banana republic

[ buh-nan-uh ri-puhb-lik ]

noun

, Usually Disparaging.

1. a small, poor country, often reliant on a single export or limited resource, governed by an authoritarian regime and characterized by corruption and economic exploitation by foreign corporations conspiring with local government officials.
2. any exploitative government that functions poorly for its citizenry while disproportionately benefiting a corrupt elite group or individual.

banana republic

noun

1. derogatory.
   a small country, esp in Central America, that is politically unstable and has an economy dominated by foreign interest, usually dependent on one export, such as bananas

Word History and Origins

Origin of banana republic¹

Coined by O. Henry ( def ) in his short-story collection Cabbages and Kings (1904); originally used to describe those agrarian countries of Central America dependent in the early 20th century on foreign investment in fruit exports

Example Sentences

The term "banana republic" derives from the fact that a US company, United Fruit, effectively ruled Guatemala for decades beginning in the 1930s.

From BBC

Donald Trump regularly claims, during his current campaign, that Democratic policies have turned the U.S. into a “banana republic,” a “failed state,” a “third-world country” or some such degradation of America.

From Salon

More than that, calling for the imprisonment of one’s political opponents — particularly when, as with Clinton, they have not been charged with or convicted of any crime — is a defining trait of a banana republic.

From Los Angeles Times

A country of wealthy healthcare corporations enabled by the government, who let clinicians choose between volunteer work or turning sick people away is its own kind of banana republic.

From Salon

President Trump, isn’t going after your political opponents what they do in a banana republic?

From Salon