Banana Men Case Study

1270 Words3 Pages

Along the Caribbean coastline a banana business became a United States capitalist empire, which shaped the course of twentieth-century Central American history and nationalism (Langley 33). As American businessmen and entrepreneurs had their eye on profits they turned to Central America and the Caribbean as an untapped or uncultivated abundant source of bananas. Thus the “banana men” stormed the weak political fronts in this area, such as Nicaragua and Honduras, to begin their venture of bananas by taking advantage of the political and economic climate. These were areas prone to exploitation because of their weak political systems, which eventually lead to the capitalist expansion and market driven destruction of the region by the “banana men”. …show more content…

The image shows Latin American nationalism being crucified on a cross made of bananas thus implying what the Banana Men had done to the natives of their land. The Banana Men used the weak political system to their advantage because the Central American governments were willing to put up what little capital they had to grant land to United State’s companies. Small elites also played a role in the cultivation of all the good land of their nations by Americans because they were easily paid off with cash to turn a blind eye to the ongoing, unjust business practices. The Banana Men were allowed to exploit the country’s land and people as long as a percentage of the American’s profits were paid forth to the elites or central government of the area. Not only was this an incentive for them to invade these lands, but also many Americans in the banana industry were homeland criminals and places like Honduras made excellent places to start a business because until 1912 they had no extradition treaty with any foreign nations (Langley 41). The United States operated as a metropole by taking advantage of its physical closeness to Central America by maintain dominance in political and economic …show more content…

The image shows Latin American nationalism being crucified on a cross made of bananas thus showing the cruel reality experiences at that time, in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The creator of this piece of work fully understands the nuances of the societal issues that they are presenting. This work is a lead way into the information about the Banana Men and American Capitalism in Latin America. This image allows for insight into the viewpoint and feels of the marginalized Latin Americans at the time. The depiction of the Latin American crucified on the backs of American capitalism, and the American having a smug grin on his face really sums up the historical issue at hand. Just as in Christianity, their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross that he had to carry to the location of his death but to then rise again from the dead is exactly what Latin American nationalism when it died on the banana cross at the hands of the Banana Men only to rise stronger than

Open Document