Export Agriculture and the Crisis in Central America

Global transformations and the future of socialism in Latin America

“…Throughout Central America, Washington has financed the repression of political parties and organizations seeking state change, while supporting Christian Democratic electoral politicians willing to collaborate with Washington's strategic state clients. 10 A similar pattern occurred in South America: Washington distinguished between antiregime and antisystemic (state) electoralists, favoring the former and opposing the latter.…”

Business Groups and Transnational Capitalism in Central America

“…However, Guatemalan business elites were historically able to accumulate more capital than their Honduran counterparts through the development of agro-export plantations of coffee, cotton, and sugar (Williams, 1986;. In addition to having a more resourceful agrarian elite, Guatemala had a stronger class of industrialists that grew out of a patchwork of foreign loans and different Guatemalan governments' protectionist policies over the years (Dosal, 2005).…”

“…Historically, they accumulated their fortunes through the development of agro-export plantations of coffee (Williams, 1986;. From the early 20th century, several industries were established, mainly by immigrant groups, and although the emerging industrial bourgeoisie often had differences with the agricultural elites (Martí, 1994), there were also ties between agricultural and industrial elites created for example through marriages.…”

Devil pact narratives in rural Central America: Class, gender and 'resistance'

“…14. These opportunities resulted from improved transport facilities, an emerging export beef market with new packing plants, credit from a developmentalist state, new pasture varieties and cultivation systems, and new cross-breeds and disease control [Howard, 1989;Williams, 1986]. 15.…”