We've posted before about banana republics, but the story is a long and sordid one, so there are always details you didn't know about. Sam O'Nella Academy (previously at Neatorama) colorfully explains how the banana repu...

You are probably aware that the term “banana...  ...na republic” came from the practices of the United Fruit Company , a U.S. firm that bought up large portions of sev...  ...on, in order to supply the U.S. with bananas. The company ’s power was such that government troops wer...  ...n 25,000 w...