The United Fruit Company (UFC), whose highly profitable business had been affected by the softening of exploitative labor practices in Guatemala, engaged in an influential lobbying campaign to persuade the U.S. to overthrow the Guatemalan government
The United Fruit Company, through its investment and influence, took on the role of nation-building in Central America throughout the first half of the twentieth century and is what one would call the epitome of U.S imperialism. The freedom granted to this company throughout Central America is one that is mostly indebted to the authoritarian regimes that assisted in their economic pillaging. Under the nickname of “Banana Republics,” many Central American nations were forced into a subservient relationship with the U.S. through their corporations.
Hence, the UFC utilized its strong ties with the US government and, more specifically, the CIA. On December 6, 1928, the US government threatened to invade Colombia with the US Marine Corps that were stationed off the shores of Ciénaga should the Colombian government not act to protect the UFC’s interests. Concerned with this threat and its potential economic impact, the Colombian government decided to act in favor of the interests of the United Fruit Company.