The Republic of Fruit

"The Republic of Fruit – How a banana company overthrew governments for profit" tells the terrifying story of the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita), the corporation that coined the term "Banana Republic." In the early 20th century, this company did not just trade fruit; it owned nations. It controlled the railroads, the mail, and the politicians of Central America. Historian Simon Bell focuses on Sam Zemurray, "The Banana Man," who once famously hired a mercenary army to overthrow the government of Honduras simply because they wanted to raise taxes on bananas. The book also covers the 1954 CIA coup in Guatemala, orchestrated by United Fruit to protect its land holdings from agrarian reform. "The Republic of Fruit" is a micro-history of corporate power gone rogue. It reveals how the demand for a cheap yellow snack in American supermarkets led to decades of civil war, dictatorship, and poverty in Latin America.