Category Story of Nations

          El Salvador is one of the smallest countries in Central America. It was colonized by Spain. The Spanish had lots of indigo plantations. The harsh conditions in the plantations led to a revolt and the country gained independence in 1821.

          For years after independence, the country experienced a number of wars against other countries in Central America. Military dictatorships prevailed for more than forty years from 1931 to 1979. Wealthy land-owners and the army controlled the country and the poor suffered misery. This inequality led to civil war in 1980 which lasted for twelve years. When the war ended in 1992, about 75,000 Salvadorans were killed. The war ended when the rebels and the government signed a peace treaty which guaranteed political reforms. These reforms improved conditions of the country.

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          Can a country be named as ‘Banana republic’? Well, history says yes. In the late nineteenth century, there was a widespread banana craze in the US. The Latin American countries exported bananas to the US to satiate its crazy banana appetite. The first country to be known as ‘Banana republic’ is Honduras!

          Honduras was colonized by the Spanish. After gaining independence in 1838, the country was ruled primarily by a set of dictators. Later in the 19th century, several American companies set up banana plantations in Honduras which shaped its economy. The plantation workers revolted time and again against the oppressive working conditions that prevailed in the country. They also fought wars against their neighbours El Salvador and Nicaragua. In 1984, Honduras sought American help to bring peace to the country.

          Banana exports declined in 1994 which created an economic crisis in Honduras. To add fuel to the fire, a hurricane named Mitch hit the country. It killed many of its people and destroyed farmlands.

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          When Christopher Columbus first landed in Haiti, he mistook the island for India. After the Italians and the Spanish, the French set up a colony in western Haiti and ran sugar plantations successfully. Slaves were brought from Africa to work for the French masters.

          After years of slavery, Haitians revolted against their French leaders and became an independent nation in 1804. Haiti was being ruled by different inefficient governments since then till the US occupied the country.

          The US occupied the country from 1915 to 1934 and tried to restore order. But this did not solve the issue. A military regime governed Haiti till 1994. The country had elected governments occasionally which were soon overthrown by military coups. Finally, in 1994, democracy was restored in Haiti after a successful negotiation between the coup leaders and the US officials.

          Haiti is often hit by the worst kind of natural calamities. Tropical storms, earthquakes, mudslides, hurricanes and flash floods have taken the lives of thousands of Haitians. The damages caused by these disasters have often left the country in a state of emergency.

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          British Honduras is now known as Belize. It got its new name in 1973. As its old name suggests, it was a colony of Britain before gaining independence. The British settlers came there following a shipwreck. Seeing that the land was suitable for agriculture, they started a colony in Belize under the name British Honduras. Before that, the land was claimed by Spain.

          The Spanish believed that Belize was a part of Guatemala. This land dispute started in the 1520s and surprisingly, it did not end even after Belize gained independence.

          Belize became an independent nation in 1981. Though they were free from the clutches of the colonizers, they were regularly disturbed by Guatemalans who believed that Belize was a part of their country.

          British army regularly protected Belize from these attacks. Guatemala still claims its rights on Belize. In 2008, both countries agreed to put the case before the International Court of Justice. The final decision regarding the case has not come out yet.

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          The story of Guatemala is written in blood. The country had one of the worst civil wars in the world which lasted for 36 years.

          Guatemala gained independence from its Spanish colonizers in 1839. By the 1950s, president Arbenz led land reforms that aimed at improving the lives of the peasants. A majority of the farmlands were controlled by the United Fruit Company, an organization funded by the US. The land reforms affected them adversely. In addition to that, the growth of communism in Guatemala was seen as a threat by the US. The US intervened to overthrow Arbenz. Castillo Armas became the new president. He stopped the reforms and broke all peasant unions. For the next 36 years, the country witnessed war. In 1996, the United Nations intervened to end the war and establish peace.

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          The birth of modern Canada is revolutionary. However, it did not involve much violence.

          A series of intense sociopolitical changes popularly known as the   ‘Quiet Revolution’ gave shape to the Canada that we know today. Canada was a British settlement. In the 1960s, the Liberal government led a series of social, political and cultural reforms and made the government secular. The Liberal government gained control over the education system, established more public institutions and provided better education to its citizens. Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world.

          The reformers improved health care services and nationalised many sectors including electricity. These reforms improved the economy and quality of life in Canada which attracted more and more immigrants.

          Canada was first explored by the Vikings. The Vikings were followed by the British and the French. Britain took most of the French land to create two colonies. Gold was discovered later in Klondike which created a rush. Canada is now a parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarchy; Queen Elizabeth heads the country. The US tried to invade Canada twice without any success. Surprisingly, today Canada and the US share the longest international border that is not patrolled by defence forces!

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