Chapter 1
Botany and berry weird science
Chapter 2
The banana wars and geopolitical slip-ups
Chapter 3
The great extinction and the Cavendish clone
Chapter 4
Global banana culture and surprising uses
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life and global drama of the banana
Ch 2 · The banana wars and geopolitical slip-ups
artiteacher Gabriel García Márquez immortalized the tragic December 1928 massacre in his landmark novel One Hundred Years of Solitude.
artiteacher A polished cinematic illustration shows the vast shipping routes of United Fruit.
Fun Fact
Street hazards: In 1880s New York, slipping on banana peels was so common and dangerous that the city launched a massive street-cleaning campaign to prevent broken limbs.
Glossary
banana republic (noun)
A politically unstable country with an economy dependent on exporting a single product. In 1911, mercenary Lee Christmas overthrew the Honduran government to protect corporate banana trade interests.
A politically unstable country with an economy dependent on exporting a single product. In 1911, mercenary Lee Christmas overthrew the Honduran government to protect corporate banana trade interests.
Quiz
Which massive American corporation dominated Central American politics in the 20th century?
Quiz
Which Nobel Prize-winning author wrote about the 1928 Banana Massacre in his fiction?
Quiz
Which Guatemalan president was overthrown in 1954 after threatening United Fruit's land?
Quiz
What infrastructure did the United Fruit Company control to dominate Central American economies?