption is rife. By extension, the word is occasionally applied to governments where a strong leader hands out appointments and advantages to friends and supporters, without much consideration for the law. A banana republic can also be used to describe a country where a large part of its economy and politics are controlled by foreign powers or even corporations, e.g. Zimbabwe, Myanmar(Burma).
Some Central American countries, like Belize, that export bananas to a specific client or set of clients as part of a continual agreement or previously agreed price are not banana republics in the way the phrase is defined above.
Australia
On 14 May 1986, the then Treasurer of Australia, Paul Keating, remarked during a radio interview with John Laws that Australia risked becoming a banana republic, referring to the size of the foreign debt relative to GDP.
Italy
The famous Italian businessman Gianni Agnelli (now deceased) said in 2001 about the decision of Silvio Berlusconi to run again for Prime Minister: "We are not a banana republic!". Italy is frequently addressed as Banana Republic because of its enormous Public Debt and because of the widespread corruption affecting public powers.
United Kingdom
In 2005, Judge Richard Mawrey in the United Kingdom quashed the election results of two local councils after it was proved that there was widespread fraud and vote-rigging during the election. In response to the administration's assertion that the Postal Voting system was functioning properly he said, "Anybody who has sat through the case I have just tried and listened to evidence of electoral fraud that would disgrace a banana republic would find this statement surprising".2
In September 2007, CBI President Richard Lambert slammed the government and City authorities, blaming them for the Northern Rock crisis, claiming the run on the bank was "something that happens in a banana republic".
European Union
In February of 2005, the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) stated the concern that the European Union has become a banana republic in a press conference. This is mostly due to the European Council of Ministers ignoring the requests by several parliaments and member states to reopen the Council discussions on the current software patents directive, in violation of its own Rules of Procedure. [1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Big-business greed killing the banana - Independent, via The New Zealand Herald, Saturday 24 May 2008, Page A19
- ^ BBC NEWS | UK | Voting scandal mars UK election
External links
- Cabbages and Kings - O. Henry novel which coined the term
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 8 January 2009, at 14:51.
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