Among the multitude of American corporations, few stand out like the United Fruit Company. Reviled the world over, United Fruit was one of America’s most notable early multinational corporations. Operating all over Latin America and peddling their produce across the globe, United Fruit would get its start in Costa Rica, a small Central American country nestled between Nicaragua and Panama. The decision to attempt to modernize Costa Rica by General Tomás Guardia would prove to be a fateful one that forever altered the course of Central America.
To understand the machinations of General Guardia, we must first look briefly at Costa Rica’s historical situation. As noted by innumerable books and articles on the subject, the term “Costa Rica” was something of a misnomer for the country until the coffee-boom of the 1830s and 40s. The “rich coast” was named, as legend has it, by Christopher Columbus himself after landing there in 1502 and seeing natives adorned with gold. Ironically, the natives witnessed by Columbus were not natives at all, but invading members of the Carib tribe that had brought their own gold to this relatively poor place. True to form, Columbus displayed a stunning misinterpretation of the facts and coined the site “Costa Rica” (Watkins). This “discovery” in 1502 would, as in the rest of Latin America, herald the end of life as the indigenous knew it. For the next 300 years Costa Rica would find itself under Spanish control, yet this burden was significantly lightened by the absence of riches the Europeans craved. These long centuries under Spanish influence would find Costa Rica in the position of the periphery, relatively spared from the harsh rule often employed in more profitable sectors.
Ironically, the relat...
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...uiesced, and died soon after (Colby 66, Chapman 38-39). The death of Costa Rica’s leader opened room for Keith to become even more central to the economy, and, equipped with 800,000 new acres of land, that’s precisely what he did (Colby 67). With unprecedented access to the nation’s finances and a government willing to sign over as much land as needed, Keith began to make his empire.
As exports from bananas continued to create wealth, Keith continued to form plantations on his Costa Rican lands while overseeing the completion of the railroad. Finally, in 1890, the task originally taken up by his uncle had been accomplished. However, the railroad was far from first in his mind. Seeking to become a powerful force in the increasingly lucrative banana industry, Keith began to open plantations in the surrounding countries of Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia (Colby 69).
When the outbreak of the Panama disease began the United Fruit ordered their field workers to put disinfectant on their tools and clothing in order to decrease the spread of disease. They burned the diseased plants, which took care of the infected bananas, but companies still had problems with workers transferring diseases. Spreading the disease was not intentional but it happened. This lead the United Fruit to begin research programs to fight the disease in 1923 so that it did not worsen. The US department of agriculture had argued the cultivation a disease resistan species would have a higher success rate, for example, the “Chinese banana.” This fruit has a short shelf life though and was not very marketable to be purchased. So the US and British research program both began breeding programs to develop disease resistant varieties, but sadly this was not successful either. It was difficult to find a product that would work, biology did not work, farms kept moving to healthier land, and this created schisms among companies and the government. The diseases were driving the production costs and soil exploitation up, fruit companies were already under public scrutiny for their land grabs and extensive holdings. They all needed a solution; the solution was when the Cavendish bananas began to be boxed in production, which then opened jobs for women. All of the bananas traveling to the
Bananas are internationally one of the most frequently eaten fruit, not just in the tropics where they are typically grown, but in regions like North America and Europe. However, the way bananas are produced and exported gives an insight into a number of global issues. For decades one multinational, United Fruit Company (now declined), was often accused of trying to change or bribe Latin American government officials in replace for preferential conduct, exploiting workers, creating an abusive cartel, and—similar to accusations some oil companies have
A utopian society is very hard to come across these days. People tend to start a utopian society in order to better the life’s of others. Bronson Alcott of the Fruitland Community tries to find a utopian society that will last and be productive. The Fruitland’s goal is to abstain from worldly activity and integrate systems of trade and labor in order to find spirituality.
Sinaloa Mexico is known as the home of the world’s largest and most powerful drug cartel. Sinaloa is also the largest producer and exporter of tomatoes to the United States and Canada. “Half of all Mexican fruit and vegetable exports come from the state of Sinaloa, located in northwestern Mexico. Sinaloa mainly exports in the winter season, primarily vegetables, and fresh market tomatoes are the number one export crop” (Cook). In 2012, “Sinaloa exported 950,000 tons of vegetables, mostly tomatoes and mostly to California and other parts of the United States, worth nearly $1 billion. Half the tomatoes eaten in the United States” during winter months “are from Sinaloa” (Wilkinson).
Back in the day, the United Fruit Company was a very big deal, especially in New Orleans. A man named Zemurray, in particular, greatly impacted New Orleans. Rich Cohen became obsessed with Zemurray and wrote a book, The Fish That Ate The Whale:The Life and Times of America’s Banana King, giving a complete explanation on all the good, and also the very worst Zemurray did. Sam Zemurray and his family made very large contributions to Tulane, started many foundations in his name, and also had a garden named after him. People have forgotten about him and will never learn who Zemurray actually is. Zemurray left a great legacy in New Orleans and in many parts of Louisiana, unfortunately he has been forgotten.
Apparently he had leased an island of the west of Costa Rica. He had some
I learned more than I ever imagined on my summer study abroad trip to Costa Rica. I learned that Costa Rica is a country like no other. The country is much different than what the United States of America is like. The lifestyles, customs, and practices of Costa Rica are very different than those that I am accustomed to. As an outsider looking into the country, I saw a country that is very poor financially but very rich in spirit. They do not appreciate wealth as United States citizens do, but instead appreciate love and gratitude. I noticed that Costa Ricans have very strong family values and cultural roots.
The Indians gave Columbus gold and he returned to Europe with reports of a plentiful supply of the yellow metal. But the adventurers who arrived to cash in found only hostile Indians, swamps and disease for their trouble. Several early attempts to colonize the Atlantic coast failed for the same reasons and for almost half a century Costa Rica was passed over while colonization gathered pace in countries to the north and south. In 1562, the Spanish main's administrative center in Guatemala sent Juan Vasquez de Coronado to Costa Rica as governor and Cartago was established as the capital the following year. With no Indian slaves to work the land, the colonists were forced to work the land themselves, scratching out a meagre subsistence by tilling small plots.
As unemployment and inflation strengthened poverty throughout the country, especially in the rural outskirts, in the city a new political movement, threatening the long established oligarch-military complex began to develop. When the radio began to announce that opposition’s, PDC candidate, Duarte was sweeping up votes, the radio was cut and when the transmission, the army government’s choice, Molina, was ahead. The blatant fraud encouraged liberal junior and jealous senior officers to stage a coup, attempting to place Duarte in power. After receiving help from forces in the Central American Defense Council (CONDECA), the which was formed in 1963 under the influence the United States to protect Cental America against “possible communist aggression,” and US military advisors, the senior military command put down the coup attempt. (___) The United States
In 1899 the first banana concession was granted to the Vacarro brothers; their company would later become Standard Fruit. In 1907 Sam Zemurray set up the Cuyamel Fruit Company; later bought by United Fruit. The unequal relationship that would exist between the companies and the Honduran state for the first half of the 20th century gave rise to the description "banana republic." Between 1932 and 1948 Honduras was ruled by a dictator, Tiburcio Carias Andino.
the world's leading coca producer. Twenty years ago almost no coca was grown in Colombia. Only
The United States of America and Costa Rica’s constitutions have several similarities and differences. The United States and Costa Rica have two of the most successful constitutional republics in the history of the world. They are alike in several ways, however, there are some major differences that allows them to thrive in their own environments. There are many components that describe the two countries: physical structure, traditions and how the constitutions were established, how the constitutions work, languages, military, religion, education, voting rights, presidential elections, and structure of the legislative branch, presidential terms, vice presidents, and Supreme Court justices.
From 1650 until 100 years later, “relative isolation from the international economy fostered the growth of an independent, racially mixed peasantry whose contact with the outside world was limited to occasional contraband trade with foreigners.”(Scarano, 4) Despite evidence that it would be unsuccessful, the Spanish government tried to create a plantation labor force from the peasantry. This would
Unlike other Latin American nations that have gained scholar’s attention due to their complicated histories during the pre-Colombian era throughout the Cold War era to present day, many scholars have only recognized Costa Rica as an exception to the sea of dictatorships that began from the end of World War II and continued throughout the Cold War. However, many of the scholars have yet to explore the reasons Costa Rica was able to maintain a democratic nation during the Cold War. This research will explore the following question: Why is the importance of the Costa Rican Civil War and its role in forming the democracy that withstood later pressures that other nations would succumb to?
Neruda, Pablo. “The United Fruit Co.” Trans. Ben Beltt. One World of Literature. Ed. Kristin Watts Peri, Lynn Walterick, and Robin Bushnell Hogan. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Copany, 1993. 793-794. Print.